Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

by JM

I’m not going to lie to you.  I have been having a hard time lately getting really excited about writing a review.  My stack of movies has been collecting dust for about a month.  Recently, I wrote an entire review for the (great) movie Infestation, read it, and deleted it.  The write up was a total piece of crap.

Well, today the excitement returned as The Slumber Party Collection arrived in the mail (along with a collectable bloody pillowcase—no kidding).

I have been a HUGE fan of these movies since before I was a teenager.  I can still clearly remember looking at the VHS covers to these movies at Marsh Supermarket while waiting for my Mom to finish her grocery shopping.  I would ogle the scantily clad women on the covers like… well, like a young sex offender to be perfectly honest.  In a world before the internet, this was about a titillating as things got for a twerpy kid in Muncie, IN.

When I finally was old enough to start renting these films, they actually lived up to my steep expectations.  Nothing about these movies has ever let me down.

It all kicked off in 1982, with the release of The Slumber Party Massacre.   Penned by feminist author Rita Mae Brown (who Billy briefly met this year… and FAILED to ask her about this movie!), this is a movie for women and about female empowerment.

Okay, that is not 100% accurate.  It is about a serial killer that uses a drill to kill his victims and the group of teen girls that he is stalking.  And I gotta say, it is a rare and brave movie that casts a middle-aged guy as the killer.  But, it works.

The movie opens with remarkable subtlety and restraint as a teenager tosses out some garbage outside of her home as her parents hurriedly rush off to catch a flight.  As the girl walks off toward school, a creepy male hand is shown reaching into the garbage can and pulling out a Barbie doll.

Oh, yeah… the same girl was shown topless about 3 seconds into the movie.  Like I said, subtlety and restraint.

Now, if there was ever any debate as to what year this was filmed, the following photo should put any doubt to rest:

Could these two guys be any more “period”?  I mean, give me a break!  Those guys look like extras in a deleted scene from Hot Tub Time Machine, right?!

Slumber Party Massacre has it all. There is gore, blood, and even a Carrie-esque girls locker room scene that is all boobs and butts.

Also, the movie is also notable to being the first credited screen role for scream queen Brinke Stevens (crickets around the world start chirping).  Given that I know her best from her roles in Demon Lust, Delta Delta Die, and Cheerleader Massacre, it was kind of jarring to see her looking so attractive and... not so... worn out.

When one considers the great trilogies, I am sure that franchises like The Godfather, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings come to mind.  Well, bullshit.  Those movies are boring.  The Slumber Party Massacre movies are the greatest trilogy ever produced.  I can’t wait to rewatch the next two installments!

5 fingers!

Now, on to a different note:  Billy and I will be attending Screamfest in Orlando, FL again this year. With guests like Robert Englund, John Carpenter, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Linea Quigley, Elvira, Gary Busey, and (are you sitting?) Lita Ford (?!?!?!?!?!), this is sure to be the best one yet.   Let us know if you will be there!