Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 20, 2021

"Greek life" might be better termed "Greek death" in The House on Sorority Row, a surprisingly effective slasher from 1982 which offers a bunch of, well, Mean Girls whose exploits end in death and destruction, including for them. The film begins with a bit of (perhaps too obvious) misdirection involving a woman who seems a bit old to be having a baby, and who later shows up as the house mother. Suffice it to say the sorority sisters are a rambunctious lot, which ends in apparent disaster for that very house mother, but which is then followed by a string of rather gruesome murders. Occasional toplessness and gore effects ensue in expected allotments.

The House on Sorority Row had a previous Blu-ray offered several years ago by Scorpion Releasing in a two disc edition. Those wanting a plot summary are encouraged to read my colleague Brian Orndorf's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review of that edition. Brian's review is also a great resource for screenshot comparisons and a complete rundown of the supplements, which have been ported over to this release. I gave the overall film a slightly lower score than Brian did, though I agree with Brian's assessment that for a micro-budgeted feature things are rather nicely competent from a technical standpoint.

The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The House on Sorority Row is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the MVD Rewind Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While I'm rating this at the same 3.5 score Brian gave to the Scorpion Releasing version, a cursory comparison of screenshots will reveal that this release is considerably brighter than the Scorpion version, and also seems to have less of a yellowish undertone that the Scorpion version seems to have had (I did not purchase that version, and so am going solely by screenshots, several of which I've tried to come close to reproducing from Brian's version). While the aspect ratio is ostensibly the same, contrast the width of the people in screenshot 1 in each review, or even the general framing of screenshot 2 between the two versions as well. Those differences aside, this version also displays all of the issues that Brian noted in his, including noticeable damage and things like warping and/or wobble. MVD chose to put all of the content from Scorpion's two disc version on one BD-50, and some may wonder if a bit more real estate for the main feature might have helped compression, especially in moments like the blue tinted opening, or some later dark material in the various nooks and crannies of the sorority house.

The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The House on Sorority Row features an LPCM 2.0 track that judging by Brian's description of the Scorpion version's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track sounds very similar if not absolutely identical. There is some occasional slight age related wear and tear, and clarity is arguably generally improvable, but dialogue makes it through the gauntlet unscathed and Richard Band's surprisingly warm score is nicely full bodied. Optional English subtitles are available.

The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This MVD Rewind edition of The House on Sorority Row ports over all of the supplements from the previously released Scorpion edition.

• Audio Commentary with Director Mark Rosen is moderated by Katarina Leigh Waters and can be accessed under the Setup Menu. For more information, see Brian's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review .


• Audio Commentary with Director Mark Rosen and Stars Eileen Davidson and Kathryn McNeil can be accessed under the Setup Menu. For more information, see Brian's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review.


• Interview with Star Harley Jane Kozak (HD; 41:39) is a fantastically ingratiating piece, which Brian also enthusiastically praises in his The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review.


• Interview with Star Eileen Davidson (SD; 7:14) is moderated by Katarina Leigh Waters in front of some pretty cheesy looking green screen from an apparent interview show called Kat's Eyes. For more information, see Brian's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review.


• Interview with Star Kathryn McNeil (SD; 14:24) is another piece of questionable green screening with Katarina Leigh Waters as moderator. For more information, see Brian's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review.


• Interview with Director Mark Rosman (SD; 21:24) continues the trend, with more from moderator Katarina Leigh Waters. For more information, see Brian's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review.


• Interview with Composer Richard Band (SD; 45:18) is an informative sit down with the composer, thankfully not in front of green screen, at least that I could tell. For more information, see Brian's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review.


• Interview with Composer Igo Kantor (SD; 10:11) is mislabeled on the menu, as Kantor was actually the film's producer. For more information, see Brian's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review .


• Original Pre-Credit Sequence (HD; 2:06) is a perhaps odd inclusion here, at least for those who haven't made it through all of the supplements. The Scorpion release evidently featured Rosman's preferred black and white opening sequence rather than the blue tinted one offered here, whereas this release offers the blue tinted one as its putative main feature and the black and white version in the Alternate Mono Audio Version listed below. For more information, see Brian's The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray review.


• Alternate Ending Storyboards (HD; 7:11)


• Alternate Mono Audio Version with Re-Timed Pre-Credit Sequence (HD; 1:31:53) features Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio and Rosman's preferred black and white opening.


• Trailers includes The House on Sorority Row (Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 3:10) and The House on Sorority Row (TV Spots) (HD; 4:36), along with trailers from other Blu-ray releases by MVD.
Additionally, reversible artwork and a collectible mini-poster are included.

The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This MVD Rewind release of The House on Sorority Row features a somewhat different looking video presentation than the Scorpion version, but preserves all of the supplements of that now pretty pricey two disc edition. That may make this new release attractive for those who may have missed out on the earlier one. Video and audio have occasional hurdles, but the supplementary package is excellent. Recommended.