The Slumber Party Massacre

Year: 1982
Director: Amy Holden Jones
Writer: Rita Mae Brown, Amy Holden Jones
Genre: Horror: Slasher

I have a feeling that a lot of people disregard or disrespect this movie due simply to its name. The Slumber Party Massacre sure sounds like it's the basest of slasher fare. Then, with the post depicting a man with a phallic drill posed menacingly over a group of terrified girls... Yeah, it seems like something that caters to the base.

When starting the movie up I had these notions in my head. Perhaps because of them the movie ended up really impressing me. First off, I noticed that the film is almost entirely comprised of women. Well, sure, there are some guy characters but they are mostly there to spice up the cast and get killed off rather quick. This is a film about a group of teenage girls. They talk about a great deal of things too, not just how hot so-and-so is. Perhaps this should be expected seeing that both the director and writer are women.

Anyway, back to the basics of the movie. So there's girls and they have a slumber party. Who would have guessed? The premise is pretty standard but how the characters interact and react to the murderer in their midst is pretty entertaining to watch. Mostly though it's the characters who shine. It's also great to see that Amy Holden Jones had the guts to bring out a murder who was obviously sexual about his kills. It's always been a sort of thing in the background of films but brave to actually have it more obvious.

There are two other films in the series. I am not sure how they were made. Did the first movie make bank? Or was the director just really adamant at continuing her vision? Either way, they're also worth a watch if you like the original. Their posts are coming up so be on the lookout!