Sorority House Massacre

Released on: September 17, 2002 (re-released: 2012).
Released by: New Concorde/CAV
Director: Carol Frank
Cast: Angela O'Neill, Wendy Martel, Pamela Ross, Nicole Rio, John C. Russell
Year: 1986
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The Movie:

80s slasher flicks tend to get a bad rap and it's one they've mostly deserved. However, when you put character development ahead of shock-factor you can change the field a bit and make a surprisingly enjoyable experience out of the film. Such is the case with the 1986 Roger Corman-produced horribly-titled Sorority House Massacre.

The film begins with Beth (O'Neill) recovering in a hospital bed, relating what “must have happened.” The story then begins to unfold with her entering a new sorority house which, at the same time, intercuts with a guy in a mental hospital losing his shit. There's clearly some link to a very young girl, this psychopath, and Beth that's clearly going to unfold here.

Beth soon meets the other mostly-friendly housemates but is soon disturbed by visions and dreams which point to something just wrong that happened here and maybe somehow involved her. These dreams turn quickly into creepy, bloody nightmares that she's unable to properly decipher. Her housemates use their minimal knowledge of psychology, dream interpretation and hypnosis (in that order - which actually makes sense) to try and help her but it's clear that she can see something horribly wrong.

The holiday weekend kicks off, leaving Beth and just three other girls in the place and they're soon joined by four boys as well. One of the boys tells them all that night of the supposed previous homeowners and the violent death the whole family suffered at their teenage son's hands. It's a bit too much for Beth, though, who goes to bed.

Meanwhile, at the nearby insane asylum, the inmate from the opening scene soon escapes his bonds after having become even more agitated the longer Beth is in the house where he killed his family years ago. He eventually manages to escape and his clear target is returning to the house, to find “Laura,” the sister he didn't get to finish off.

Despite the doctors at the asylum and the police getting involved in the manhunt he still makes his way to the small party at the house and begins to pick them off one at a time. None of the death scenes are that creative but, rather, seem to fit very well to what such a psychopath would do with people getting into his way. The victims, for their part, are understandably freaked out but also react in a much more natural fashion, for the most part. Again, putting the characters at the fore rather than the gore helps tell a better story and makes everything much more consistent.

As Beth and one other female make their way to the basement it's there that Beth is finally able to understand what he's after and that she must've repressed all these horrible memories. She lets her friend know that Beth is just her middle name and that her first name is Laura. The girls arm themselves with yard tools and the final stage is set for a gruesome showdown that leaves only Laura/Beth alive to tell the tale.

Audio/Video/Extras:

Everything here remains intact from the 2000 release. The widescreen (4:3) ratio is fine here as it's not a “big screen” kind of movie. Likewise, the Dolby Digital 2.0 track is completely sufficient to carry the film as well. Image quality is “digitally re-mastered” and helps with some of the especially dark or night scenes but is still pretty grainy overall. Still, though, that only adds to the atmosphere and mood of the film and helps, I'd say, identify it more thoroughly in the slasher genre.

The disc also includes additional trailers for other Concorde releases from the time (2000) and some short bios on the Corman and three of the more notable stars.

The Final Word:

A bit of a hidden goodness Sorority House Massacre elevates the slasher genre by holding back on the violent exploitation and chooses to use more of the paranormal/psychic horror instead, to its benefit. Smart, fairly imaginative and rising above its low-production values it's an enjoyable slasher/horror film that should be remembered more prominently - and, thanks to CAV, it's no longer out of print and available on DVD yet again.