5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.6 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
After a wayward prank leaves one of their own dead, a group of sorority sisters try to cover it up, only to be stalked by a serial killer.
Starring: Jamie Chung, Leah Pipes, Briana Evigan, Rumer Willis, Audrina PatridgeHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 59% |
Teen | 21% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
The slasher is perhaps horror’s most codified sub-genre. Yes, zombies and werewolves and vampires all have their mythologies and cinematic rules, but the slasher film is a different beast altogether. They’re usually simple morality tales about reckless youth on the cusp of adulthood, an age rife with sex and drugs and rebellion. Often, they’re staged around holidays or special events. The masked killer, armed with some kind of iconic weapon, whittles down a group of attractive, unsupervised youngsters in an isolated location until he gets to The Final Girl, who survives but is somehow traumatized or trapped by what she’s seen and done. Okay, so let’s see how Sorority Row stacks up against its predecessors: It’s about a clique of sorority seniors—cusp of adulthood, check— who cover up the death of one of their own—morality tale, check—get stalked and killed during a graduation party—special event, check, booze and sex, check, no supervision, check—by a hooded figure with a tire iron—iconic weapon, check—until our vaguely morally superior heroine—Final Girl, check—faces off against the killer and makes it through the night. I think my figurative pen just ran out of ink. With all the boxes checked, you may ask, what is there to differentiate Sorority Row from the bloody slew of prior slashers? Absolutely nothing. Is it still worth watching? That all depends on how loosely you define “entertainment.”
Toasting to your health doesn't assure anything in a horror film.
Sorority Row comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that's strong but inconsistent, sometimes as stunning as Jamie Chung in a towel, and other times looking like a pledge with a post-hazing hangover. Clarity varies between tack-sharp close-ups—see the beads of water on Claire's face as she gets out of the shower, and notice the fine details of her skin texture— to sequences that look somewhat soft and indistinct, like the scene with Cassidy and her boyfriend lying in bed together. I haven't seen the DVD to make a comparison, but I'm sure the Blu-ray presents a modest but appreciable upgrade. The party sequence at the beginning of the film shows off a lot of bright, bold colors, and as the film wears on, the palette is appropriately reigned in until we have a stark and slightly gritty nighttime image as we tiptoe through the sorority house's deserted hallways. Black levels are mostly deep without becoming oppressive, and while grain spikes a bit during the darker moments, it's never distracting, as it's all part of the low-budget horror aesthetic. Likewise, skin tones jump from ultra-tan to super pasty from scene to scene, but this is mostly due to stylized lighting choices. With a clean print and no overt technical troubles to nitpick over, this transfer seems to represent the film well, even if Sorority Row isn't the best- looking horror title to appear on Blu-ray.
When things go bump in the night at a sorority house, it's usually because one of the girls has snuck her boyfriend in, but in Sorority Row's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, you're more likely to hear a killer's blade whistling through the air than a headboard smacking rhythmically against the wall. Audio is an essential part of most horror films, and though Sorority Row doesn't use sound as intricately as other genre entries, this is still a solid track, with booming dynamics, a strong sense of detail, and a modest but appreciated use of the rear channels for ambience and effects. The party scenes come to life with chatter and the deep LFE pulse of blasted dance music. The killer's tricked-out tire iron spins between channels and plunges with a sickening squish into a victim's face. The overused but effective jump scares jolt with sudden musical stabs. And while voices are sometimes hard to make out during the mammoth parties— realistically—the dialogue is easy to make out the rest of the time. Overall, this track is almost exactly what you'd expect—loud, jarring, and full-blooded.
PIP Feature Commentary with Director and Cast
Director Stewart Hendler and four of his sorority beauties—Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer
Willis, and Margo Harshman—give a video commentary that's extremely, perhaps overly chatty,
which is unsurprising considering the number of participants. The picture-in-picture window is
kind of small, though, so unless you have a 100" screen, you'll have to be sitting pretty close to
really see the actors' expressions.
Sorority Secrets: Stories from the Set (1080p, 10:27)
Briana Evigan, Stewart Hendler, Leah Pipes, Jamie Chung, Rumer Willis, and Margo Harshman
each say a few words about their characters and reminisce about the sheer amount of estrogen
on set.
Killer 101 (1080p, 13:59)
Director Stewart Hendler and screenwriters Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger discuss the
conventions of the horror genre—the final girl, going foolishly into dark places, the killer's motive
speech, etc.—and basically, with the help of some clips from the film, show how Sorority
Girls adheres unfailingly to each of them. At least they know they're being derivative, I
guess. Don't watch this before the film unless you want every reveal spoiled.
Kill Switch (1080p, 10:24)
Don't feel like watching the entirety of a ho-hum horror movie but still want some gruesome,
visceral thrills? Okay, you sicko, here you go. Kill Switch fastforwards through what passes in
Sorority Girls for plot and simply shows each of the film's kills.
Deleted Scenes (1080p, 6:53)
Includes five deleted scenes and a lame alternate ending, all available with optional introductions
by the director.
Outtakes (1080p, 5:27)
Your average assortment of flubbed lines and improvised silliness.
Less discerning genre fans might take to Sorority Row, the latest paint-by-the-numbers slasher to bloody up Blu-ray, but more demanding horrorphiles will find it endlessly derivative and lacking in both intensity and innovation. Not every horror film has to raise the bar or change the rules, but Sorority Row sticks so staunchly to convention that it all but disappears into the plots, kills, and characters of its predecessors. If you're planning on pledging to this Sorority, please be responsible and temper your expectations accordingly.
Unrated Version
2008
25th Anniversary Edition
1997
Collector's Edition
2005
Halloween 8
2002
Collector's Edition
1998
Director's Cut
2005
2006
2014
Unrated
2012
25th Anniversary Edition
1997
Unrated
2010
2013
2010
Unrated Director's Cut
2010
1998
Special Edition
1980
Collector's Edition
1978
Collector's Edition
1988
Collector's Edition
1989
1987