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Released by: Scorpion Releasing
Released on: 1/24/2012
Director: Mark Rosman
Cast: Eileen Davidson, Kate McNeil, Harley Jane Kozak
Year: 1982
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The Movie:
Mrs. Slater is a bitter old woman with a tragic past. Not being able to bear children, she seeks the aid of a doctor who gives her an experimental fertility drug. Her child is malformed and dies at birth and Mrs. Slater is never the same, so the guilt-ridden doctor keeps tabs on her as she ages. But that was a long time ago, and now its 1982 and graduation time for a small group of Pi Theta sorority sisters. And in the true fashion of party girls they intend to stay a few extra days and throw a big bash at the sorority house. Mrs. Slater, the housemother since her tragedy, always demands the house be emptied of occupants for the summer by a certain day, and is pissed to find them there when they should all have vacated. They ignore her demands they be out by morning and continue on their girly drinking binge for the night.
Morning comes and they aren't leaving and they decide to tell the old scab where the bear shits in the buckwheat, but things don't go as planned. The result…a dead housemother by the pool. Oh crap! Here comes the band to set up for the festivities and the girls have a dead body to ditch…throw it in the pool…no one will see it in there. After the party, the party with drunken college kids who will undoubtedly get into the pool, there'll be time to figure out what to do with the remains. But Mrs. Slater's body disappears, the girls start being killed off with the deadly, hooked cane she used, and the puzzle pieces start to come together for one girl, Katherine (Kate McNeil, Monkey Shines).
This is not a very complicated movie, nor is it particularly bloody. The kills aren't overly creative or spectacular. It has the same formula as every other slasher of the era. That said, The House On Sorority Row has a lot to offer and is a great late entry into the whack-and-hack genre so near and dear to the hearts of horror movie aficionados. The director goes for the suspense angle more so than for shock value, creating some good atmosphere and some decent creep moments. Most of the murders are pretty tame, the effects aren't anything to impress (a wire is visible at one point, when a throat is cut), but the build up before most of the murders is done quite well, making the killings pretty effective.
Part of what makes the movie stand out over the mountains of slasher stuff is the gaggle of girls. As a group there's a real chemistry going that makes them seem like they really could be a tightly knit unit, and that can be attributed to some good acting skills. Among the girls are some talents who went on to bigger things, including Eileen Davidson (television soap opera star), Harley Jane Kozak (Parenthood, Arachnophobia). Another interesting piece is the absence of any significant male characters, putting some of the women into a take-charge situation. It's nice to see a little something different thrown in now and again and the missing strong-boyfriend-to-the-rescue cliché isn't missed.
The House On Sorority Row certainly has its dose of a dated 80s movie charm, with the clothing and hair styles and the bad music (courtesy the happening band “4 Out of 5 Doctorsâ€), which adds to the watchability. There're some spots of humor (“I'm a sea pig!â€), but the humor is never the focus and the filmmakers keep it from being too silly. There's also some unintentional humor (the housemother's dialogue is completely dubbed and terribly so). Add a pretty ambiguous ending to the mix and you've got a nice little B movie that delivers a good time.
Video/Audio/Extras:
A remastered 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is what Scorpion has brought to the table. Plenty of grain is present, and the colors look pretty darned decent. The black levels are ok, with some inconsistencies in certain areas, but nothing bothersome. Some minor print damage is evident, but it's understandable. The movie reportedly cost less than half a million to make and probably wasn't filmed with top-end equipment. The image looks fine and there's nothing to complain about, and should please most viewers. The audio is a 2.0 Dolby Digital track (the film was recorded in mono), which is different than the Liberation Entertainment disc that was issued in early 2010. That one had a modified 5.1 track. As with the video, there're some minor imperfections (some pops and the like here and there) but it sounds fine and is totally serviceable.
Lots of extras to mention with this 2-disc release. First of all, this is an entry in the “Katarina's Nightmare Theater†label, so as with the others in the series, it has the option of watching the movie with an introduction and outro with host Katarina Leigh Waters. The DVD cover is also reversible, one side with the series banner, and one side without. Ported over from the aforementioned Liberation disc is a commentary from the writer/director Mark Rosman along with actors Kathyrn McNeil and Eileen Davidson. An all-new, second commentary is available, again with Rosman but this time moderated by Katarina. Both commentaries offer up some good info, but also have some dead air (why won't the turn back up the movie's sound when there's dead air? So many companies neglect to do that). The commentary with the actors is the better of the two. It's simply more engaging. Rosman is a seemingly quiet individual and the two ladies sort of keep the momentum going.
Disc one has an interview with actor Harley Jane Kozak (41:36), where she talks about her role, getting the part, and where she went from there. It's a bit long, but she's interesting to listen to (too bad she didn't do the new commentary with Rosman and Waters). Also brought over from the Liberation release is an “Alternate Ending†which isn't really an alternate ending, but instead Rosman talking about it for 40 seconds while a still from the missing ending is shown, plus a four and-a-half minute story board comparison that's pretty cool. A two-minute still gallery shows some production stills and can also be found on the Liberation disc. Finally the film's trailer and some tv spots can be viewed.
Disc two brings some more interviews, three of which are with Waters: Kate McNeil (14:24), Eileen Davidson (7:13), and Mark Rosman (21:22). Following those are two more interviews, one with music composer Richard Band (45:15) who talks about his long career in the business and some cool posters are displayed. The other interview is with Igo Kanter (10:11), who worked on the post-production of the movie. His career includes work on the music for lots of movies, including the Russ Meyer classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! All the interviews are interesting enough, some a bit too long, and are probably best watched over a few sittings rather than all in a row. It does get a bit tedious that way. Finishing up the discs is a reel of trailers: Final Exam, Double Exposure, The Incubus, Terror, and Humongous.
The Final Word:
A nice presentation of a entertaining movie, plus a heap of supplemental material make this release a winner. Another great one from Scorpion Releasing that's well worth picking up.
