Review of The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) by Zachary C — 11 Feb 2012

Although the slasher sub-gene is perhaps my most despised, there are some exceptions that stand out amongst the sea of trash. The Slumber Party Massacre deserves credit for showing more assertive, independent women and turning some of the slasher movie conventions upside down.

For example, there's one scene where the escaped killer corners a crying male victim and drills him to death (Usually it's the women who are shown crying and helpless.). Equally refreshing is the fact that there isn't just one "final girl," but three who team up to take down the killer.

The music score is eerie, sometimes sounding like it belongs more in one of Roger Corman's old Edgar Allan Poe adaptations. Nevertheless, the score is quite effective and comes on at the right moments.

All the females in this movie have an attractive, girl-next-door quality that is sorely lacking in today's movies. Above all else, The Slumber Party Massacre is laced with a quirky sense of humor that shows up in characters' dialogue and different situations (Valerie Bates, the Jamie Lee Curtis-esque heroin, tells her bratty sister Courtney, "As the famous Jim Jones said, 'Shut up and drink your kool aid.

'"). Much has been written about the movie's metaphorical imagery and hidden meanings (The severing of the killer's drill = castration comes to mind). While there's no denying that these subtexts exist (After all, the screenplay was penned by feminist lesbian author Rita Mae Brown), this is a Roger Corman production first and foremost, which means that there's maximum fun to be had! SPM is a fun time capsule movie that oozes late '70s/early '80s Southern California sunshine and babes.

This is definitely a pizza-and-Sunkist kind of movie, but make sure that the pizza delivery guy still has his eyes (You'll know what I mean when you see it.).