6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An eighteen-year-old high school girl is left at home by her parents and she decides to have a slumber party. There is friction between some of the invited guests and the new girl, who is better at basketball than they, so the new girl decides to stay at home (which is conveniently across the street from the host's house). Meanwhile, a murderer of five people with a propensity for power tools has escaped and is at large, and eventually makes his way to the party, where the guests begin experiencing an attrition problem, with only the new girl to help them
Starring: Brinke Stevens, David Millbern, Michelle Michaels, Robin Stille, Michael VillellaHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 15% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
While it’s not highly lauded in horror circles, there’s something about 1982’s “The Slumber Party Massacre” that’s kept the film alive and kicking for almost 40 years, enjoying modest cult appreciation. The project began life as a parody, and one written by feminist author Rita Mae Brown, who endeavored to pants the slasher genre with her own take on abusive happenings with young girls and the men who enjoy killing them. Such ambition didn’t make its way to the big screen, with Brown’s vision soon reworked by director Amy Holden Jones, who ditched satiric interests to make a relatively straightforward chiller for executive producer Roger Corman. Instead of poking fun at horror formula, Jones simply utilizes it to complete her helming debut, laboring to fill a 76-minute-long run time with basic chases and casualties, depending on actor Michael Villella to do his duty at the villain Russ Thorn, who terrorizes a collection of high school girls with an industrial drill. “The Slumber Party Massacre” doesn’t offer anything fresh or exciting, with Holden keeping to a tight schedule of panic and expiration, clinging to the obvious symbolism of the drill and its phallic representation. Sadly, the movie doesn’t have much in the way of pace or scares, only finding intermittent inspiration when violence does occur, giving Holden something to concentrate on as the rest of the picture flattens when dealing with dull characters, weak banter, and a primary threat who should be featured with more regularity.
Shout Factory originally released "The Slumber Party Massacre" on Blu-ray back in 2014, and they returned to the title in 2020, offering a 4K scan for a second Blu-ray release. In 2023, Shout Factory finally goes all-in, delivering an UHD release boasting a "new 2022 4K scan." Some might find this release overkill for such a small-time endeavor, but fans should be pleased with the Dolby Vision viewing experience, which offers a more vivid sense of interior life around different environments, especially with well-lit kitchens and gym spaces, which deliver compelling highlights. Skin tones are also defined, coming through with power. Primaries are alert throughout the viewing experience, securing rich bloodshed. Subtle hues are compelling as well, including glowing greens in the pool area. Exteriors are bright, with deep greenery and blue skies. Detail acquires a textured look at skin particulars, which are plentiful here. Gory events are also distinct. Clothing is nicely fibrous, working with sleepwear and casual outfits. Blacks are deep, preserving extensive evening encounters. Grain is adequately resolved. Source is in strong condition.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA has a few signs of age and technical limitations, but the basics aren't problematic. Scoring preserves its synth chirp, supporting suspense sequences. Dialogue exchanges are enjoyable, achieving an appreciation for dramatic emphasis and professional shortcomings. Sound effects, including the industrial buzzing of the drill, come through as intended.
UHD
"The Slumber Party Massacre" has its fanbase, and the first picture managed to launch a franchise, with Corman returning to the well with 1987's "Slumber Party Massacre II" and 1990's "Slumber Party Massacre III," keeping video store shelves stocked with nights of horror featuring young victims and increasingly theatrical tools of death. In 1982, the idea was small and the production didn't have much money to spend, with Jones in charge of keeping the hunt contained to school hallways and a few suburban California properties, laboring to find something when there was very little to work with. Jones has her moments (commencing what would become a lackluster helming career, including "The Rich Man's Wife" and "Love Letters"), but she doesn't have enough of them in the endeavor, unable to amplify the threat coming for the main characters. Perhaps there's a little more here to fuel film class discussions (subversive elements are debatable at best), and it's surprising how much Jones goes along with exploitation interests, literally panning across naked bodies during a shower room conversation to show off physical attributes before the main crisis commences. She plays the marketplace game, but Jones isn't much of a craftsperson, delivering a simplistic and overly familiar assembly of predator and prey, with the use of a giant drill the most distinctive part of the entire viewing experience.
1982
Limited Edition
1982
Deluxe Limited Edition | Includes Figure + Lithograph
1982
(Still not reliable for this title)
1987
Collector's Edition
1983
Collector's Edition
1981
Rosemary's Killer
1981
1981
1983
1981
40th Anniversary Edition
1984
Collector's Edition
1988
1981
1985
1981
1986
1983
Special Edition
1980
1990
Remastered | Collector's Edition
1981
Collector's Edition
2003
Collector's Edition
1989
2K Restoration
1980