The House on Sorority Row (1982)

After a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation.

Director:

Mark Rosman

Writers:

Mark Rosman, Bobby Fine (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Janis Ward

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate McNeil	...	Katherine (as Kathryn McNeil)
Eileen Davidson	...	Vicki
Janis Ward	...	Liz (as Janis Zido)
Robin Meloy	...	Jeanie
Harley Jane Kozak	...	Diane (as Harley Kozak)
Jodi Draigie	...	Morgan
Ellen Dorsher	...	Stevie
Lois Kelso Hunt	...	Mrs. Slater
Christopher Lawrence	...	Dr. Beck
Michael Kuhn	...	Peter
Michael Sergio	...	Rick
Ruth Walsh	...	Mother
Ed Heath	...	Policeman
Jean Schertler	...	Nurse
Larry Singer	...	Photographer

Storyline

A group of girls staying at a sorority house clash with the house's owner, who wants them out. They decide to play a prank on her, but it goes awry and she winds up dead. Panicking, the girls try to hide the body, but someone (or something) witnessed the crime and begins to stalk them.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | serial killer | sorority | interrupted sex | cult film | 

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Taglines:

Pledge Theta Pi... and DIE!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The bathroom scenes were shot at the Baltimore School of Dentistry because the sorority house didn't have a communal bathroom.

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Goofs

(at around 58 mins) When the girls crash the dumpster into the police car, it is stuck against the front of the car. However, when the police officer tells them to move it back, there is suddenly enough room between the dumpster and the car for them to push it back in the other direction.

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Quotes

Pig: I'm a sea pig...

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Crazy Credits

The mechanical tick of Eric's jack-in-the-box plays on as the ending credits role.

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Alternate Versions

The UK video version (retitled "House of Evil") omits a short scene after the attack on Jeanie, in which Katherine goes to look for Peter and finds him standing by the piano. It also shows shots of children's toys at the end of the film, whereas the US version ends immediately after the killer's eyes open.

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Connections

Featured in Katarina's Nightmare Theater: The House on Sorority Row (2011)

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Soundtracks

Waiting for a Change
Composed and Performed by 4 Out of 5 Doctors
4 Out of 5 Doctors appear courtesy of Nemperor Records, Inc. and CBS Inc.

User Reviews

Decent early 80s' slasher with some script flaws

RELEASED IN 1983 and written & directed by Mark Rosman Stoller, "The House on Sorority Row" chronicles events at a sorority house outside of Baltimore where seven girls responsible for an accidental death start dying one by one during their graduation party.

The film borrows elements from "Black Christmas" (1974) and the French horror "Diabolique" (1955), like the unused swimming pool to conceal a body that later disappears. The first act is quite good, particularly the accidental death scene, which is well-acted for no-name actresses. Only two of the seven went on to a career in acting: The protagonist who plays Katie (Kate McNeil) and the slutty girl, Vicky (Eileen Davidson). Speaking of the girls, they present a realistic feminine smorgasbord with Morgan (Jodi Draigie) arguably being the most attractive. None of them, however, are anything to go gaga over (looks-wise, that is).

What marred the film for me was the dubious writing. For instance, wouldn't the girls be perplexed at how a dead body mysteriously made it to the attic? What caused it to suddenly fall down the trap door? Why don't any of the girls look at the face of the corpse to verify its identity? Would a couple of girls who know very little about guns seriously enact a prank using a questionable mixture of bullets and blanks? If you can get past these issues, "The House on Sorority Row" is a decent early 80s' slasher with a worthy plot and pretty good production values.

THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 31 minutes and was shot at Eltonhead Mansion in Pikesville, Maryland, with establishing shots done at University of Maryland, College Park. ADDITIONAL WRITER: Bobby Fine.

GRADE: C

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 1983 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

The House on Sorority Row

Filming Locations:

Eltonhead Mansion, 26 Hillchase Ct, Pikesville, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$425,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$617,661, 23 January 1983

Gross USA:

$10,604,986

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,604,986

Company Credits

Production Co:

VAE Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1