Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The House on Sorority Row Blu-ray Movie Review

He's just a sea pig.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 24, 2014

1983’s “The House on Sorority Row” was released during a fertile time for slasher entertainment, when everyone with access to a camera, topless actresses, and fake blood decided to launch their own horror experience to cash in on the macabre merriment. Unfortunately, most of these productions were derivative of one another, riding trends to a point of exhaustion. The surprise of “The House on Sorority Row” is how it teases such genre fatigue, yet manages to build a semi-effective scare machine of its own, merging “Friday the 13th” levels of gore with a distinct Hitchcockian influence that pushes the picture into thriller mode over your basic rampage-and-stab viewing experience. Creative particulars are unexpectedly tight, with writer/director Mark Rosman investing in suspense over pure exploitation, though the basics in nudity, bloodshed, and screamy panic are covered.

As the school year comes to a conclusion, a group of sorority sisters are preparing to graduate and enter the adult world. Katey (Katharine McNeil), Diane (Harley Jane Kozak), Jeanie (Robin Meloy), Morgan (Jodi Draigie), Liz (Janis Zedo), Stevie (Ellen Dorsher), and alpha sister Vicki (Eileen Davidson) are preparing a special party to celebrate the end of their collegiate careers, only to face the wrath of Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt, who’s cruelly dubbed throughout the effort), a particularly impatient house mother who wants to clear the property before the week is up. Refusing to back down, the women decide to pull a prank on Mrs. Slater to humiliate her, but something goes horribly wrong, leading the graduates to think they’ve killed the old woman. Promptly wrapping the body and dumping it in the backyard pool, the sisters move on to party business, but Katey can’t help but fixate on their actions. As the festivities begin, an unknown figure begins to stalk the sorority hallways, picking off the women one by one, leaving the survivors to panic during the blowout, with Katey working to make sense of the serial killer, scouring the house for clues.

The premise of “The House on Sorority Row” is actually quite engaging. Instead of building the presence of an unstoppable killer, born from the depths of abuse or isolation, Rosman submits the sisters as a form of evil, chasing their mean-spirited prank against Mrs. Slater with a panic attack that leads them to try to discard any evidence of murder, using the murky depths of a neglected pool to hide their shame and preserve their futures. Katey is the only member of the gang to seriously contemplate such demonic actions, creating an interesting dynamic that pits the sisters against themselves and the roving monster, while the house mother is handed a sympathetic portrayal as a ticking time bomb of psychosis (her wounds date back to a difficult, secretive birth in the 1960s), establishing Dr. Beck (Christopher Lawrence), an interested medical official, as another voice of reason. Rosman scripts defined characters and amplifies the complexity of the situation, with all these woman committed to a social pact of silence, only to find themselves targeted for doom as the week wears on.

Rosman isn’t overwhelmingly clever, working with a painfully limited budget, but his raw instincts help “The House on Sorority Row” find moments of inspiration. The cast is funky and alert, avoiding the shriek routine to play up the gang’s shock and refusal of guilt, generating pleasingly barbed interplay as things go from bad to worse. The score by Richard Band is victorious in setting the mood, deploying an orchestral warmth that carries the movie to a richly cinematic level, while editing by Paul Trejo and Jean-Marc Vasseur concentrates on smooth transitions and tension, building the picture into a legitimately effective chiller, even with a few pokey spots of exposition. Rosman takes cues from the suspense masters and infuses “The House on Sorority Row” with traditional stalking sequences and mysterious happenings, most tied to court jester imagery. The helmer also makes good use of the location, working through basements and bedrooms, while the pool area plays a critical part in the story. The feature is unexpectedly competent, providing refreshing attention to the stages of fear, while allowing for some college student stupidity to open up the viewing experience, with most of the male characters complete oafs, reinforcing the strong feminine viewpoint of the movie.

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

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is likely the best "The House on Sorority Row" is going to look on home video. Scorpion provides a fresh viewing experience with a few limitations, as print damage, rough reel changes, and wobble are detected, but these are minor complaints. Revealing healthy primaries and consistent skintones, hues are generally in good shape, while black levels are largely consistent, communicating the movie's extensive exploration of evening activities and dark encounters. Fine detail is present, good with set dressing and costuming, while gore zone visits reveal the limitations of the practical effects. Softness is inherent to the opening birthing scene, while the rest of the feature looks as defined as a low-budget effort like this can, lacking a pin-sharp appearance. Grain has moments of heaviness, but it's managed quite well.

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

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix certainly has its limitations, with tentative highs that bring out a slightly fuzzy quality to dialogue exchanges, though nothing is lost in the presentation. Some crackling and hiss are detected, but the majority of the track remains approachable, with fuller suspense beats and a satisfactory exploration of the score, which sounds accurate and secure. Rock band performances carry adequate instrumentation, setting the festive mood. Atmospherics, with underwater events and a crowd dynamic, are capable, allowing for a deeper sense of location and action.

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

Disc 1

• Commentary #1 features writer/director Mark Rosman and actresses Kate McNeil and Eileen Davidson, and the trio provides more of a casual recollection of creative highlights. Rosman leads the pack, sharing compelling BTS information concerning the low-budget shoot, pointing out tricks and tributes, while the actresses concentrate on professional relationships and on-set moods. Dead spots crop up from time to time, but the track delivers a satisfying understanding of production challenges.

• Commentary #2 features Rosman with host Katarina Leigh Waters, and while it basically repeats everything from the other track, the director seems a little more focused for this conversation, trying to entertain his partner with anecdotes. Waters seems overwhelmed by the interview challenge, but she manages to question Rosman about the 2009 remake.

• Original Pre-Title Sequence (2:06, HD) offers the opening of the movie in all its bluish glory. The BD version of "The House on Sorority Row" restores Rosman's original black and white vision.

• Interview (41:39, HD) with Harley Jane Kozak is perhaps the most enlightening of the supplementary features, with the former actress and now author revealing tremendous candor when discussing her filmography. Safely outside the industry, Kozak is free to reflect on her career with honesty, and she walks through the ups and down of her time in Hollywood, sharing BTS tidbits from "Arachnophobia," "All I Want for Christmas" (which was extensively rewritten weeks before shooting to avoid a lawsuit), and "The Taking of Beverly Hills" (which, of course, was shot in Mexico with Styrofoam sets). Talk of "The House on Sorority Row" is cheery, representing Kozak's big break into acting, offering tales of creepy cast accommodations, life-threatening water stunts, and stolen clothing. She's just wonderful to listen to.

• Alternate Ending/Storyboard Comparisons/Production Stills (7:11, SD) collect a slew of images from the making of the movie, with Rosman popping up briefly to discuss a different ending for the effort. A few suspense sequences are dissected with before and after evaluations, and a handful of pictures from the shoot are shared.

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:57, HD) and Three T.V. Spots (1:33, HD) are included.

Disc 2

• Interview (14:24, SD) with Kate McNeil chats up the lead actress, covering the origins of her career, her time on the set, and her rather guarded feelings for the "Sorority Row" remake, sharing a more political answer about extremes of violence than an honest one.

• Interview (7:14, SD) with Eileen Davidson is less illuminating, working through the basics of her professional life and her memories of on-set duties, emphasizing her alien appearance due to her L.A. origins, working with a group of NYC-trained talent.

• Interview (21:24, SD) with Mark Rosman explores his filmmaking aspirations and experience working with Brian De Palma on "Home Movies," which gave him the necessary training to attempt "The House on Sorority Row." Talk of financing, casting, and filming fill out the conversation.

• Interview (45:18, SD) with Richard Band is an extended sit-down with the composer, who shares his vision for this tiny horror picture and his efforts to use orchestral sounds to give it cinematic life. The chat walks through Band's other work in movies such as "Ghoulies" and "Zone Troopers."

• Interview (10:11, SD) with producer Igo Kantor is only moderately engaging, discussing the work that was put into the picture to help bring it to a successful release. More interesting is Kantor's blasé feelings on infidelity.

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

There was a remake, and 2009's "Sorority Row" was a wretched movie that ignored everything positive about Rosman's picture. Thankfully, the original version is readily available for those on the hunt for slasher goodies from the 1980s, and while it isn't a seminal effort that radically redefined the genre's potential, its care for the basics and interest in building suspense has justly transformed "The House on Sorority Row" into a cult hit.