Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Killer Party Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson November 13, 2021

The premise of a stalker attacking sorority houses had been attempted several times on celluloid during the first half of the Eighties in such genre efforts as Hell Night (1981), The House on Sorority Row (1983), The Initiation (1984), and Silent Madness (1984). It's because of this relatively crowded market of films about killers on college campuses that I think MGM decided to postpone the release of Killer Party until many months after principal photography wrapped in 1984. According to The Tampa Tribune's movie reviewer Bob Ross, this Toronto-shot production sat in MGM's vaults for a year and a half. Screenwriter Barney Cohen (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) and director William Fruet (The House by the Lake) add some new wrinkles to the genre in a ten-minute prologue that shows a horror movie watched by teen couples at a drive-in, who become part of a music video put on by a punk rock group!

Thereafter, Killer Party settles into a a more traditional narrative. Phoebe (Elaine Wilkes), Vivia (Sherry Willis-Burch), and Jennifer (Joanna Johnson) are three college teens who pledge to the Sigma Alpha Pi sorority. They're about to become sisters of what's now called the “goat house." Their initiation is staged in a fraternity house that has been closed for about two decades. On April 1, 1964, a pledge named Alan got killed in that house during a hazing prank. Sorority house mother Mrs. Henshaw (Pam Hyatt) knew Alan and speaks to the dead at his graveyard in the backyard. The boys of Beta Tau join the sorority girls at the derelict house for an April Fool's Day masquerade party. Will this be an evening of harmless pranks or murderous mayhem?

A crowded party.

Pre-production on Killer Party reportedly began in 1978 (same year that Animal House came out) and this seems an appropriate coincidence since there's a scene that looks straight out of Landis's classic. The frat boys take a jar full of bees and release them in the sorority house's backyard where the unsuspecting girls relax in a Jacuzzi. One of the boys films their reactions with a Super 8 camera. Killer Party works well due to its off-kilter style and irreverent humor. The last part of the film is indebted to not only The Exorcist (1973), but also Ghostbusters (1984).

MGM only gave Killer Party a limited release in select US cities. Critical responses were very mixed, with some wholly negative and others mostly positive. The Kansas City Star's Robert C. Trussell wrote that it's "crafted with bursts of inventive humor and enough surprises to distin­guish it from the many, many other movies of a similar bent....the actors throw them­selves into their work with good humor and energy." Rick Bentley of the Louisiana daily Town Talk cited it as "a notch above that more-often-than-not disgusting genre. The film is surprisingly well done (for this type production) and proves the 'slasher' films can be done with a degree of quality."

Killer Party Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Killer Party makes its global debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50 (disc size: 33.9 GB). I don't know whether or not this transfer is sourced from the same master that was used for the Warner Archive Collection's 2011 MOD "Remastered Edition." Warner's DVD-r presents the film in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, whereas Scream's disc displays it in its native ratio of 1.85:1. The image is clean save for some dirt that pops up on a couple occasions. Thankfully, grain hasn't been scrubbed and is most clearly visible in the dimly lit scenes inside the old fraternity house. Scream encodes the feature an average video bitrate of 33000 kbps.

Scream has provided twelve chapters for the 91-minute film.

Killer Party Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1687 kbps, 24-bit). Dialogue is rendered pretty well throughout, although vocal range and pitch can vary from scene to scene. The eclectic Eighties sound track contains four ballads by Alan Brackett and Scott Shelly, "You're No Fool (April)" by White Sister, and two other songs. In an interview on this disc, composer Jeff Beal says that the music department employed a variety of synthesized instruments and live musicians to create a "hybrid score." The Chamberlin keyboard, which was performed by a lot of rock groups during this era, used tape loops to play back the sounds of instruments. Beal also states that he had a Fairlight CMI and DX7, plus a small string ensemble and brass players. The music is definitely the biggest highlight on this monaural track. I wish Scream had included a stereo remix on an alternate track. Dragon's Domain Records released a soundtrack album earlier this year containing practically all musical underscore and source music.

Optional English SDH can be accessed through the menu or activated via remote.

Killer Party Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Campus Gentleman – An Interview with Actor Ralph Seymour (6:59, 1080p) - Seymour remembers how he got cast in Killer Party, his thoughts on playing Martin, the movie's use of humor, his female cast members, a notable car scene, and the old house they filmed in. Seymour appears interviewed at his home on a webcam. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Head of the Class – An Interview with Actress Sherry Willis-Burch (9:04, 1080p) - Willis-Burch talks about portraying Vivia, the character's hairstyle, her place among the sorority sisters, the initiation sequence, director William Fruet, how the original script changed, a costume she wore, and how Killer Party is a quintessential '80s work. Willis-Burch appears interviewed in person by DP Jim Bunz. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Fool's Night – An Interview with Writer Barney Cohen (5:35, 1080p) - Cohen brings up producer Michael Lepiner and exec producer Kenneth Kaufman, who approached him with an idea of writing a movie that was going to be titled The April Fool. He addresses a then-pending lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement of that working title brought on by the financiers of Friday IV, who were making April Fool's Day around the same time. Cohen offers his thoughts (then and now) on the movie's final title. Cohen also delves into how he approached the material, his interest in rock videos at the time, screenwriting advice he received from Steve Tesich, and a memorable encounter with a Killer Party fan. Cohen appears interviewed in his home office on a webcam. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Racing to the Party – An Interview with Composer John Beal (4:32, 1080p) - Beal recalls (generally) the TV work and low-budget films he scored as well as the "trailer business," as he puts it. He also remembers Killer Party's tight schedule, all the instruments performed for the film's original sound track, and a Bernard Herrmann riff he invoked for a particular scene. Beal appears interviewed in person by DP Jim Bunz. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Unholy Diver – An Interview with Special Make-Up Effects Artist Gordon J. Smith (7:16, 1080p) - Smith reminisces about all the special effects and stunt pieces he designed for Killer Party, how this film compares to other horror scripts he's read, and scenes that were partially cut. Smith appears interviewed at his home on a webcam. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Dressed to Possess – An Interview with Production Designer Reuben Freed (8:25, 1080p) - Freed explains how associate producer Grace Gilroy connected him with William Fruet, the houses they filmed in (where they recreated parts of rooms), the condemned house where they spent a lot of time in, the concession stand scene, and specific lighting challenges during the performance scenes featuring White Sister. Freed appears interviewed in person by DP Jim Bunz. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW From Burbank It Came: White Sister and KILLER PARTY (17:08, 1080p) - Interviewed (separately) are Gary Brandon (keyboards, vocals) and Dennis Churchill Dries (bass, vocals). Brandon and Dries discuss the history of White Sister, the musical harmonies they created together with Rick Chadock and Richard Wright, other rock groups of the era, their appearances in Killer Party, recording the video for the movie, among several other subtopics. In English, not subtitled.

Killer Party Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I had never heard of Killer Party until this year. I'm pleasantly surprised by the offbeat nature of this sleeper. While it reminds me of April Fool's Day (also from 1986) in some ways, it's superior in its creativity and the risks it takes. Scream Factory has delivered a very good transfer and an above-average monaural mix. Scream recorded eight new interviews with cast and crew, most of which are relatively short. I learned the most from interviews with Sherry Willis-Burch, Gordon Smith, and the two White Sister band members. A ROCK SOLID RECOMMENDATION.