The Slumber Party Massacre

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source: The Slumber Party Massacre

Bad acting, bad script, bad camerawork, bad music, bad, bad, bad. I fail to see why this movie is actually admired by some fans of the Horror genre. It just fails miserably on all counts. There are some funny moments in it (like when killer counts the number of bodies in the trunk) but there is almost nothing memorable about SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE except for the nudity at the beginning of the film. And the fact that every actress playing the teenage girls looked like they were actually 29 years old. The killer is lame and the uninspired cinematography is so dark that I had a hard time seeing what was going on at times. Not funny enough to be considered a successful parody of slashers. Not gory enough for gorehounds. Not scary enough for those looking for thrills. But boring and unmemorable enough to be forgotten. For horror films completists only.

A good, better than usual Halloween clone set in a quite Venice suburb of Los Angeles where an 18-year-old girl, Trish, decides to throw a slumber party for her friends, members of her school's girls basketball team. Little do they know that a wild-eyed, middle-aged, maniac named Russ Thorn, who killed five people back in 1969, has escaped from a mental hospital and spots Trish and follows her to and from school to her house and, undercover of darkness, invades their party. Pre-slumber party killings include a telephone repairwoman named Mary, whom Thorn steals her van and drill he needs for the killing, and teammate Linda (played by Brinke Stevens in an early movie role) but they woun't be missed by the others. This one has all the elements of a good 1980's slasher flick, a high body count, a fair amount of splatter, a most phallic weapon, lots of false shocks, some gratuitious female nudity, etc. Given that this was writen and directed by women one would expect anything other than this material would have been given an edge of parody or irony, but it's all played straight. There is no masked killer, no surprise killer, no twist in the end, just straight-forward horror. Despite some cheap qualities it's all not badly done, especially in the last 20 minutes where the driller killer finally breaks into Trish's house and the girls dashing from room to room getting killed one by one, all the while the girl next door, Valerie and her little sister, Courtney, are oblivious to the going-ons. It is notable for Robin Stille as Valerie in the Jamie Lee Curtis heroine role and Andree Honore and the party goer with the largest bust. Contents: 11 killings, good graphic gore (including a head lost and a hand getting chopped off), female nudity galore, lots of screams, a more stylish-than-usual, energetic flick.

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) *** 1/2 (out of 4) A group of girls decide to throw a slumber party but they pick the wrong night because an escaped maniac has broken free from an asylum and goes back to his killing ways. For my money THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE is one of the decades greatest slashers because it not only delivers the T&A and gore but also delivers some rather effective laughs. People seem to give SCREAM all the credit for mixing horror and comedy but I think think film should get a lot more credit than it does. This film certainly wasn't as ground-breaking as SCREAM but there's still plenty of great stuff on display here and especially if you grew up in the 80s renting videos. Back when the slasher was in its Golden Era you needed certain things. One was nudity and there's plenty of that on display. We get a lot of great looking women taking their clothes off for no other reason than the producers knew guys wanted to see it and they offer it up in a rather unforgettable shower sequence. The film also offers up some rather memorable death scenes with the killer effectively running around with a drill. The film isn't overly gory but for the 80s it's good stuff. It also doesn't hurt that you enjoy all the "teenage" characters. Another major plus is the fact that killer played by Michael Villela is actually rather creepy and menacing. There's just something in his eyes that tell you he isn't all there and it was rather refreshing not having someone stalking around in a mask. THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE is highly entertaining and manages to hold your attention throughout it's rather short running time.

After the training of the high school girls' basketball team, a group of players schedule a slumber party. Most of the girls agrees to go to the party. Meanwhile, the serial-killer Russ Thorn (Michael Villela) escapes from prison and comes to the school with a drilling machine in the beginning of his crime spree. "The Slumber Party Massacre" is a weak slasher, since the killer's identity is known from the beginning and the story is not original. In 1979, Abel Ferrara directed "The Driller Killer", where a serial-killer kills his victims with a driller. There are hot girls *, but they do not save the movie since the story is lame. My vote is four. Title (Brazil): "O Massacre" ("The Massacre") Note: On 29 June 2020, I saw this film again.

Without further ado, this simply is an early 80's slasher that's worth seeing (at least once). If not for any other reason, then watch it for the fact that this was written and directed by two women. I still can't believe it! All women in this film are portrait as helpless victims (except for two or so). Most of the killings are bloody and gory. And after only 8 minutes in the movie, the whole teenage female basketball-team goes fully * and hits the showers(!). The camera gratuitously focuses on * and buttocks. Who said women can't make a decent horror movie? Haha! So * galore, spiced up with some good-looking gore. Unfortunately there's no story (the movie's title actually is the story). And we know who the killer is right from the start of the movie (we see his face all the time). It's just a crazy man escaped from the loony-bin. I was at least expecting some kind of twist, but about halfway through the movie I gave up this wishful thinking and just enjoyed the rest of it, being as there weren't going to be any surprises anyway. But still, this is a must-see for everyone who calls himself an 80's slasher-fan.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for "Slumber Party Massacre" ever since I first saw it at the ripe old age of 11. Sure it's not the bloodiest, scariest, well acted or written horror movie that wonderful 80's produced- but it does have something that makes it special and a standout on its own. Trish (Michelle Michaels) is a popular basketball player whose parents have gone away for the weekend. Just so happens that the night before, convicted killer and mental patient Russ Thorn (wonderfully played by Michael Villella) has escaped from confinement. Awww...timing is everything! Val (Robin Stille) is the new girl in school as well as on the basketball team, who also happens to live right next door to Trish. Of course, Trish decides to gather her girls for a night of fun at her empty house. She suggests they invite Val, and is of course is rejected by her snobby & trampy friend Diane (Gina Mari). Cut to the chase...the girls have there slumber party. Of course Russ has been following them around all day and is just waiting for his moment to strike. Val on the other hand is alone too next door, with the exception of her boy crazy 13 year old sister Courtney (Jennifer Meyers). When the pizza delivery boy shows up dead on Trish's doorstep- mayhem ensues. The girls (along with some boys who have crashed the Slumber Party) are scared to death. They are afraid to leave the house - so the boys volunteer to make a run for it. One by one our teenagers get hacked away. Eventually Val and Courtney get involved in the goings on and before you know it our girls are in some serious trouble. The movie works due to some genuinely funny comedic dialogue- and Michael Villella's great portrayal of the Driller Killer. When he says "I love you" in his sick and twisted way- you genuinely feel creeped out! The music is also quite good as well. With a 77 minute run time- Slumber Party Massacre doesn't drag and keeps pace quite nicely. If you collect horror and are a big fan of the classic cheesy horror movies from the beloved 80's, Slumber Party Massacre is worth an entry into your DVD collection.

This is a movie from the early 80's and it contains the word "massacre" in the title, so you know the…um…DRILL! Standard, by-the-numbers slasher except that this is supposed to be a feminist slasher! In all honesty, I don't really get it. Portraying dumb but hot-looking girls stalked & killed by a homicidal maniac is a sexist crime, but if this exact same formula is presented by a FEMALE director and a FEMALE scriptwriter, it all of a sudden becomes a parody and/or a feminist statement? The male characters in this movie may be a bit dumber than usual but the teenage beauties are all still defenseless little lambs to the slaughter, so where exactly lays the girl-power element? Oh well, since I absolutely don't wish to receive negative feedback from female readers, I'll just restrict myself to reviewing the actual movie and leave the speculations of possible deeper meanings behind. Talking purely in terms of 80's horror, "The Slumber Party Massacre" is a pretty good effort with likable characters, a fair amount of suspense and a handful of excellent gory killings. With her parents away on holiday, a schoolgirl invites her friends for a sleepover party with the usual pizzas, beer and soft drugs. Unfortunately for them, an escaped lunatic with a gigantic power tool still terrorizes the area and he shows up as the party-pooper, drilling holes in everyone whose path he's crossing. The only hope for rescue in the new girl who lives across the street but – oh no – she wasn't invited to the party! The identity and motivations of serial killers are usually kept secret in 80's slashers until the ending (as they're frequently acquaintances of the victims), but you don't have to worry about that in this case. Right from the opening minute, newspapers and radio bulletins loudly announce that a psychopath escaped from the local asylum and he doesn't even bother to wear a silly mask, as he's already carrying the drilling device – which symbolizes a male * – instead. There's little else you need to know, except that nearly all the girls willingly take their clothes off and that the obligatory after gym-class shower sequence comes early in the movie. Hooray for feminism!

To my utter amazement most of the comments concerning this film are somewhat positive. Now I really love decent slasher films, and the year 1982 is certainly vintage for those types but this stinker is just plain bad. Now I don't know about most slasher lovers but I'll name a few who set the bar: Halloween: I don't think there are many people who dispute the fact that Halloween is a real horror classic. It's got many of the slasher film elements but it's also a really good demonstration of how to make a great horror film with little more than enthusiasm and skill. Friday the 13th: A really great slasher film. Nowhere near Halloween in terms of atmosphere, suspense and overall craftsmanship but the "woods scenario" was pretty much perfected here, the kills are great and the "wooden disposable teenagers" are presented here basically for the first time. Black Christmas: A moody, atmospheric sorority slasher that is a bona fide horror classic. Here lighting, music, grueling set pieces, good acting and an OK sense of humor ensured that Christmas was always going to have a dark side. Made before Halloween so in some ways this film could be considered the granddaddy of all slashers. Now these are three excellent films and belong as top referrers to any horror lover. Then there are those copycats and while some are really good (some Friday sequels, some Halloween sequels, The Burning, My Bloody Valentine for instance) many are not at all good. Many films fall somewhere in between, displaying some features that are to be admired. Films like "The Prowler", "Happy Birthday To Me", "Prom Night", "Dead and Buried", "Maniac" and "The House on Sorority Row" have some features working for them, be it atmosphere, gore, solid display of originality or good craftsmanship - something ensures they have good entertainment value. Then there are those that have none of that, just copy from better movies and do it in a cheap, unimaginative and talentless fashion. Now seriously, those who won't find this little outburst of mine helpful will agree to the fact this this film has any of the features that make a solid horror movie. It's horribly acted with one badly staged set piece swiftly followed by another. The set ups here are painfully bad (that pizza delivery boy who's just had his eyes drilled out was a particular fav). Honestly, I wish there was a comment section here so I could have admirers of the film point out to me what they liked and why. Now, maybe I was just in a really foul mood when I watched this and I certainly don't want to imply that those who like it are any certain type of individuals, hell, I like some movies that get horrible beatings here. But, in my humble opinion, it's movies like "Slumber Party Massacre" that gave slashers a bad name and I'm just amazed to see that many horror lovers seem to think highly of it.