Horror Fest V Day One: The House on Sorority Row

If you hadn't noticed up to this point, the Cap'n and the Cranpire have been watching a heavy dosage of slasher films from the "golden age," and particularly ones from the post Halloween / Friday the 13th rush of 81-83. Over the last year or so, I've seen most - if not all - of the "major" and "minor" entries: Friday the 13th, The Slumber Party Massacre, My Bloody Valentine, Splatter University, Pieces, Happy Birthday to Me, The Burning, Halloween II, Prom Night, Student Bodies, Visiting Hours, Sleepaway Camp, Slaughter High, Maniac, The New York Ripper, and tonight, The House on Sorority Row.

To be honest with you, I did some poking around and noticed that it has a lukewarm reception as slasher films go, and I'm not sure why. To be honest, after watching a heavy dose of good ones (and quite a few bad ones), The House on Sorority Row might lack a really strong "gimmick" killer, but it builds tension, sets up kills scenes well, has a decent set-up that manages to carry the heroines through the film, a nice "bait-and-switch" villain, and at least some gore (although most of the kills are in silhouette, just off camera, or implied).

What it lacks in on-screen violence, The House on Sorority Row makes up for in story (which is seldom the case in slasher films): the graduating sorority sisters of Theta Pi decide to stay in their house for one more weekend, much to the chagrin of mentally unstable house mother Mrs. Slater. When a prank to get even with her results in Slater's death, the girls are faced with a quick decision as the party is literally heading up the driveway. Their plan to hide the body goes awry, and on top of that someone is killing off the guilty parties during the celebration. The House on Sorority Row manages to interweave all of the plot threads - plus a few I'm opting not to spoil - throughout the film, adding a palpable tension to the murders, the party, and the girls' attempt to cover up their prank.

It's not my favorite slasher film, but I'm certainly willing to put The House on Sorority Row in that first tier beneath the very best alongside Slumber Party Massacre, My Bloody Valentine, and April Fool's Day. Considering some of the lesser entries I've been privy to, The House on Sorority Row is a breath of fresh air; a well executed film that has a few really good sequences - including the late-film hallucinations our "Final Girl" experiences - so check it out.

See you tomorrow for Day Two, where the madness just ratchets up further!