DVD Corner

The Slumber Party Massacre Blu-ray Review

“The Slumber Party Massacre” is a top tier slasher film.

What started out as a fun parent-free slumber party for Trish and her high school pals Kim, Jackie, and Diane quickly tuns into a nightmare when an escaped murderous mental patient (Russ Thorn) begins terrorizing the girls with a power drill. Will any of them be able to escape the psychopath? Can Trish’s neighbors Valerie and Mr. Contant come to their rescue? Will the pervy party crashing high school boys be able to fend off the madman? You’ll have to see for yourself.

When it comes to the slasher film genre, you either buy into it or you don’t. Yes, the genre may not provide many profound themes aside from the occasional allegories, but most of the genre’s offerings never pretend to be Academy Award winning material. Simply put, slasher films are designed to be scary, thrilling, titillating, escapist entertainment and that is exactly what “The Slumber Party Massacre” is.   

“The Slumber Party Massacre” is the first (and arguably best) of the “Slumber Party Massacre” trilogy. While the 1982 film owes a lot to its predecessors, ‘Massacre’ did bring a certain freshness to the genre. Not only was this slasher flick unusually directed by a woman (Amy Holden Jones), but it was also written by a woman (a feminist by the name of Rita Mae Brown). Both of these talented artists bring a refreshingly dark comedic edge to the slasher formula which sets it apart from other films in the genre.

Also noteworthy here is the film’s creepy psycho killer Russ Thorn (wonderfully played by Michael Villella). While it might have been preferable to get more of a backstory on this evil character, knowing very little makes him all the more menacing.  

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? Anyone who grew up watching slasher films on VHS will be blown away by the sharpness of this hi-def print. A standout restoration.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD Mono. How does it sound?  Despite a few scratchy sounding line deliveries, this Mono track is adequate albeit underwhelming.  

Extras:
* Trailers for all 3 “Slumber Party Massacre” films.
* A still gallery.
* A 13 minute interview with personable actor Rigg Kennedy (who plays Trish’s neighbor David). Rigg talks about his life, career, “The Slumber Party Massacre,” etc.
* Sleepless Nights: The Making of “The Slumber Party Massacre”- A 23 minute making of featurette that contains film clips, cast and crew interviews (from all 3 films), as well as discussions about how the project came about, Roger Corman, Michael Villella’s method acting, metaphors, filming certain scenes, and more. Easily the best extra on this disc.
* Commentary by Amy Holden Jones, Michael Villella, Debra De Liso, and moderator Tony Brown. The group joke around and chat about shooting locations, behind-the-scenes information, factoids, and so on. Sadly, this is not a very exciting track as Tony Brown does a poor job of moderating this track.

Overall Thoughts: While not on the level of say “Halloween” or “Friday The 13^th: The Final Chapter,” “The Slumber Party Massacre” is easily a top 20 slasher film. Recommended.

March 18, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Best Slasher Films, Scream Factory, Slasher Films, Slumber Party Massacre 2, Slumber Party Massacre 3, The Slumber Party Massacre Blu-ray Review