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“The actual world is so shitty that horror is the perfect genre to express the most honest and concrete things … More than ever, horror should embody the absolute escape from the lies of official society. The genre has a great opportunity to be really countercultural again after years of having been softened by the cynical postmodernism of our times.” --- Pascal Laugier

Horrorphile - September 2008

The Slumber Party Massacre

September 5th 2008 03:21
The Slumber Party Massacre movie poster
This is a movie that gets "curiouser and curiouser" as I dig the dirt on its B–grade ass. To be honest calling it a B-movie is being kind. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) is low-rent stuff indeed, but somehow it manages to keep its head above water with enough small quirks and behind-the-scenes tidbits to maintain a semblance of kudos. But I use the word “kudos” in the vaguest sense.

At the height of the stalk’n’slash period in the midst of the Scarlet Age of Modern Horror The Slumber Party Massacre was made and became one of the many VHS titles that fell prey to the notorious “video nasties” list in the UK; it had its title changed to Slumber Party Murders (the word “massacre’ was considered too intense) and had all of the gore crudely cut out (except for the final death).

The screenplay was written by Rita Mae Brown as a parody of teen slasher movies and was called Sleepless Nights. The producers, however, decided to film it as a “serious” horror flick and changed the title. Despite the director Amy Jones’ low-brow beginnings she would go on to write the comedy Mystic Pizza (Julia Roberts’ breakthrough movie), the drama-romance Indecent Proposal, and co-write the remake of The Getaway, and the under-rated monster movie The Relic (1997).
The Slumber Party Massacre Debra Deliso, Michelle Michaels, Andree Honore
Kim (Debra Deliso), Trish (Michelle Michaels) and Jackie (Andree Honore) enjoy a little hooch
More curiously Amy Jones was at the time married to Michael Chapman, the cinematographer on Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976) - Amy Jones was Scorsese’s assistant - and Raging Bull, amongst other commercial and critical hits. It turns out Chapman provided the lighting for the prologue sequence on The Slumber Party Massacre (and surely a title he conveniently leaves off his resume)!
The Slumber Party Massacre Brinke Stevens
Girlyswat - Linda (Brinke Stevens) - always gets it early
The title pretty much says it all, but hey, let me enlighten you on the basic plot: 18-year-old Trish (Michelle Michaels) is planning to have a few girlfriends over while her parents are away for the weekend; a slumber party for old time’s sake. So several of her basketball buddies join her; Kim (Debra Deliso), Jackie (Andree Honore) and Diane (Gina Smika). Linda (Brinke Stevens) can’t make it as she has a test on Monday she needs to swat for. After practice she goes back for her books and falls foul of escaped lunatic Russ Thorn (Michael Villella).
The Slumber Party Massacre Robin Stille and Jennifer Meyers
Robin Stille as Valerie and Jennifer Meyers as lil' sis Courtney
New girl Valerie (Robin Stille, who committed suicide in ’96), has been rejected by the other girls for being too pretty. As it turns out she lives next door to Trish and is stuck at home babysitting her sister Courtney (Jennifer Meyers). Meanwhile likely lads Jeff (David Millbern) and Neil (Joseph Alan Johnson) sneak up on the house to get a perv of the girls in as little clothing as possible.
The Slumber Party Massacre Michael Villella
Michael Villella as psycho Russ Thorn
The psycho-killer, armed with a power drill and very long drill-bit (yup, blatant phallic imagery), and with several deaths to his utility belt, arrives at the house intent on murdering some more lovelies, and anyone else who gets in his way.

The Slumber Party Massacre Debra Deliso
Kim is found dead in the fridge ... how'd she fit in there?
It’s curious how some B-movies date worse than others. Is it the truly dreadful acting? Is it the terrible wardrobe? Perhaps it’s the totally un-cool haircuts? Is it the tacky electronic score that threatens to drown out the action? I think it’s a combination of all of the above. Although there are occasional moments of the original screenplay's humour that shine through.

Looking into the “careers” of the actors it seems the majority never made another movie after The Slumber Party Massacre. Hmmm. Others, such as spunky Brinke Stevens (who commands the movie’s most memorable image during the locker room shower sequence and is even used in the trailer!), would go on to amass a plethora of straight-to-video titles to her filmography, nearly all of which are schlock-horror-exploitation. She even has her own fan website.
The Slumber Party Massacre pizza boy
The pizza boy arrives sans eyes
It’s strange how the female cast all look way too old to be high school students, yet the male students look about five years younger than the girls. It’s kinda bizarre. And then the psycho-killer looks about as un-psycho as you can get. His “acting” ranks as one of the more ludicrous performances in a horror movie. His wide-eyed stare is Z-grade gold. But he commands the movie’s best moments during the finale: “You’re pretty. All of you are very pretty. I love you. It takes a lot of love for a person to do this. You’ll love it. Yes,” he grins maniacally whilst brandishing his power drill. Then he gets his hand lopped off by a machete, his stomach slashed, and he starts screaming utter gibberish before falling into the pool, then manages to get out, struggles with one of the surviving girls, makes a lunge and is impaled on the machete.
The Slumber Party Massacre Gina Smika
Diane (Gina Smika) about to get screwed
Yes, the rampant phallic symbolism of the power drill is subverted by the killer as he's penetrated by the machete and dies at the hands of one of his would-be victims, the "chaste" one. And hey, there’s not just one final girl, there’s three!
The Slumber Party Massacre Pamela Roylance
The girls' coach (Pamela Roylance) comes to the rescue
The weird thing is that despite the movie’s inherent cheesiness - and boy this movie has the pizza mozzarella dripping from the sides - The Slumber Party Massacre does possess the odd creepy moment. Perhaps it’s the low-budget lighting … and that damn synth score! It's no Halloween (1978), but it gets under the skin, and as B-grade as it is, it makes movies like Sleepaway Camp (1983) look like a masterclass.
The Slumber Party Massacre Robin Stille
Valerie rises to the occasion
So what about a remake?! This one is crying out for a bunch of up’n’coming Hollywood babes keen to get their kit off for some gratuitous nudity and be terrorized by a maniac with a large whirring power drill between his legs, to be directed and scripted by women paying tribute to the original femininst slasher flick! Ha!

But one more thing; how in the hell did that electric drill stay powered all night long?! I guess it really must be the electric power drill from hell.

If you're game, here's the original trailer:


The Slumber Party Massacre DVD is courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment, many thanks!

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews
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3 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Always Eighteen

September 5th 2008 11:44


Always Eighteen: Japan Edition
Hahaha

This movie looks awesome.

It's funny how trailers were back then. They showed boobs!

Comment by Erin Stapleton

September 5th 2008 14:06
oh, that wacky pizza boy.
always trying something new to impress the ladies.

Comment by Cibbuano

September 5th 2008 23:56


20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
fun stuff... I love how the movie poster always looks much better than the actual movie... and how the title tells you everything you need to know...

I have an equivalently lame B-movie to review, as well...

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