FINAL GIRL explores the slasher flicks of the '70s and '80s...and all the other horror movies I feel like talking about, too. This is life on the EDGE, so beware yon spoilers!

Nov 26, 2008

i love the 80s, even though sometimes they sucked.

Let's get this out of the way: Sorority House Massacre (1986) blows with a capital BLOWS. Last night, however, I was in the mood for a big fat slice of 80s slasher, and in the end, SHM delivered. Mind you, it only delivered in that it fulfilled my wispy nostalgia-fueled desires; even as cheesy 80s slashers go, this one is bad.

Bad bad.

As in really not good.

Still, I was okay with that because popping in the DVD immediately took me back to sleepovers at Elena's house, when we'd walk down the hill to Nick's Video and rent crappy horror movies even though we were underage, and then we'd walk next door to Nick's Pizza and pick up a pizza to go with the movie.

Apparently Nick had a real stranglehold on that section of the town.

Anyway, we'd pretty much bring home anything- the more lurid the better. Titles featuring the words "massacre", "blood", "death", "slaughter", "evil", or "the" were sure to be mind-melting winners. Of course, our hopes for mental scarring were rarely realized, but who cares? Even when the movies stunk, they were still fun- and that's why, every once in a while, I get the urge to watch some 80s crap. Sometimes they stink, but they're usually still a bit fun.

Sweet mama, I'm old.

Sorority House Massacre really effs with your head, man, as Beth (Angela O'Neill) keeps dreaming these, like, totally creepy dreams involving the horror movie dream staples: children, bloody ceilings, mannequins, and boring dinner parties.



Meanwhile, at The Old Mental Asylum Place, some dude who may or may not be seen in Beth's dreams is thrashing about and displaying an overabundance of beta waves, meaning: he's a good 9.5 on the crazy scale.

Are you scared yet? If not, then pull up your pants and hold on tight, kiddies, for things are about to get all ten kinds of terrifying up in here: Sorority House Massacre is an endless parade of some of the worst 80s fashions you will ever, ever see. EVER. EVARRRRRR.



They just. Kept. Coming. I realize that, you know, every era has its own style. I realize that I myself was certainly a fashion victim in the 80s- we all were, and we all thought we were cool. It's pointless to get all wrapped up in outdated hair and clothes when watching a movie, but... JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.

Even the background players are an affront to my delicate eyes! Yes, I'm talking about you back there, Banana Orbison. We see you, and we see that your outfit is atrocious.

I know those outfits are causing you to think "Oh, horror movies. Those sorority girls are such degenerate sluts!" and boy, are you right! In fact, when the whole entire campus except them and their boyfriends goes away for the weekend, our Fashionable Foursome gets up to some dirty, dirty no-good! All alone in the big Kappa Kappa They Never Named The Sorority In This Movie house, the girls immediately decide to "eat Melanie's ice cream" and "try on Cindy's clothes"...and then they do. Those crazy college kids! What shenanigans.

The girls try on Cindy's clothes in a montage set to music that sounds like the theme of an 80s morning show, and it's all just the lamest excuse in the history of ever to get some tits on the screen.

It does, however, provide us with an inkling as to exactly how deep Cindy's love of the jumpsuit is.

And yes, THEY'RE DOO-WOPPING.

So the brainwavey kookadook busts out of the asylum and further gets his Michael Myers on by breaking into a hardware store to steal a knife and then speeding off in a battle wagon.

Beth's dreams continue, and it seems that she and the brainwavey kookadook are connected somehow. Could it have anything to do with that story about the guy who, years before, killed everyone in his family except his one little sister? Could Beth's dreams be not dreams at all, but rather...dun dun dunnnnn...repressed memories? Gee, I wonder.

It plays out how you would expect: the cuckoo nutso shows up at the sorority house and he kills everybody. Beth finally remembers her sordid past and kills the killer...or does she? Dun dun dunnn...cue the reappearance of the bad guy at the end when Beth is in the hospital! Is it all a dream? Or is there really a boy in the lake?


Who can say? All I know for sure is that Beth really needs to learn how to scream with her eyes. I wonder if Tyra and Company could teach her that?

Sorority House Massacre is the gift that keeps on giving, though, and the most perplexing mystery of all is saved for the end credits.

The biggest problem with this film isn't the plot, which is standard 80s slasher stuff- in fact, while watching this I thought, "I'd love to remake the shit out of this movie"...or maybe it was "remake the fuck" out of it, I don't remember exactly. The point is, there's a little glimmer of an alright slasher plot in there, but it dies due to poor execution all the way around.

The acting is some of the most lifeless I've ever seen; really, a box of crayons would have done as good a job. People die and no one reacts. Lines are read in a monotone. In the big end battle between Beth and the wackadoo, he repeatedly stabs her in the legs as she tries to crawl away, or so, at least, I thought: I couldn't be sure if that's what I was seeing, because she didn't acknowledge it at all, not even with an "Ow, cut it out!" There's no sense of urgency or terror or...or anything, really. The guy shows up, stabs people in the gut, and that's that. There's nary a scream echoing the halls of Ye Olde Sorority House.

Of course, the action itself is as lackluster as the performances. Survivors run upstairs, then downstairs, then upstairs, then downstairs, and that's about it. This film does make me wonder, however, if it really IS possible to dive INTO a second story window from the ground.

As I said when I started this post, Sorority House Massacre is a pretty terrible movie, but it scratched my 80s itch, and for that I'm thankful. Perhaps, though, I should stop scratching before it gets infected.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Give the '80s this: they were original. The fashions, the music, etc., they were new and different. Sucky, frequently, but they mostly had an odd optimism to them. Even the depressing bands were catchy. (Says the guy who was listening to New Order's "Ceremony" while scraping ice off his sidewalk this morning.)

Oh, and, stop! Hammertime. Look her up in the phone book!

arajane said...

I dunno, I'm kind of digging the powder blue suit with the white (cowboy?) boots and long string of pearls in the Banana Orbison shot. I mean, that's totally hot, right?!

Anonymous said...

This film is a great watch with friends.

The scene where the 3 remaining gals are holding hands as the killer approaches and one of them quips "oh my God - he's after ME!!!" before being stabbed in the chest, and manages to keep screaming in spite of this.

Victor said...

I bought this years ago packaged together with it's sequel Sorority House Massacre II, and Slumber Party Massacre's I, II, & III. I wish I hadn't seen them all at once though, they all tend to run together in my head. They all have the same theme, no real difference.

Stacie Ponder said...

Those are TOTALLY cowboy boots. And Beth is wearing white socks with black heels. *shudder*

They actually used footage from Slumber Party Massacre in the trailer for this movie...I guess the 'running together' wasn't JUST in your head, Victor!

Wow, I didn't know there was a sequel. I have an odd desire to check it out...

Anonymous said...

Banana Orbison... That's classic. Thanks for the laugh.

Anonymous said...

I remember watching this when I was home with mono when I was 20. All I did remember was the "let's try on Cindy's clothes" shenanigans and the ending being like Halloween II.

Was this also an entirely female-produced movie too, like Slumber Party Massacre? I thought that was part of the reason I rented it, but then again, I was sick at the time.

FatalPierce said...

What scares me is that now I really want to see this movie, even though I know it'll be bad for me.

Stacie, I dare you to remake the movie WITH a box of crayons.

Anonymous said...

I had to comment on your comment about "Even the background players are an affront to my delicate eyes! Yes, I'm talking about you back there, Banana Orbison." Because I was secretly vieing your blog while at work and I burst out with a "HA!". Thats the funniest shit Ive heard all day. Then read others commenting on your comments about Banana Orbison. I second that comment - classic.

Andy said...

I've never liked the first one, but Sorority House Massacre II has a special place in my heart. It's even more ridiculous than this one, especially since the DVD is framed wrong so you can see the squirt gun they're using to spray the blood on the walls in action in two separate scenes.

Anonymous said...

"Banana Orbison"


HAH-HAHA-HAH... I love this blog. And I HEART you, Stacie!


http://harsens-rob.livejournal.com/76432.html

Unknown said...

I played Steve in the film. It was a lot of fun.