Released from Metrodome on DVD and on Digital download this 1982 slasher cheese fest is a must for the Halloween season.
High School student Trish (Michele Michaels) is throwing a slumber party for her friends, in memory of old times as they are at the end of their High School lives. Things quickly turn deadly when an escaped mental patient with a drill crashes the party.
This has to be one of my top picks of the Halloween season. It is quirky, silly, gory and so much fun. Coming at the peak of the slasher genre craze following the roaring success of Halloween (1978) and the Friday the 13th series (1980-2009), The Slumber Party Massacre was a treat to slasher fans coming in heavy with its sleazier and cheekier side to the genre.
With fellow stand alone (at the time) slasher film the House On Sorority Row) this film had a lot to live up to. For the most part, it did. With a film that was directed and written by women and starring mainly all female actors the film was not shy of T&A. in fact, the film played off the generic slasher trope of sexualising women, this helped not only get the film into people’s minds but ended up meaning the film would have 2 follow-up films – Slumber Party Massacre 2 (1987) and Slumber Party Massacre 3 (1990).
Being produced by the notorious Roger Corman the film was slightly more comedic I being kind of self-aware ( the first of its kind) Slasher. This actually was such a refreshing change for the genre and made way for more films like it. 1986’s April fools day was a classic example of taking the slasher genre and turning it on its head.
The Slumber Party Massacre firmly and rightfully marked its self as one fo the most successful cult slashers of the early 80’s recently getting its first Blu-ray release in the USA from Scream factory. Many people deem this film as their favourite worst slasher film and I must agree completely. This is flat out awesomely terrible. But I can promise this you will love every second of this cheesy, fun and gory Slasher.
Fun fact about the film back when the film was released on VHS in the United Kingdom, it was repackaged as The Slumber Party Murders. This was because with all the video Nasty action appearing at the time of the film’s release many film boards in the Uk felt that massacre was a little too violent of a word giving that the film was aimed at teenagers.
Even though the film was more or less a slam at how women are portrayed in slasher films – what with the killer using a drill as his weapon and such, the acting as actually pretty decent, for the kind of film this was, and in fact I have seen worse acting in bigger studio slasher films. My stand out, and I think many people stand out, was the incredible Robin Stille (who sadly is no longer with us) who played the role of Valarie in the film. She was just so awesome and brilliant in her role and really held up on the sweet innocent (maybe) final girl type. All the other main girls were decent as well. Everything was just really 80’s slasher cheese.
Being a fan of the slasher genre this has to be one of the golden gems in my love for the genre. It’s just a film you can laugh at but at the same time, the film also will have moments that are truly chilling and tension building.
One of my favourite things about the film is its tagline – ‘Close your eyes for a second and Sleep Forever‘. I just love that film and to be honest sums up the film pretty well. I think ist taglines like that that really symbolises the awesomeness of the good old 80’s slasher films. This is a true gem and a one of a kind.
Do yourself a favour. Go watch The Slumber Party Massacre if you can you will not regret it!
| Ross Wilcock
Horror, Comedy | USA, 1982 | 18 | Dir.Amy Holden Jones | Michele Michaels,Robin Stille, Debra De Liso
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