The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Director:

Amy Holden Jones

Writer:

Rita Mae Brown (writer)

Release Date:

12 November 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Close your eyes for a second... and sleep forever.

Plot:

An eighteen-year-old high school girl is left at home by her parents and she decides to have a slumber party...

Plot Keywords:

Slumber Party | Basketball | House | High School | Bedroom

Cast

Michelle Michaels	...	Trish Devereaux
Robin Stille	...	Valerie 'Val' Bates
Michael Villella	...	Russ Thorn
Debra Deliso	...	Kimberly 'Kim' Clarke
Andree Honore	...	Jackie
Jennifer Meyers	...	Courtney Bates
Joseph Alan Johnson	...	Neil
David Millbern	...	Jeff
Jim Boyce	...	John Minor
Pamela Roylance	...	Coach Rachel Jana
Brinke Stevens	...	Linda
Rigg Kennedy	...	Mr. David Contant
Jean Vargas	...	Telephone Repair Woman (Mary)
Anna Patton	...	Mrs. Devereaux
Howard Furgason	...	Mr. Devereaux

Also Known As:

Don't Open the Door (USA) (working title)
Sleepless Nights
Slumber Party Massacre (USA) (DVD box title)
Slumberparty Massacre
The Overnight Massacre (USA) (working title)
The Slumber Party Murders (UK) (video title)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:R | France:-16 | Germany:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Trivia:

In the background when Kim is hurling ornaments at the killer in Trish's bedroom, you can see the book "Rubyfruit Jungle", by 'Rita May Brown', writer of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the two boys are walking away from the telephone repair woman's van, one of the boys drops a book, and hands his friend two folders, and picks up his book. Suddenly in the next shot the friends hands are empty, and the two files are back in the other boys hands.

Quotes:

Valerie: [to Courtney] It's too bad Mom and Dad didn't get a divorce before YOU were born.
Courtney: I love you too.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

That's a BIG tool you have there, Mr. Killer...

This is a movie from the early 80's and it contains the word "massacre" in the title, so you know the…um…DRILL! Standard, by-the-numbers slasher except that this is supposed to be a feminist slasher! In all honesty, I don't really get it. Portraying dumb but hot-looking girls stalked & killed by a homicidal maniac is a sexist crime, but if this exact same formula is presented by a FEMALE director and a FEMALE scriptwriter, it all of a sudden becomes a parody and/or a feminist statement? The male characters in this movie may be a bit dumber than usual but the teenage beauties are all still defenseless little lambs to the slaughter, so where exactly lays the girl-power element? Oh well, since I absolutely don't wish to receive negative feedback from female readers, I'll just restrict myself to reviewing the actual movie and leave the speculations of possible deeper meanings behind. Talking purely in terms of 80's horror, "The Slumber Party Massacre" is a pretty good effort with likable characters, a fair amount of suspense and a handful of excellent gory killings. With her parents away on holiday, a schoolgirl invites her friends for a sleepover party with the usual pizzas, beer and soft drugs. Unfortunately for them, an escaped lunatic with a gigantic power tool still terrorizes the area and he shows up as the party-pooper, drilling holes in everyone whose path he's crossing. The only hope for rescue in the new girl who lives across the street but – oh no – she wasn't invited to the party! The identity and motivations of serial killers are usually kept secret in 80's slashers until the ending (as they're frequently acquaintances of the victims), but you don't have to worry about that in this case. Right from the opening minute, newspapers and radio bulletins loudly announce that a psychopath escaped from the local asylum and he doesn't even bother to wear a silly mask, as he's already carrying the drilling device – which symbolizes a male penis – instead. There's little else you need to know, except that nearly all the girls willingly take their clothes off and that the obligatory after gym-class shower sequence comes early in the movie. Hooray for feminism!