The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) review

12. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Directed by: Amy Holden Jones

Produced by: Amy Holden Jones

Screenplay by: Rita Mae Brown

Starring: Michele Michaels, Robin Stille, Michael Villella

The word “massacre” is such a juicy supplement for a horror movie title, isn’t it? Its definition of “an indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of people” tells you exactly what kind of film you’re going to watch; it’ll be violent, nasty and cruel, everything you want in a 1980s slasher film. Obviously, there were a lot of them after the impact left by “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” like “Drive-In Massacre,” “Mardi Gras Massacre” and “Hospital Massacre,” but today’s movie, “The Slumber Party Massacre,” is an interesting case. It was written by author and feminist activist Rita Mae Brown as a parody of slasher films, but filmed with a serious tone, resulting in a uniquely entertaining mixture of both intentional and unintentional hilarity; I would say that makes it a hot mess, but I think that’s a disservice to the overall execution. It’s actually one of the more unexpectedly entertaining slashers of the time period.

In sunny Los Angeles, a high school senior named Trish (Michele Michaels) is throwing a slumber party at her house while her parents are away. Her friends Kim (Debra Deliso), Jackie (Andree Honore) and Diane (Gina Mari) come over, and they have fun doing all the stuff you’re not supposed to do in this kind of movie: drinking alcohol, smoking weed and fooling around with boys. The only declined invitation comes from new girl Valerie (Robin Stille), who stays home to babysit her younger sister Courtney (Jennifer Meyers) across the street. But unbeknownst to them, escaped mass murderer Russ Thorn (Michael Villella) has shown up in a stolen van, armed with his weapon of choice, a power drill. A killing spree ensues, as Thorn ends up chasing the remaining girls around Trish’s house, although they still find time to sneak in some pizza or hide under a blanket.

One thing that unironically works about the movie is the chemistry among the girls. Make no mistake, these are not particularly polished performances, but they’re perfectly serviceable for a film of this genre, and you do kind of believe their bond. I don’t believe them as high school varsity basketball players, that’s for sure; most of them look like intramural players at best. But regardless, they all manage to have distinguishable personalities without necessarily feeling like cheap stereotypes; there isn’t much depth, but there’s just something comfortable about watching their scenes. Nobody is too innocent, too ditzy or too mean; there’s just enough balance that they feel real enough. However, I don’t much like the fact that Valerie isn’t at the party too; she ends up being shoehorned into the story a little bit as a result, just getting a few scenes with Courtney that are half charming, half dull.

I have to admit there is something kind of refreshing about an ‘80s slasher film where the killer doesn’t wear a mask or have any monstrous deformity. Thorn is just a leering, twitchy guy who kills people; they don’t waste time on a mystery, motive or back story, it’s remarkably simple and to the point. But with that said, he doesn’t have much intimidation factor, although you can certainly make some commentary about him using a long tool to penetrate his victims. Hell, I think the two creepiest performances are ones that aren’t even supposed to be creepy; there’s Trish’s off-putting neighbor Mr. Contant (Rigg Kennedy) who keeps checking up on her while her folks are gone, and Diane’s boyfriend John (Jim Reid Boyce), who just has the weirdest look in his eyes. Anyway, the kills themselves aren’t great, although there’s a pretty good chase scene with the first student victim Linda (Brinke Stevens) that really takes advantage of the locker room location. The editing is also quite good at times, not shocking since director Amy Holden Jones had been an editor on films directed by Joe Dante and Martin Scorsese; in fact, she turned down the job on Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.” to make her directorial debut here.

The comedic elements range from clever to bizarre; there’s a particular emphasis on fake-outs, though not as cliched as you might think. The very first scream we hear is an exaggerated shriek on a radio station, we see a power drill going through a door that turns out to be a carpenter (Pamela Canzano) installing a peephole—she’s played by one of the film’s set designers, by the way—and there’s a whole sequence where Valerie and Courtney are talking while opening a refrigerator door, not realizing there’s a dead body inside, even though it makes no sense why that body would be there. Some of the line reads are just the right kind of odd; the way Kim yells out “Diane!” is so laughable, I find myself quoting it with friends regularly; it’s that kind of movie, one that relies on senseless scenes that feature the characters changing clothes just for the hell of it. I should mention that the camera really lingers on these nude shots, which were apparently added at the insistence of Roger Corman, the biggest financial benefactor. I know they’re a staple of these kinds of movies, but the one in the locker room shower just goes on for an especially gratuitous amount of time; you can practically hear Corman yelling out, “Pan! Turn and show! Pan! Turn and show! Pan down to the ass!”

Thankfully, the more explicit elements only help hide how surprisingly progressive “The Slumber Party Massacre” is. It and its three sequels are all notable for being directed and written by women, which you really didn’t see in horror movies back then; good thing Hollywood has fixed all that in the last 40 years! Heh heh heh. But all joking aside, while there might be typically dumb elements of the genre and the tone is scatter-brained, there’s a lot of good going for it as well; and at a run time of barely an hour and 15 minutes, it’s quick and harmless as well. What’s really interesting is that it led to a 1986 spinoff called “Sorority House Massacre,” which had its own franchise that sort of crossed over with the “Slumber Party Massacre” movies, but that’s another story. So if you’re in the mood for a slasher that’s not exactly scary but doesn’t go completely self-aware yet still has occasional glimpses of intelligence, I say give this a watch; also, how more ‘80s can you get than music composed by a Casio keyboard?

My rating: 7/10