Kelli Presley
Kelli Presley is a fictional character in the 2006 slasher film Black Christmas. The character, created by writer-director Glen Morgan and portrayed by actress Katie Cassidy, serves as a replacement to Jess from the original film.
| Kelli Presley | |
|---|---|
| Black Christmas character | |
Katie Cassidy as Kelli Presley in Black Christmas. | |
| First appearance | Black Christmas (2006) |
| Created by | Glen Morgan |
| Portrayed by | Katie Cassidy |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Kelli Presley |
| Occupation | College student |
| Family | Mr. Presley (father) Mrs. Presley (mother) |
| Nationality | American |
In the film, Kelli is depicted as a member of the Delta Alpha Kappa sorority. Due to being an only child and not having a large family, she decides to spend Christmas with her sorority sisters. Their sorority house was once the childhood home of notorious murderer Billy Lenz. During Christmas, Kelli and her sisters begin getting obscene phone calls. Realizing that Billy has returned home, the girls attempt to survive the night as, due to a snowstorm, help is unable to reach them.
Critical reception towards the character was polarizing. Some considered her to be likable and sympathetic, whereas others criticized her for being bland, generic and unoriginal as well as being inferior in comparison to Jess from the original Black Christmas. Despite these criticisms, Cassidy herself was generally praised for her performance.