Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Last Slumber Party Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 27, 2024

My first exposure to 1988’s “The Last Slumber Party” was ten years ago, when the team at Rifftrax added the feature to their catalog of comedy. The movie was a perfect fit for mockery, finding director Stephen Tyler’s general inability to assemble a film inspiring perhaps one of the most consistently hilarious offerings in the company’s history. And now, in 2024, a rewatch “The Last Slumber Party” has to happen, only this time without jesting, facing the goofiness and technical limitations of the endeavor sans help from trained riff professionals. With this picture, all the extra goofing around helps, as Tyler looks to add to the tradition of slasher cinema, only he can’t master any of the technical challenges facing him. It’s a long 72 minutes with unlikable characters and production blunders, while suspense is not present in this amateurish genre exercise.

Summer vacation has finally arrived for the kids of Northside High School, and friends Chris (Jan Jensen), Tracy (Nancy Meyer), and Linda (Joann Whitley) are ready to celebrate the occasion with a sleepover at Linda’s house. Chris’s boyfriend, Tommy (Danny David), is eager to have some fun with the girls, planning an evening of pranks and sex, joined by pals Billy (Lance Descourez) and Scott (Paul Amend). On the loose is Steven (Stephen Tyler), a mentally disturbed man under the care of Linda’s father, Dr. Sickler (David Whitley, Joann’s real-life husband, so…yeah, best not to analyze that), with the madman managing to escape his confines at the hospital, eager to spend the evening taking lives. Steven targets the slumber party, managing to find his way into the house, stalking and slashing the teens with a scalpel while they wonder what’s happening during their sleepover festivities.

One of the first things noticeable in “The Last Slumber Party” is the soundtrack. There’s a selection of hair metal songs to bookend the feature, and the production can’t seem to locate the volume knob. The tunes blare over introductory dialogue, drowning it out, but the basics in behavior are identified, with Tommy and his boys practiced bullies, trying to make life miserable for others, including Science (Rick Polizzi), the traditional nerd character of teen cinema, who’s happy to help his tormentors count down the seconds to the dismissal bell. Party plans are made, and without musical accompaniment, they’re more easily understood, with Chris demanding Linda give up her house for a get-together, eager to use the dwelling as the spot for drugs, drinking, and sex while Dr. Sickler is away at work and Linda’s mother remains in her bedroom, feeling ill, patiently awaiting delivery of orange juice from her overworked spouse.

“The Last Slumber Party” doesn’t establish a plot, merely establishing the trio of teens and their not terribly exciting evening plans, which are soon crashed by Tommy and his bros. There’s the threat of Steven, who’s dressed in stolen medical scrubs and a mask, randomly appearing throughout the feature. He’s been scheduled for a lobotomy, but he refuses to accept this future, preferring to enter the night, taking lives with a medical instrument that often fails to produce the cut-throat bloodletting Tyler is counting on for his fright factor. Faulty props are just part of the general no-budget effort, as “The Last Slumber Party” spends time with amateur actors handling terrible dialogue (keeping up with the times, Chris is assigned plenty of homophobic remarks), and editing is fairly random, finding the characters popping up all over the place. There’s no tension in the feature, only mounting confusion with relationships and Tyler’s lack of timing, happy to spend huge chunks of the movie watching characters shower and walk around the house. Ample opportunity to study production choices is offered, which includes a minor obsession with phone use, and there’s Linda’s bedroom, which is covered in posters celebrating pop culture from 1980 (the 1988 release was shot in 1981). And for those searching for something to do while nothing is happening, you can count the amount of times actress Shelley Hack is referenced.

The Last Slumber Party Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Last Slumber Party" opens with an information card from AFGA explaining that the feature was "restored from the only surviving film elements." This includes additions from a "faded 16mm workprint" and a video master. Such changes in quality are noticeable, almost jarring at times, but the bulk of the viewing experience works with the OCN, which carries a pleasingly film-like appearance, with heavy grain. Detail reaches about as far as possible here, providing some skin particulars on the cast. Interiors are open for study as the action heads around the home, and while exteriors are rare, they retain some depth. Color is inconsistent due to source limitations, but most of the movie preserves original intent, with distinct primaries on household decoration and costuming. Blood red remains vivid. Skin tones are mostly true. Delineation is satisfactory. Damage is present throughout, but nothing is too extreme.

The Last Slumber Party Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA supplies passable dialogue exchanges. Age is present, along with the various sources used to create this Blu-ray, hitting some mild points of damage. Intelligibility isn't threatened, unless there's a soundtrack cut playing, with the extreme volume of metal tunes drowning out conversations, but this appears to be an inherent issue. Other musical moods are subdued, with a basic synth sound supporting moments of suspense.

The Last Slumber Party Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• VHS Version (SD) is included, sourced "from the 1" tape master."

• Commentary features director Stephen Tyler and actors Jan Jensen and Neil Alexander.

• Q&A (23:46, HD) is a 2016 conversation about "The Last Slumber Party" with charismatic actress Jan Jensen, moderated by AFGA creative director, Joe Ziemba. The host kicks things off with an overview of his love for "trash horror" films, describing "The Last Slumber Party" as a "beautiful tapestry of nonsense." Jensen eventually takes the stage, sharing plenty of stories about the making of the feature and the joyful, creative vibe of the shoot. Jensen is refreshingly candid about the true quality of the movie (which seems to frustrate Ziemba), and she clarifies director Stephen Tyler's artistic influences, happy to help him realize his dream. Jensen is (was?) a drama teacher, focusing on the achievement of production and the spirit of collaboration, remaining quite happy with the shooting experience.

• Outtakes (10:06, SD) is a brief collection of slates (which clarifies production dates), set camaraderie, and BTS activity selected from over nine hours of dailies. The footage is presented without sound.

• Image Gallery (4:39) collects film stills and BTS snaps.

• And a Home Video Trailer (1:30, SD) is included.

The Last Slumber Party Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Slasher formula is present in "The Last Slumber Party," which deals with the one-by-one killing of party participants, leaving a last survivor to…walk around the house some more. There's a nightmare sequence to pad the short run time as well. Tyler has no idea how to end the movie, adding to viewer woes as the feature runs out of things to do long before the end credits hit. "The Last Slumber Party" is nonsense, and horror fans tend to grade on a curve with this kind of stuff, leaving the film best suited for those who can't get enough of bottom shelf entertainment. However, even the bravest of genre knights may be shocked at how aimless and clumsy the effort really is.