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Sorority House Massacre
Sorority House Massacre
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Carol Frank
Written by	Carol Frank
Produced by	Ron Diamond
Starring	Angela O'Neill; Wendy Martel; Pamela Ross; Nicole Rio;
Cinematography	Marc Reshovsky
Edited by	Jeff Wishengrad
Music by	Michael Wetherwax
Distributed by	Concorde Pictures
Release date	October 10, 1986 (Pittsburgh);
Running time	74 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Sorority House Massacre is a 1986 American slasher film written and directed by Carol Frank, and starring Angela O'Neill, Wendy Martel, Pamela Ross, and Nicole Rio. It follows a sorority pledge who experiences déjà vu in the sorority house when a murderer begins killing the residents over Memorial Day weekend. It is the first film in the Sorority House Massacre trilogy, a spin-off of The Slumber Party Massacre trilogy and second film trilogy in Massacre franchise; like its predecessor, it was entirely written and directed by a woman.

The film was developed by Roger Corman's New Concorde Studios based on the prior commercial success of The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), and Frank, who had worked as a personal assistant to that film's director, was hired to write and direct the project. Shot in Los Angeles, Sorority House Massacre had its world premiere in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1986. It received a largely negative reception on release, often criticized for being "too similar" to Halloween (1978), while it has been retrospectively praised for its characters and feminist themes^[5] and went on to acquire a cult following.^[6]

It was followed by two sequels, Sorority House Massacre II and Sorority House Massacre III: Hard to Die (both 1990), directed by Jim Wynorski.

Plot

When Beth is a little girl, her brother Bobby kills her whole family and attempts to kill her. When he is caught, he is committed, and she grows up with a new family. Years later, Beth goes to college, where she joins a sorority. Due to a memory lapse, she does not remember that the sorority house was her childhood home, however her memory soon starts to return. Meanwhile, Bobby senses her presence in the house and escapes the mental asylum so he can finish the job he was unable to complete. He steals a hunting knife in a hardware shop killing the elderly owner.

As Beth settles into the sorority, many of the girls leave for the weekend, leaving only her, Linda, Sara, and Tracy in the house. As the girls enjoy having the house to themselves, Craig, Andy, and John come over. John tells the story of Beth's family murders, scaring her. She goes to bed and has a nightmare about her brother, becoming more scared. She remembers her brother hiding a knife in the fireplace, and when the group investigate, they find the knife. Realizing the time, Andy leaves in a rush, only to be confronted by Bobby and stabbed to death. Linda hypnotizes Beth, who recalls Bobby attacking her. Afterwards, Tracy and Craig go outside to the tipi they set up earlier, while Linda and Sara go to bed. Bobby attacks Tracy and Craig, shredding the tipi with his knife. As they try to escape, Tracy is stabbed to death. Craig runs into the house and alerts Linda and Sara who try to phone the police but find the lines have been cut. They attempt to warn Beth and John, but both have fallen asleep. As Bobby approaches them, Beth wakes and runs upstairs to the others, but John is murdered.

The survivors barricade themselves inside a room, before Craig escapes out the window down a safety ladder. While he holds it steady for Linda to climb down, Bobby stabs Craig to death before climbing up the ladder for Linda. Linda manages to make it back through the window and the others remove the ladder, making Bobby fall. Thinking he is dead, the girls try to escape the house but upon discovering he is still alive barricade themselves back into the room. However, Bobby comes in through the window and they flee outside. They once more encounter Bobby, who manages to repeatedly stab Sara. Meanwhile, Bobby's search party realize he will have gone to his old house and send the police there.

Beth and Linda run down into the basement where Beth finally realizes what happened to her when she was younger. When Bobby once more attacks them, the girls run upstairs. Bobby corners Beth but Linda manages to hit him with a shovel. Thinking he is dead, they begin to leave the house, but Bobby stabs Linda before attacking Beth who over powers him and stabs him in the neck, killing him. The police arrive. Beth is taken to the hospital where she continues to have nightmares about her brother.

Cast

Angela O'Neill as Laura 'Beth' Henkel
Wendy Martel as Linda Dawn Grant
Pamela Ross as Sara Mason
Nicole Rio as Tracy
John C. Russell as Bobby Henkel
Marcus Vaughter as Andy
Vinnie Bilancio as John Raden Minor
Joe Nassi as Craig
Ivory Berry as Suzanne 'Susie'
Mary Anne as Mrs. Lawrence
Susan Bollman as Cindy
Gillian Frank as Dr. Lindsey
Joseph Mansier as Technician
Axel Roberts as Larry Bronkowski
Fitzhough Huston as Detective Gilbert
Patrick Fahey as Officer Kreuger
Bob Moore as Officer Voorhees

Production

The film was directed by Carol Frank, and financed by Roger Corman's New Concorde studio based on the success of The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), on which Frank had served as director Amy Holden Jones's personal assistant.^[7]

Release

The film was given a limited theatrical release in the United States by Concorde Pictures, having its world premiere in Pittsburgh^[1] on October 10, 1986.^[8] It later screened in Los Angeles in March 1987.^[9]

In the United Kingdom, the film was approved by the British Board of Film Classification in an extended cut running approximately 86 minutes in length.^[10]

Critical response

At the time of its release, the film drew numerous comparisons to John Carpenter's Halloween (1978).^[11]

In a retrospective review, Lee Gambin of ComingSoon.net praised the film for its characters, adding: "Frank is a smart filmmaker who builds upon the mapped-out murders by marrying them with a rich character design for each of Beth’s friends who cop it, and that is why the film succeeds in being a “dead teenager movie” with teenagers to care about and value."^[12]

Writer Jason Paul Collum notes in his book Assault of the Killer B's: Interviews with 20 Cult Film Actresses (2015) that the film visually features more in common with such films as Black Christmas (1974) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), calling it "artistically directed" by Frank.^[7]

On the internet review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 0% approval rating as of April 2023, based on five critical reviews.^[13]

Home media

The film was released on VHS in 1987 by Warner Home Video.^[14]

The film has been released twice on DVD in the United States by New Concorde Home Entertainment; once as a single film edition in 2000^[15] and as a double feature release alongside sequel Sorority House Massacre II in 2003.^[16]

The film was remastered and released on Blu-ray in a limited 1,200 copy run through Scorpion Releasing in November 2014.^[17] On April 20, 2023, Scream Factory released a new special edition Blu-ray scanned from the original camera negative, which was limited to 1,500 units and made available through their online store.^[2] Along with the bonus materials contained on the Scorpion release, the disc also features newly commissioned interviews, as well as a video master-quality extended cut of the film that was originally released exclusively in the United Kingdom.^[2] Scream Factory announced via their official Facebook page that the Blu-ray edition was approximately 75% sold on April 25,^[18] after which it fully sold out the following day.^[2]

Legacy

In the years since its release, Sorority House Massacre has acquired a cult following^[6] and been praised for its cinematography and feminist themes.^[5]^[19]

In November 2020, Norman Reedus announced that he was developing a television series adaptation of the film in conjunction with Shout! Studios.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b Blank, Ed (October 8, 1986). "Exploitative 'Sorority House Massacre' picks city for national debut". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 58 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Sorority House Massacre [Special Edition]". Scream Factory. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023.
^ Armstrong 2003, p. 295.
^ Young 2000, p. 583.
^ ^a ^b Olsen, Mark (October 18, 2015). "Newsletter: Indie Focus: The ravishing images of 'Crimson Peak' and 'The Assassin'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Sprague, Mike (November 12, 2020). "Norman Reedus & Shout! Studios Team For Sorority House Massacre TV Series". Dread Central. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Collum 2015, p. 14.
^ "Sorority House Massacre: Starts Today at These Theaters and Drive-Ins". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 10, 1986. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Independent Theatre Guide". Los Angeles Times. March 24, 1987. p. VI-7 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Sorority House Massacre". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023.
^ Tucker, Quinn (November 11, 2020). "Sorority House Massacre Reboot Show Being Produced By Norman Reedus". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023.
^ Gambin, Lee (May 10, 2017). "In Praise of 1986's Sorority House Massacre". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023.
^ "Sorority House Massacre". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
^ Sorority House Massacre (VHS). Warner Home Video. 1987. 24057.
^ "Sorority House Massacre (DVD)". DVDEmpire.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013.
^ "Sorority House Massacre/Sorority House Massacre II (DVD)". DVDEmpire.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012.
^ "Sorority House Massacre Blu-ray - Limited Edition - 1,200 copies". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
^ Scream Factory (April 25, 2023). "SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE is over 75% sold out. If you're looking to pledge to join this sisterhood, now is the time!". Facebook. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023.
^ Collum 2015, pp. 14–15.

Sources

Armstrong, Kent Byron (2003). Slasher Films: An International Filmography, 1960 Through 2001. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-41462-8.
Collum, Jason Paul (2015). Assault of the Killer B's: Interviews with 20 Cult Film Actresses. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-48041-8.
Young, R. G. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies. New York City, New York: Applause Books. ISBN 978-1-557-83269-6.