The House On Soroity Row (1983)(Minor Spoilers)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers**


The Story: After graduation, seven sorority sisters come together for a farewell graduation party. Katey (Kathryn McNeil), Vicki (Eileen Davidson), Liz (Janis Zido), Diane (Harley Kozak), Morgan (Jodi Draigie), Stevie (Ellen Dorsher), and Jeanie (Robin Meloy) share an unquestionable bond as sorority sisters, but one irreversible incident will test the limits of loyalty and trust within their group.

Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt) is the strict, no-nonsense housemother, and she won’t tolerate any foolishness. Mrs. Slater runs the sorority house with an iron fist, and Vicki reaches a boiling point, when Mrs. Slater use her cane to destroy her waterbed, ruining Vicki’s night with her boyfriend, Rick (Michael Sergio). Vicki comes up with an idea for a prank with a gun to scare Mrs. Slater, with plans to lure Mrs. Slater to the pool, forcing her to retrieve her cane at gunpoint. Surrounded by the sisters, Mrs. Slater reluctantly goes into the dirty pool to grab her cane with Vicki holding the gun. Mrs. Slater grabs her cane, and she decides to fight back, but the gun accidentally goes off during the struggle.

Mrs. Slater is presumably dead, sparking a panic amongst the group. After a heated debate, the sisters agree to hide Mrs. Slater’s body in the pool for the time being, and after the party, they’ll deal with the messy dilemma. During the party, the sisters do their best to hide any signs of foul play, but everything changes, when the group returns to the pool for a startling discovery: Mrs. Slater’s body is gone.

The scramble to find Mrs. Slater’s body begins, but the sisters have another problem on their hands, when an unknown killer, using Mrs. Slater’s cane as a weapon, targets the group. Vicki is dead set on finding and burying Slater’s body, but Katey is looking for answers after she calls the number on Mrs. Slater’s medical ID bracelet. Dr. Beck (Christopher Lawrence) has the answers to the questions in Mrs. Slater’s mysterious past, but the killer is closing in. Has Mrs. Slater returned from the dead? Or, is someone else determined to kill the sisters one by one for revenge?

Review: Lois Kelso Hunt brings the essential demeanor of a cold and nasty authoritarian to Mrs. Slater, and the creepy cane is a great accessory for her character. Mrs. Slater is a hard woman, but she has a few vulnerable moments here, and it’s almost impossible to not feel any sympathy for her, when the prank takes a wrong turn. Eileen Davidson’s performance as the cocky and arrogant brat, who’s fed up with Mrs. Slater and her rules is spot on. Vicki is truly the perfect adversary for Mrs. Slater, with the “you can’t tell me what to do!” attitude, the bossy and condescending persona, and she’s someone, who’s not afraid to break all the rules.

While everyone else is panicking, losing their minds, or following Vicki’s lead, Katey is the only one, who has the guts to stand up to Vicki. She’s not afraid to question everything, bringing morals into the group’s conundrum, and you get the feeling she’s more concerned with doing the right thing, while Vicki pushes the rest of the group to save their own asses. Kathryn McNeil is undeniably innocent and kind as Katey, and Katey proves she’s a fighter, who won’t quit, when she comes face to face with the killer towards the end.

You’ll see a good amount of horror tropes (people fall down, while running, splitting up, making stupid decisions, etc.), and predicting the final girl is pretty easy. But if you’re a die hard horror fan and you love slashers, The House On Sorority Row is a real treat. The slow burn approach to storytelling really works, when you consider the hysteria amongst the group, because they have no idea what’s going on, or who’s trying to kill them.

The House On Sorority is a “just right” horror film, because nothing is too extreme or over the top here. The nudity is kept to a minimum, and you’ll see a fair amount of blood and grisly images, but The House On Sorority Row is not a gore fest or a bloodbath horror film. And I can’t forget about the nostalgic black and white intro, featuring Mrs. Slater giving birth. Ranking and placing 80’s slashers in the upper echelon is a tricky task, because it’s a crowded pack, but The House On Sorority Row deserves its status as a cult classic, and there’s no denying it.  

Rating: 8/10

The House On Sorority Row (1983)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

The Story: After graduation, seven sorority sisters come together for a farewell graduation party. Katey (Kathryn McNeil), Vicki (Eileen Davidson), Liz (Janis Zido), Diane (Harley Kozak), Morgan (Jodi Draigie), Stevie (Ellen Dorsher), and Jeanie (Robin Meloy) share an unquestionable bond as sorority sisters, but one irreversible incident will test the limits of loyalty and trust within their group.

Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt) is the strict, no-nonsense housemother, and she won’t tolerate any foolishness. Mrs. Slater runs the sorority house with an iron fist, and Vicki reaches a boiling point, when Mrs. Slater use her cane to destroy her waterbed, ruining Vicki’s night with her boyfriend, Rick (Michael Sergio). Vicki comes up with an idea for a prank with a gun to scare Mrs. Slater, with plans to lure Mrs. Slater to the pool, forcing her to retrieve her cane at gunpoint. Surrounded by the sisters, Mrs. Slater reluctantly goes into the dirty pool to grab her cane with Vicki holding the gun. Mrs. Slater grabs her cane, and she decides to fight back, but the gun accidentally goes off during the struggle.

Mrs. Slater is presumably dead, sparking a panic amongst the group. After a heated debate, the sisters agree to hide Mrs. Slater’s body in the pool for the time being, and after the party, they’ll deal with the messy dilemma. During the party, the sisters do their best to hide any signs of foul play, but everything changes, when the group returns to the pool for a startling discovery: Mrs. Slater’s body is gone.

The scramble to find Mrs. Slater’s body begins, but the sisters have another problem on their hands, when an unknown killer, using Mrs. Slater’s cane as a weapon, targets the group. Vicki is dead set on finding and burying Slater’s body, but Katey is looking for answers after she calls the number on Mrs. Slater’s medical ID bracelet. Dr. Beck (Christopher Lawrence) has the answers to the questions in Mrs. Slater’s mysterious past, but the killer is closing in. Has Mrs. Slater returned from the dead? Or, is someone else determined to kill the sisters one by one for revenge?

Review: Lois Kelso Hunt brings the essential demeanor of a cold and nasty authoritarian to Mrs. Slater, and the creepy cane is a great accessory for her character. Mrs. Slater is a hard woman, but she has a few vulnerable moments here, and it’s almost impossible to not feel any sympathy for her, when the prank takes a wrong turn. Eileen Davidson’s performance as the cocky and arrogant brat, who’s fed up with Mrs. Slater and her rules is spot on. Vicki is truly the perfect adversary for Mrs. Slater, with the “you can’t tell me what to do!” attitude, the bossy and condescending persona, and she’s someone, who’s not afraid to break all the rules.

While everyone else is panicking, losing their minds, or following Vicki’s lead, Katey is the only one, who has the guts to stand up to Vicki. She’s not afraid to question everything, bringing morals into the group’s conundrum, and you get the feeling she’s more concerned with doing the right thing, while Vicki pushes the rest of the group to save their own asses. Kathryn McNeil is undeniably innocent and kind as Katey, and Katey proves she’s a fighter, who won’t quit, when she comes face to face with the killer towards the end.

So after a while you start to realize Mrs. Slater is not the killer. She’s not a zombie, and she didn’t crawl out of the pool to seek revenge on the group. So who’s the killer? Well, it turns out Mrs. Slater had a son named Eric years ago as a result of Dr. Beck’s illegal experiment. Eric was hidden by Mrs. Slater, living in the attic, where he witnessed the murder.

Dr. Beck will do anything to keep his work a secret, so he injects Katey with a sedative. Dr. Beck plans to use Katey as bait to capture Eric, but his plan backfires, when Beck accidentally shoots Peter (Katey’s date) with his tranquilizer gun. Eric eventually shows up, and he turns the tables on Beck. Eric murders Beck, but Katey manages to get the best of Eric during her last stand. Eric is presumably dead, while an exhausted Katey is lying on the floor, but Eric’s eyes open at the last second for an “it’s not over yet” cliffhanger.

Charles Serio’s Eric fits the bill for a menacing threat. The disfigured face, the stringy long hair, and the dark, shadowy shot of Eric raising his mother’s cane in the air before he murders Vicki is excellent. Katey making it to the end as the final girl is no real surprise, and you know it’s only a matter of time before she makes her miraculous comeback. Still, The House On Sorority Row delivers an entertaining finale. Questions are answered to fill in any holes (i.e. Mrs. Slater closing the house before Eric’s birthday) during the home stretch, and Katey’s hallucinations after Dr. Beck injects her with the sedative are really freaky and eerie. Eric (wearing a jester costume) jumping out of the corner is a nice surprise, and the attic is the ideal setting for Eric’s lair. Littered with toys, and other gifts from Mrs. Slater, the attic is dank and spooky, and you know it’s the last place you want to be, if you’re trying to fight a killer.

You’ll see a good amount of horror tropes (people fall down, while running, splitting up, making stupid decisions, etc.), and predicting the final girl is pretty easy. But if you’re a die hard horror fan and you love slashers, The House On Sorority Row is a real treat. The slow burn approach to storytelling really works, when you consider the hysteria amongst the group, because they have no idea what’s going on, or who’s trying to kill them.

The House On Sorority is a “just right” horror film, because nothing is too extreme or over the top here. The nudity is kept to a minimum, and you’ll see a fair amount of blood and grisly images (Jeanie’s severed and bloody head in the toilet, the dead bodies floating in the pool, the dead bodies in the pool opening their eyes during Katey’s hallucinations, etc.), but The House On Sorority Row is not a gore fest or a bloodbath horror film. And I can’t forget about the nostalgic black and white intro, featuring Mrs. Slater giving birth. Ranking and placing 80’s slashers in the upper echelon is a tricky task, because it’s a crowded pack, but The House On Sorority Row deserves its status as a cult classic, and there’s no denying it.  

Rating: 8/10

 

The Guest (2014)(Minor Spoilers Review)

This review contains MINOR spoilers

The Story- Laura Peterson (Sheila Kelley) receives an unexpected visit, when David (Dan Stevens) shows up on her doorstep one day. David introduces himself as a former soldier, and a friend of Laura’s son, Caleb. Caleb was killed in action, but David’s presence brings comfort, as he shares Caleb’s messages and final words. At first, David is reluctant to accept the invitation to stay with the Peterson family, but eventually he accepts the offer, and Laura allows David to sleep in Caleb’s old room.

Laura’s husband, Spencer (Leland Orser) and her teenage son, Luke (Brendan Meyer) quickly embrace David, as Spencer  confides in and vents to David about his troubles at work, and David teaches Luke to stand up for himself as a big brother figure. For Laura, Spencer, and Luke, David is a breath of fresh air, but Laura and Spencer’s twenty year old daughter, Anna (Maika Monroe) refuses to buy into David’s goodwill mission.

Anna takes matters into her own hands, when she quietly decides to dig up more information on David. Meanwhile, David’s erratic behavior and his nasty mean streak are on full display, and at first, David’s actions are seemingly noble. A group of bullies torment and harass Luke, so David takes matters into his own hands. Anna’s friend, Kristen (Tabatha Shaun) has a tense run-in with her pushy ex-boyfriend, but David steps in to manhandle him.

David’s peculiar behavior raises more red flags, and unbeknownst to the Peterson family, a potentially fatal collision course threatens their lives, when Major Richard Carver (Lance Reddick), a man from David’s past, and a group of armed men arrive at the Peterson’s home. Laura, Spencer, Luke, Anna, her boyfriend, Zeke (Chase Williamson), her friend, Craig (Joel David Moore), and Kristen are all caught in the crossfire, as the mystery surrounding David unravels. Is David a misunderstood knight in shining armor? Or, is David hiding a shocking secret?

Review- The Petersons are a broken family. Laura is devastated over Caleb’s death, Luke is a target for a group of pesky bullies, and he’s an outcast at school. Spencer is an alcoholic, and he’s frustrated with his situation at work, and Anna is stuck in a crossroads dilemma. In the early stages of the movie, you might get the impression Anna is stuck in the rebellious teenager phase. She wants to have a beer before she turns twenty-one, and she chooses to date the sketchy boyfriend against her parent’s wishes. But as the story progresses, you’ll clearly see that’s not the case with Anna. She works  a hard job, she’s saving money for college, she loves her family, and she’ll do anything to protect her brother. Anna has a lot of heart, and Monroe really nails the character with a solid performance.

David is charismatic and charming, with a soft southern accent, so of course you WANT to believe he’s the one to fill Caleb’s void, right? Dan Stevens knocks it out of the park with a convincing and good performance as David. He is the driving force behind the conflict surrounding the character. You want to believe David is this good guy, who showed up on the Peterson’s doorstep to lend a helping hand in their time of need. After all, David single-handedly eliminates the group of bullies during the fight at the bar, he steps in to stop Kristen’s ex-boyfriend after he refuses to take no for an answer, and he steps in to save Luke from expulsion after he gets into a fight with one of the bullies at school.

The Guest is a hard-hitting, bloody, and brutal action horror-thriller. The soundtrack is excellent, The Guest has an undeniable 80’s nostalgic vibe to it, and The Guest is more than a run-of-the-mill bloodbath, with an ordinary screenplay. There’s a good balance between the crisis within The Peterson Family, the thrilling and tense action sequences, the question marks surrounding David, and The Guest features characters with real depth, and they’re characters you can actually care about.

The slow burn approach to carefully and slowly unravel all the details in David’s mysterious past really works to set up an intriguing guessing game for David’s motives, because everything is not 100% clear until the tail end of the film. Stevens’ presence brings a natural cool factor to certain scenes (the events leading up to the big brawl at the bar, David giving Anna a little lecture after the party, etc.) throughout the movie, and the cliffhanger will surely annoy some people with complaints of absurdity, but I have to believe The Guest is on its way to earning a strong and indisputable reputation as a genuine cult classic with more time.

Rating: 9/10

The Guest (2014)(Spoiler Review)

This review contains spoilers

The Story- Laura Peterson (Sheila Kelley) receives an unexpected visit, when David (Dan Stevens) shows up on her doorstep one day. David introduces himself as a former soldier, and a friend of Laura’s son, Caleb. Caleb was killed in action, but David’s presence brings comfort, as he shares Caleb’s messages and final words. At first, David is reluctant to accept the invitation to stay with the Peterson family, but eventually he accepts the offer, and Laura allows David to sleep in Caleb’s old room.

Laura’s husband, Spencer (Leland Orser) and her teenage son, Luke (Brendan Meyer) quickly embrace David, as Spencer  confides in and vents to David about his troubles at work, and David teaches Luke to stand up for himself as a big brother figure. For Laura, Spencer, and Luke, David is a breath of fresh air, but Laura and Spencer’s twenty year old daughter, Anna (Maika Monroe) refuses to buy into David’s goodwill mission.

Anna takes matters into her own hands, when she quietly decides to dig up more information on David. Meanwhile, David’s erratic behavior and his nasty mean streak are on full display, and at first, David’s actions are seemingly noble. A group of bullies torment and harass Luke, so David takes matters into his own hands. Anna’s friend, Kristen (Tabatha Shaun) has a tense run-in with her pushy ex-boyfriend, but David steps in to manhandle him.

David’s peculiar behavior raises more red flags, and unbeknownst to the Peterson family, a potentially fatal collision course threatens their lives, when Major Richard Carver (Lance Reddick), a man from David’s past, and a group of armed men arrive at the Peterson’s home. Laura, Spencer, Luke, Anna, her boyfriend, Zeke (Chase Williamson), her friend, Craig (Joel David Moore), and Kristen are all caught in the crossfire, as the mystery surrounding David unravels. Is David a misunderstood knight in shining armor? Or, is David hiding a shocking secret?

Review- The Petersons are a broken family. Laura is devastated over Caleb’s death, Luke is a target for a group of pesky bullies, and he’s an outcast at school. Spencer is an alcoholic, and he’s frustrated with his situation at work, and Anna is stuck in a crossroads dilemma. In the early stages of the movie, you might get the impression Anna is stuck in the rebellious teenager phase. She wants to have a beer before she turns twenty-one, and she chooses to date the sketchy boyfriend against her parent’s wishes. But as the story progresses, you’ll clearly see that’s not the case with Anna. She works  a hard job, she’s saving money for college, she loves her family, and she’ll do anything to protect her brother. Anna has a lot of heart, and Monroe really nails the character with a solid performance.

David is charismatic and charming, with a soft southern accent, so of course you WANT to believe he’s the one to fill Caleb’s void, right? Dan Stevens knocks it out of the park with a convincing and good performance as David. He is the driving force behind the conflict surrounding the character. You want to believe David is this good guy, who showed up on the Peterson’s doorstep to lend a helping hand in their time of need. After all, David single-handedly eliminates the group of bullies during the fight at the bar, he steps in to stop Kristen’s ex-boyfriend after he refuses to take no for an answer, and he steps in to save Luke from expulsion after he gets into a fight with one of the bullies at school.

But as the story progresses, it’s clear something is off with David, and it’s clear he’s hiding something. The final pieces of the puzzle fall into place, when Major Carver finally tells Anna the truth: David was apart of a top secret military project, and he faked his death to escape, and David will kill anyone, who comprises or threatens his cover to protect the project. The friendly helper is a ruthless killing machine, and he murders Spencer, Laura, and Kristen in cold blood.

Stevens’ ability to quickly switch gears between the kind and caring David, and David The Assassin is impressive. He’s showing remorse before he does what he knows he has to do before killing Sarah and Spencer, and the fiasco in the Halloween maze and on the dance is something else, with David luring Carver into a trap, Anna turning the tables on David, luring him into a trap of her own, and Luke saving Anna’s life with David’s butterfly knife (a gift from David). And David’s reaction to Luke literally stabbing him in the back was priceless. He wasn’t mad, and he didn’t feel betrayed, because Luke did the right thing.

After the smoke clears, Anna and Luke are sitting together in the back of an ambulance as the sole survivors, a limping fireman emerges from the crime scene…..and it’s David. On one hand, I had my doubts about Luke finishing David off for good (the guy did survive an ambush from a group of armed men), but David surviving the two on one assault/last stand from Anna and Luke is still a great cliffhanger, because when you think about everything David endured (the attacks, the car crash, etc.), watching him limp away from the madness is truly shocking.

The Guest is a hard-hitting, bloody, and brutal action horror-thriller. The soundtrack is excellent, The Guest has an undeniable 80’s nostalgic vibe to it, and The Guest is more than a run-of-the-mill bloodbath, with an ordinary screenplay. There’s a good balance between the crisis within The Peterson Family, the thrilling and tense action sequences, the question marks surrounding David, and The Guest features characters with real depth, and they’re characters you can actually care about.

The slow burn approach to carefully and slowly unravel all the details in David’s mysterious past really works to set up an intriguing guessing game for David’s motives, because everything is not 100% clear until the tail end of the film. Stevens’ presence brings a natural cool factor to certain scenes (the events leading up to the big brawl at the bar, David giving Anna a little lecture after the party, etc.) throughout the movie, and the cliffhanger will surely annoy some people with complaints of absurdity, but I have to believe The Guest is on its way to earning a strong and indisputable reputation as a genuine cult classic with more time.

Rating: 9/10