What do expect? Just glance at the title and this will give you a good indication of what is in store for you while watching this movie. This movie never was meant to be a great horror or comedy movie. There were no intentions of it being serious, Watch this movie with the expectations of poor acting, absurd circumstances, poor characters, bad lines, topless girls, sexual situations and language, violence and a mixture of horror, and comedy. This is what I expected and this is what I got. It's a fun movie with enough going for it that it does keep your attention. Don't expect a very serious film, lighten up, laugh at the bad lines and situations and you could find this to be somewhat enjoyable.
72 Reviews
Horribly hilarious.
coldwaterpdh14 November 2008
In the running for the cheesiest movie I've ever seen (right up there with "Zombie Lake") this film started out extremely slow. I have to admit, I almost turned it off. It got a little better about 30 minutes in, luckily.
The plot is absurd and the script is poorly penned. The acting is third or fourth rate. Three 'nerds' spy on some sorority girls. They get caught and then as punishment get 'forced' into a prank that the initiating girls must pull off in order to get into the sorority. They are attempting to steal a bowling trophy (what the hell???) from a bowling alley and they unleash a horrible imp who grants them wishes that turn into curses.
Linnea Quigley's punk rock criminal character is the only thing that saves this movie at all. She has some awesome lines and shines as the best actor in the bunch (sadly.) Also, a dude gets decapitated and they bowl his head down the lane which was pretty nice.
Definitely the kind of movie you saw on USA Up All Night back in the 90's. Chock-full of ridiculous high school fantasies. Yikes! 4 out of 10, kids.
The plot is absurd and the script is poorly penned. The acting is third or fourth rate. Three 'nerds' spy on some sorority girls. They get caught and then as punishment get 'forced' into a prank that the initiating girls must pull off in order to get into the sorority. They are attempting to steal a bowling trophy (what the hell???) from a bowling alley and they unleash a horrible imp who grants them wishes that turn into curses.
Linnea Quigley's punk rock criminal character is the only thing that saves this movie at all. She has some awesome lines and shines as the best actor in the bunch (sadly.) Also, a dude gets decapitated and they bowl his head down the lane which was pretty nice.
Definitely the kind of movie you saw on USA Up All Night back in the 90's. Chock-full of ridiculous high school fantasies. Yikes! 4 out of 10, kids.
Imptastic
ThePolarOne23 January 2005
Early on this film secures itself as cheap tat. A sorority initiation of paddling, whipped cream and showering may capture your gaze, but is definitely not Oscar material. The Imp unleashed in the mall's bowling alley is some kind of Eddie Murphy wannabe crossed with Freddy Krueger and a game show host. The effects, soundtrack and titles all seem to be the result of Amiga programming or something equally as primitive. The dialogue is cheesy, with only a glimmer of hope from the scream queen Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead).
It's fantastic. Every piece of awful direction and misplaced jokes is just side splitting. Recommend it with a crate of beer and Troll 2 (1990) to follow.
It's fantastic. Every piece of awful direction and misplaced jokes is just side splitting. Recommend it with a crate of beer and Troll 2 (1990) to follow.
Stevens, Bauer, and Quigley: Eye Candy heaven
Robbie-4320 August 1999
This film is the work of the auteur DeCoteau and boasts of a cast that contains three members of the All-Century Eye Candy team (Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer, and Linnea Quigley). The underlying message of this film is the horrors of hazing within the Greek system and its potential for things to go bad. The two pledges are played by the ever-so-lovely Ms. Stevens and the majestic beauty Ms. Bauer. Our third All-Century member, the sultry Ms. Quigley appears at a later juncture but alas does not play a role that allows her to bare her soul. However, Ms. Stevens (ahhh!) and Ms. Bauer (oooh!) give a knockout performance as a 1-2-3 punch: they get paddled, then sprayed with whipped cream, followed by a shower. Further into the film , Ms. Bauer gets to show more of her talents when her character gets possessed. Unfortunately, we here at the academy can't give classic status to this film. However, don't deny the fact that 2/3 of the All-Century team deliver the goodies and that is a winning percentage.
The name may almost be the best part, worth a watch though.
cjmccracken6 May 2012
As a precursor to the much loved 'Sorority Babes in The Dance-A-Thon of Death', 'Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama' is a historically and culturally significant piece of cinema. OK, so maybe not too culturally important, but with a title like that, it would be rude not to investigate.
Once a movie blasts onto the screen with day-glo pink credits and a heavy synth soundtrack then I know that I'm in my comfort zone. The 'Babes' in question are from Felta Delta, possibly the smallest sorority in the world (with a whopping three members) who are taking on new pledges (all two of them). There's a lot of spandex and big hair going on with the girls and so this could actually be marketed as a film from 2012 and very few people would notice.
There are numerous scenes of gratuitous nudity and a ludicrous paddling scene which goes on for a spectacularly long time. This is basically where the plot (such as it is) unravels. A group of young, horny guys have been spying on the kinky initiation ceremonies and are caught after peeking into the girls shower room and getting a little over-excited (a la 'Porky's'). Their punishment is to break into the nearby bowling alley and return with a trophy to satisfy the dominatrix like sorority leaders.
Once inside the bowling alley, it all starts to get really strange. In all honesty, I was busy salivating over all of the old arcade machines which were on display and so I may have missed a few minutes but I maintained a fair grasp of the overall gist. The teens meet up with a bad-ass chick named Spider (Scream queen Linnea Quigley) who is in the process of robbing the place. Involved a brief fracas they unwittingly knock over the chosen trophy which releases a jive talking imp who promises to grant them all one wish each.
Now, if I have learnt anything from movies (and I can assure you that I have) it's that one should never take an imp on his word alone. Not without some form of character reference, for imps are by nature, well .impish. The foolish youngsters, drunk on the folly of youth, all take him up immediately on his offer. This is much to their detriment as the wishes are not what they initially appear to be.
This movie is simply great fun. There's something about these movies, the short running time, the identikit characters and the sheer ridiculousness of it all which makes them so entertaining. There's a sense of innocence to them, in amongst the murder and breasts, that you just don't get much of in modern horror. It's a shame that the only thing to survive until now is the hairstyles.
Read more at zombiehamster.com
Once a movie blasts onto the screen with day-glo pink credits and a heavy synth soundtrack then I know that I'm in my comfort zone. The 'Babes' in question are from Felta Delta, possibly the smallest sorority in the world (with a whopping three members) who are taking on new pledges (all two of them). There's a lot of spandex and big hair going on with the girls and so this could actually be marketed as a film from 2012 and very few people would notice.
There are numerous scenes of gratuitous nudity and a ludicrous paddling scene which goes on for a spectacularly long time. This is basically where the plot (such as it is) unravels. A group of young, horny guys have been spying on the kinky initiation ceremonies and are caught after peeking into the girls shower room and getting a little over-excited (a la 'Porky's'). Their punishment is to break into the nearby bowling alley and return with a trophy to satisfy the dominatrix like sorority leaders.
Once inside the bowling alley, it all starts to get really strange. In all honesty, I was busy salivating over all of the old arcade machines which were on display and so I may have missed a few minutes but I maintained a fair grasp of the overall gist. The teens meet up with a bad-ass chick named Spider (Scream queen Linnea Quigley) who is in the process of robbing the place. Involved a brief fracas they unwittingly knock over the chosen trophy which releases a jive talking imp who promises to grant them all one wish each.
Now, if I have learnt anything from movies (and I can assure you that I have) it's that one should never take an imp on his word alone. Not without some form of character reference, for imps are by nature, well .impish. The foolish youngsters, drunk on the folly of youth, all take him up immediately on his offer. This is much to their detriment as the wishes are not what they initially appear to be.
This movie is simply great fun. There's something about these movies, the short running time, the identikit characters and the sheer ridiculousness of it all which makes them so entertaining. There's a sense of innocence to them, in amongst the murder and breasts, that you just don't get much of in modern horror. It's a shame that the only thing to survive until now is the hairstyles.
Read more at zombiehamster.com
Impish. (spoilers)
vertigo_1429 April 2005
This really looked like a fun cult classic, something that may be characterized as Troma-lite. It has the classic 80s comedy creativity (evident by a great title), complete with the ritual of stereotypical nerds and lots of gratuitous nudity.
The story is that of two bubbly girls going through some half-assed sorority initiation (which includes a strange five-minute spanking fetish and a whip scream spray down) for an even more half-assed sorority (three members in a whole sorority and only two pledges). Three bored college guys decide to spy on them, and are caught. Their punishment is that they have to join the two pledges in their final initiation: to break into the bowling alley and steal a trophy.
And this is where are the trouble begins because hidden inside the trophy (and accidentally unleashed) is an evil imp who was trapped in there after killing people thirty years ago. And, if these idiot college kids should've learned anything in their lifetime, it's not to accept gifts from strangers. Because, the seemingly benign imp grants the greediest of them wishes, which they accept against the warnings of one of the guys. And, soon enough, their wishes suddenly turn into a deranged nightmares. One nerd guy, with the help of a rough blonde who they met while she was breaking into the bowling alley, they'll try to recapture the imp and reseal him once and for all.
These are the kind of movies where the filmmakers know they're going to be bad, so they can have some fun in that. The humor comes from the movie being so ridiculously melodramatic or absurd in the first place. (See "Assault of the Killer Bimbos"). But, at least for me, I think there was far too much idiocy and bad acting to enjoy it. You wouldn't know that Calvin (one of the heroes) was being threatened by anything, since he never reacts differently to anything. Although, I did find his companion, Spider, to be at least one of the funnier highlights of the movie.
But, that is not to say that I wouldn't recommend this movie. It is a cult classic for good reason. The title should be enticing enough to at least give it a try.
The story is that of two bubbly girls going through some half-assed sorority initiation (which includes a strange five-minute spanking fetish and a whip scream spray down) for an even more half-assed sorority (three members in a whole sorority and only two pledges). Three bored college guys decide to spy on them, and are caught. Their punishment is that they have to join the two pledges in their final initiation: to break into the bowling alley and steal a trophy.
And this is where are the trouble begins because hidden inside the trophy (and accidentally unleashed) is an evil imp who was trapped in there after killing people thirty years ago. And, if these idiot college kids should've learned anything in their lifetime, it's not to accept gifts from strangers. Because, the seemingly benign imp grants the greediest of them wishes, which they accept against the warnings of one of the guys. And, soon enough, their wishes suddenly turn into a deranged nightmares. One nerd guy, with the help of a rough blonde who they met while she was breaking into the bowling alley, they'll try to recapture the imp and reseal him once and for all.
These are the kind of movies where the filmmakers know they're going to be bad, so they can have some fun in that. The humor comes from the movie being so ridiculously melodramatic or absurd in the first place. (See "Assault of the Killer Bimbos"). But, at least for me, I think there was far too much idiocy and bad acting to enjoy it. You wouldn't know that Calvin (one of the heroes) was being threatened by anything, since he never reacts differently to anything. Although, I did find his companion, Spider, to be at least one of the funnier highlights of the movie.
But, that is not to say that I wouldn't recommend this movie. It is a cult classic for good reason. The title should be enticing enough to at least give it a try.
Can''t Live Up To Its Great Title
ccthemovieman-113 August 2006
This is the classic case of a fabulous title to a film but a horrible movie. With a name like "Sorority Babes At The Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama," I just had to check this film out. If you think the film sounds cheesy, it is - in spades.
It's a sleazy horror spoof that wasn't funny and only offered some nice boobs to watch (for us guys). That's about it. The two main characters were just plain annoying and too profane and, for a horror flick, it was anything but scary. I guess it was more of a comedy but outside of the "imp," not too much of the humor was good stuff.
The film showed promise early on, but once they got to the bowling lanes the film rolled a gutter ball. Oh, well....it's still my favorite movie title of all time.
It's a sleazy horror spoof that wasn't funny and only offered some nice boobs to watch (for us guys). That's about it. The two main characters were just plain annoying and too profane and, for a horror flick, it was anything but scary. I guess it was more of a comedy but outside of the "imp," not too much of the humor was good stuff.
The film showed promise early on, but once they got to the bowling lanes the film rolled a gutter ball. Oh, well....it's still my favorite movie title of all time.
DeCoteau gets the holy trinity of scream queens together again
Groverdox20 December 2017
"Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama" is an enjoyable b-movie horror-flick/boobfest from David DeCoteau, who directed this one before he found his homoerotic side.
The plot concerns two sorority pledges, played by b-movie scream queens Michelle Bauer and Brinke Stevens, who are instructed to break into a bowling alley by their potential sisters. They are accompanied by a trio of '80s nerds, identifiable by the fact that they wear glasses and ugly shirts. One of them in the requisite fat-guy-who-is-always-eating. I guess his presence is what makes this a horror "comedy"; all '80s boob comedies featured this character as a mainstay, but I can't think of too many straight-horror flicks that did.
Anyway, after getting their panty-covered butts paddled and giving us a requisite shower scene, the girls go to the bowling alley with their dorky chaperones. They expect to have to break in but find the doors unlocked, which is sort-of explained by one of the sorority sisters having a father who owns the mall. At least they TRIED to explain that unbelievable stroke of luck.
When they go inside, the holy trinity of scream queens is completed by none other than Linnea Quigley playing her usual bad girl role, but hey, she does it so well, and looks stunning here. Disappointingly, she doesn't get naked, but you can't have everything.
Anyway, the movie makes what feels like a belated, and perhaps even unnecessary, detour into horror territory when a trophy the girls are supposed to steal is dropped, and releases a mysterious gas, which in movies like these, always indicates that a "spirit" or supernatural creature of some kind has been set free.
Is this the only movie ever with a haunted trophy? It's got to be the only movie with a haunted BOWLING trophy. I guess they think that a trophy looks enough like a lamp that they can just swap one for the other and nobody will notice.
What the movie refers to as an "imp" materialises, having apparently been stuck in said trophy before it was dropped (they didn't even have to rub it?). This creature looks like something made in ceramics class by an unusually talented twelve year old. I don't mind that the claymation to make the thing talk is predictably shoddy. But they could have at least painted it or something.
The imp's voice is also a really strange touch. It's not in any way a typical monster, horror movie voice. It sounds like a gay Jamaican after a stroke.
The imp offers our heroes some wishes, but also possesses some other people, and you can pretty much fill in the blanks from there. I confess I sort of lost interest when the movie went into tiresome slasher mode, but there were a few other things that set this one apart:
1. One of the nerds asks the imp to allow him to have sex with Michelle Bauer (hell, wouldn't you?) And they get what seems like an endless series of scenes together. The movie keeps cutting away to scenes of action elsewhere as the horror movie plot develops, and then cutting back to Bauer and the nerd. And back. And back. And back. It makes you wonder how long they were supposed to be together for. Each time we revisit the two, Bauer has less clothes on than before. It's like they're playing the world's slowest game of strip poker.
2. I haven't mentioned it yet, because it really goes without needing to be mentioned with movies like these, that Stevens, particularly, looks too old to be in college, and especially to be young enough to be trying to join a sorority, which is something I assume people do when they first start university. But what's unusual is that there is a janitor character who is apparently supposed to be old, hard-of-hearing and senile, and yet clearly isn't old enough for at least two of those. Movies are always trying to make us believe actors are younger than they really are. It's not often that they try to make us think actors are old and decrepit when they clearly aren't, at least out of Hollywood biopics.
3. Lastly, there is a pretty cool scene where someone bowls with a decapitated head. I mean, in a horror movie set in a bowling alley, how can you not include that?
"Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama" is an entertaining flick that is obviously a much-watch for b-movie and '80s horror fans for its featuring Stevens, Bauer and Quigley in the one movie. However, strange as it is to say, I wish it hadn't gone to typical-slasher toward the end there. That's when it becomes a lot less fun.
The plot concerns two sorority pledges, played by b-movie scream queens Michelle Bauer and Brinke Stevens, who are instructed to break into a bowling alley by their potential sisters. They are accompanied by a trio of '80s nerds, identifiable by the fact that they wear glasses and ugly shirts. One of them in the requisite fat-guy-who-is-always-eating. I guess his presence is what makes this a horror "comedy"; all '80s boob comedies featured this character as a mainstay, but I can't think of too many straight-horror flicks that did.
Anyway, after getting their panty-covered butts paddled and giving us a requisite shower scene, the girls go to the bowling alley with their dorky chaperones. They expect to have to break in but find the doors unlocked, which is sort-of explained by one of the sorority sisters having a father who owns the mall. At least they TRIED to explain that unbelievable stroke of luck.
When they go inside, the holy trinity of scream queens is completed by none other than Linnea Quigley playing her usual bad girl role, but hey, she does it so well, and looks stunning here. Disappointingly, she doesn't get naked, but you can't have everything.
Anyway, the movie makes what feels like a belated, and perhaps even unnecessary, detour into horror territory when a trophy the girls are supposed to steal is dropped, and releases a mysterious gas, which in movies like these, always indicates that a "spirit" or supernatural creature of some kind has been set free.
Is this the only movie ever with a haunted trophy? It's got to be the only movie with a haunted BOWLING trophy. I guess they think that a trophy looks enough like a lamp that they can just swap one for the other and nobody will notice.
What the movie refers to as an "imp" materialises, having apparently been stuck in said trophy before it was dropped (they didn't even have to rub it?). This creature looks like something made in ceramics class by an unusually talented twelve year old. I don't mind that the claymation to make the thing talk is predictably shoddy. But they could have at least painted it or something.
The imp's voice is also a really strange touch. It's not in any way a typical monster, horror movie voice. It sounds like a gay Jamaican after a stroke.
The imp offers our heroes some wishes, but also possesses some other people, and you can pretty much fill in the blanks from there. I confess I sort of lost interest when the movie went into tiresome slasher mode, but there were a few other things that set this one apart:
1. One of the nerds asks the imp to allow him to have sex with Michelle Bauer (hell, wouldn't you?) And they get what seems like an endless series of scenes together. The movie keeps cutting away to scenes of action elsewhere as the horror movie plot develops, and then cutting back to Bauer and the nerd. And back. And back. And back. It makes you wonder how long they were supposed to be together for. Each time we revisit the two, Bauer has less clothes on than before. It's like they're playing the world's slowest game of strip poker.
2. I haven't mentioned it yet, because it really goes without needing to be mentioned with movies like these, that Stevens, particularly, looks too old to be in college, and especially to be young enough to be trying to join a sorority, which is something I assume people do when they first start university. But what's unusual is that there is a janitor character who is apparently supposed to be old, hard-of-hearing and senile, and yet clearly isn't old enough for at least two of those. Movies are always trying to make us believe actors are younger than they really are. It's not often that they try to make us think actors are old and decrepit when they clearly aren't, at least out of Hollywood biopics.
3. Lastly, there is a pretty cool scene where someone bowls with a decapitated head. I mean, in a horror movie set in a bowling alley, how can you not include that?
"Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama" is an entertaining flick that is obviously a much-watch for b-movie and '80s horror fans for its featuring Stevens, Bauer and Quigley in the one movie. However, strange as it is to say, I wish it hadn't gone to typical-slasher toward the end there. That's when it becomes a lot less fun.
Starring The Triumvirate Of Trash...
Son_of_Mansfield31 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
...or TT. Something of a mix between Night of the Demons and Nightmare Sisters. The plot has The Imp(a grating Dukey Flyswatter) released from a bowling trophy. Then, people die. Unfortunately, The Imp does not. Linnea Quigley steals the show as a punk thief with a dirty mouth. She is so punk that she doesn't even need to do a nude scene to be the highlight of this movie. Michelle Bauer and Brinke Stevens are some of the oldest teenagers ever at 34 and 37(!) years of age. They have a bathroom scene that merely dreams of rivaling The Triumvirate's tub scene in Nightmare Sisters. Andras Jones is a likable dweeb. Robin Rochelle, who did have on a nice outfit when she died, and Hal Havins are just one step north of annoying. George Flower pops up as a possibly drunk and homeless janitor. This is just for fans of TT or bad camp.
Boy, don't you just miss the 80s?
capkronos8 April 2002
Just like most of the music in the 80s, this is supremely enjoyable on a strictly camp/cheese level. Of course, it's a complete no-brainer low-budget horror spoof, but that just makes it all the more endearing and charming. One day, I really could see someone putting this little gem in a time capsule and sending it into space as a prime example of fighting back against conservativeness and "Reaganism" with pure, no-questions-asked exploitation. It never pretends to be otherwise. It never takes itself seriously. It is the perfect example of a film crafted by people who have their target audience in sight and don't want to let them down. And it was reasonably well made considering it cost less than 100K to produce.
Taffy (Brinke Stevens) and Lisa (Michelle Bauer) are sorority pledges at the mercy of blonde meanie Babs (Robin Stille), a future prison warden, who gleefully subjects them to "institutionalized sadism" such as paddling their fannies and spraying whipped cream all over them (which of course must be showered off). After some nerds are busted spying on the ladies, Babs forces them all break into a shopping mall to steal a bowling trophy as part of their initiation rites. There they encounter both ill-mannered biker babe Spider (Linnea Quigley) AND an evil, wish-granting Imp (with a soul voice!) who traps them all inside and proceeds to turn some of them into murderous zombies. Ah ha! It's great stuff. Really! It's totally infectious fun.
It's very nice to see that it's gotten a DVD and video reissue because now that USA Up All Night is off the air, this kind of good-natured B-movie needs to break through to the next generation of fans. I grew up on this fluff and it truly does enrich your life in a unique way Hollywood never could. NIGHTMARE SISTERS and SORORITY BABES make a perfect double feature and are proof that Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens and Michelle Bauer may just be the greatest trio ever captured on film. They are combined force to be reckoned with that has yet to be equaled. Someone please reunite these ladies again sometime soon!
Score: 7 out of 10.
Taffy (Brinke Stevens) and Lisa (Michelle Bauer) are sorority pledges at the mercy of blonde meanie Babs (Robin Stille), a future prison warden, who gleefully subjects them to "institutionalized sadism" such as paddling their fannies and spraying whipped cream all over them (which of course must be showered off). After some nerds are busted spying on the ladies, Babs forces them all break into a shopping mall to steal a bowling trophy as part of their initiation rites. There they encounter both ill-mannered biker babe Spider (Linnea Quigley) AND an evil, wish-granting Imp (with a soul voice!) who traps them all inside and proceeds to turn some of them into murderous zombies. Ah ha! It's great stuff. Really! It's totally infectious fun.
It's very nice to see that it's gotten a DVD and video reissue because now that USA Up All Night is off the air, this kind of good-natured B-movie needs to break through to the next generation of fans. I grew up on this fluff and it truly does enrich your life in a unique way Hollywood never could. NIGHTMARE SISTERS and SORORITY BABES make a perfect double feature and are proof that Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens and Michelle Bauer may just be the greatest trio ever captured on film. They are combined force to be reckoned with that has yet to be equaled. Someone please reunite these ladies again sometime soon!
Score: 7 out of 10.
Not Really Enjoyable for Anyone
bkrauser-81-3110646 April 2016
All is not well at the local Bowl-O-Rama when a group of twenty-somethings bust into the venue after hours as part of a sorority prank. The story largely follows three unique troops; the Tri-Delt sisters led by the sadomasochistic Babs (Stille), Lisa (Bauer) and Taffy (Stevens) their most recent pledges and a trio of dorky dudes led by Calvin (Jones), who tried and failed to spy on the initiation. The horny teenagers descend on the bowling alley on a mission to spend the night. Unwittingly they release a wise-cracking imp who grants wishes with terrible consequences. 80's scream queen Linnea Quigley co-stars as Spider, a leather-clad burglar at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Very, very, VERY loosely based on W.W. Jacobs' short story "The Monkey's Paw," Sorority Babes predates the thematically similar and gleefully morose Leprechaun Series (1993-2014) by about five years. Much like that series of schlocky comedy-horror, the proceedings of Sorority Babes center around a small mythical creature on a quest of mischief and can't ever seem to shut up about it. Yet what this movie looses in Jennifer Aniston's pre-Friends (1994-2004) allure, it more than makes up for it with gratuitous nudity across the board. Those looking for overt objectification of the fairer sex mixed with an obtuse, watered-down appropriation of Giallo visual motifs look no further than Sorority Babes.
However those looking for psychological intensity, a logically progressing story, sly humor or lacking that the theatrical splatter gore we've all come to expect, you are in for a disappointing hour and twenty minutes. The moments most in need of show-stopping violence are the moments that show Director David DeCoteau at his most amateurish. The film shows so little actual blood, you'd swear the creators were making a Pee-Wee Herman Halloween special instead of a redeemable horror-comedy. Unlike Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) (which famously used only two ounces of fake blood), Sorority Babes doesn't supplant the gore with creepiness or the cautious building of tension. While some may find the lack of gore a respite, others may be attributing the lack of blood to a very prudent Bowl- O-Rama GM who demanded the floors be kept clean so the place can still operate during the day.
To give credit where credit's due, I heard about this movie through the whimsical prose of Vent Scene and not from a random glimpse at a "Worst Movies" list. The author of the article made the film sound like a misjudged masterpiece doomed into obscurity by bad distribution and a radical approach to mis en scene. I can certainly relate to the magnetic charm of certain low-budget features; arguably the works of Troma Productions being the most merited. Yet there's an easily identifiable audience for these kinds of films, most of which will sit down to watch Sorority Babes and be mightily disappointed by it's corny humor and cheap, clean carnival-ride horror.
At no point will any discernible viewer be scared for any of the characters. On the contrary, most will by checking the victims off, hoping that once all the annoying clowns, waifs and perverts are disposed of the movie will finally end. If a little funnier, if a little bloodier, if a little more coherent, the movie could have been for somebody. Unfortunately, with little going for it other than small precious flashes of originality, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama is conclusively for no one.
Very, very, VERY loosely based on W.W. Jacobs' short story "The Monkey's Paw," Sorority Babes predates the thematically similar and gleefully morose Leprechaun Series (1993-2014) by about five years. Much like that series of schlocky comedy-horror, the proceedings of Sorority Babes center around a small mythical creature on a quest of mischief and can't ever seem to shut up about it. Yet what this movie looses in Jennifer Aniston's pre-Friends (1994-2004) allure, it more than makes up for it with gratuitous nudity across the board. Those looking for overt objectification of the fairer sex mixed with an obtuse, watered-down appropriation of Giallo visual motifs look no further than Sorority Babes.
However those looking for psychological intensity, a logically progressing story, sly humor or lacking that the theatrical splatter gore we've all come to expect, you are in for a disappointing hour and twenty minutes. The moments most in need of show-stopping violence are the moments that show Director David DeCoteau at his most amateurish. The film shows so little actual blood, you'd swear the creators were making a Pee-Wee Herman Halloween special instead of a redeemable horror-comedy. Unlike Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) (which famously used only two ounces of fake blood), Sorority Babes doesn't supplant the gore with creepiness or the cautious building of tension. While some may find the lack of gore a respite, others may be attributing the lack of blood to a very prudent Bowl- O-Rama GM who demanded the floors be kept clean so the place can still operate during the day.
To give credit where credit's due, I heard about this movie through the whimsical prose of Vent Scene and not from a random glimpse at a "Worst Movies" list. The author of the article made the film sound like a misjudged masterpiece doomed into obscurity by bad distribution and a radical approach to mis en scene. I can certainly relate to the magnetic charm of certain low-budget features; arguably the works of Troma Productions being the most merited. Yet there's an easily identifiable audience for these kinds of films, most of which will sit down to watch Sorority Babes and be mightily disappointed by it's corny humor and cheap, clean carnival-ride horror.
At no point will any discernible viewer be scared for any of the characters. On the contrary, most will by checking the victims off, hoping that once all the annoying clowns, waifs and perverts are disposed of the movie will finally end. If a little funnier, if a little bloodier, if a little more coherent, the movie could have been for somebody. Unfortunately, with little going for it other than small precious flashes of originality, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama is conclusively for no one.
theres more to it than an obscure title
catalystpaperbag31 May 2000
I was surprised to find this on DVD at the Fango convention at the New Yorker hotel in NYC. I suppose this films cult following has greater appeal than expected, although I have heard it had a decent following, I have never actually _met_ face-to-face a fan of this film. I rented this film originally from one of those smaller "mom 'n pop" video stores, and was quite impressed. Very fun and energetic film, a great platform for Linnea Quigley to show her infinite sex appeal. Needless to say, this film is a classic. Cheesy effects, college hijinks, nerds, girls and demonic imps...they just don't make movies like this anymore...sigh...
demons, ghouls, and Michelle...oh My!
wdbrown14 January 2002
A solid effort for its type. A group of young people sneak into a bowling alley after hours. Little do they know that a wicked demon has been locked up in a bowling trophy and is just itching to celebrate his release by taking it out on those around him.
The three Scream Queens, Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and Michelle Bauer (forced to use McLellan here) give it their all and that is worth three stars. Michelle Bauer is nude. That is worth two more, and Linnea Quigley plays the tough girl. The demon is more obnoxious than scary and the lighting, if it were just a little darker would not have qualified for the description...lighting that is. Otherwise, a good campy film with some chills,some thrills, especially if you're a Bauer fan, and well worth the rental.
The three Scream Queens, Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and Michelle Bauer (forced to use McLellan here) give it their all and that is worth three stars. Michelle Bauer is nude. That is worth two more, and Linnea Quigley plays the tough girl. The demon is more obnoxious than scary and the lighting, if it were just a little darker would not have qualified for the description...lighting that is. Otherwise, a good campy film with some chills,some thrills, especially if you're a Bauer fan, and well worth the rental.
The title says it all, right?
BandSAboutMovies6 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
You know when they say that something is loosely based on something? I just read that this movie is loosely based on The Monkey's Paw. Sure, they both have wishes that go wrong, but I think the similarities stop there.
Directed by David DeCoteau, who went on to bring us Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil, Bigfoot vs. D.B. Cooper and the completely unhinged Eric Roberts voiced A Talking Cat!?!, this movie delivers everything its title promises (which is a much better one than its original name, The Imp).
Three frat guys spy on three sorority girls (Babs, played by Robin Rochelle from The Slumber Party Massacre; Rhonda and Frankie, who is Carla Baron, now a real-life psychic profiler) as they prepare two new members (Taffy is scream queen Brinke Stevens and Lisa, Michelle Bauer, the scream queen who was Penthouse Magazine's July 1981 Pet of the Month and also known as adult star Pia Snow) for an initiation, which consists of paddling and whipped cream. The boys get caught and to make up for it, they have to go with the girls to steal a bowling trophy.
While they try and get said trophy, they run into a burglar named Spider (scream queen supreme Linnea Quigley), who helps them break in. They quickly screw up and break the trophy, freeing Uncle Impy. That wacky little guy promises three wishes for freeing him. One of the guys wants gold, Taffy wants to be prom queen and one of the dudes just wants to have sex with Lisa (well, you can see his point). Impy senses that the sorority girls are watching him (indeed, Babs' dad runs the mall) via cameras and he possesses both of hem.
Hijinks, as they say, ensue, with human heads being used as bowling balls, sorority girls getting turned into demons, bowling ball-fu (as Jim Bob would say), all-knowing janitors, Molotov cocktails, more severed heads and so much more.
Most of the cast stuck around to be in another DeCoteau film, Nightmare Sisters. Both are very much Charles Band direct to video films - a bit of gore, a little comedy and some T & A. And they're the only two movies that have all three of the major scream queens - Quigley, Stevens and Bauer - appear in the same movie together.
Directed by David DeCoteau, who went on to bring us Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge, Puppet Master: Axis of Evil, Bigfoot vs. D.B. Cooper and the completely unhinged Eric Roberts voiced A Talking Cat!?!, this movie delivers everything its title promises (which is a much better one than its original name, The Imp).
Three frat guys spy on three sorority girls (Babs, played by Robin Rochelle from The Slumber Party Massacre; Rhonda and Frankie, who is Carla Baron, now a real-life psychic profiler) as they prepare two new members (Taffy is scream queen Brinke Stevens and Lisa, Michelle Bauer, the scream queen who was Penthouse Magazine's July 1981 Pet of the Month and also known as adult star Pia Snow) for an initiation, which consists of paddling and whipped cream. The boys get caught and to make up for it, they have to go with the girls to steal a bowling trophy.
While they try and get said trophy, they run into a burglar named Spider (scream queen supreme Linnea Quigley), who helps them break in. They quickly screw up and break the trophy, freeing Uncle Impy. That wacky little guy promises three wishes for freeing him. One of the guys wants gold, Taffy wants to be prom queen and one of the dudes just wants to have sex with Lisa (well, you can see his point). Impy senses that the sorority girls are watching him (indeed, Babs' dad runs the mall) via cameras and he possesses both of hem.
Hijinks, as they say, ensue, with human heads being used as bowling balls, sorority girls getting turned into demons, bowling ball-fu (as Jim Bob would say), all-knowing janitors, Molotov cocktails, more severed heads and so much more.
Most of the cast stuck around to be in another DeCoteau film, Nightmare Sisters. Both are very much Charles Band direct to video films - a bit of gore, a little comedy and some T & A. And they're the only two movies that have all three of the major scream queens - Quigley, Stevens and Bauer - appear in the same movie together.
A Cheesy Horror Flick Masterpiece
Brinke19 March 1999
David DeCoteau has somehow managed to come up with a winner here. An outstanding cast most probably has something to do with it, i.e. Lead singer/songwriter of Washington band The Previous, Andras Jones, The B-Queens, Bauer, Quigley, and Stevens, and a slew of others. This was also one of the best performances by the late Robin Rochelle Stille. Definitely worth checking out!
awful, but yet.
craigmcrobbie26 March 2006
This is a horrible movie,I mean really, it is just garbage, you want to toss your TV out the window watching this, and yet the person who edited this movie, is a genius of epic proportions. Who ever it is, knew just when you would have had enough and were about to leave, and just that moment, he would toss in come nudity, or sex, and you would be drawn back in. It never failed, we are talking perfect timing, just as you would go to turn it off, there was the nudity, so who ever he is, he has perfect timing, but for the rest of the movie, it is a total waste of time, and I amazed that someone backed this movie in the first place, avoid it at all costs,unless you want to go into editing, then learn from this modern day master of the craft.
badly made movie .. but....
pkpkevin12 May 2005
I picked up this movie in the $2.00 bin at the video store. I noticed it because it's title had just been used in a word game we played at a recent party. The movie is pretty bad. "Impy" is a little over the top. The actors are just getting their first roles (at least it appears so), and the plot is a little thin.
However, when I made my good friend Craig watch it on a dare, a funny thing happened. Every time he was ready to turn it off there was some gratuitous nudity. Not much, maybe for 30 seconds or so, but enough to keep him watching for another 10 minutes. Then, when he had had enough, there was another 30 second spot of gratuitous nudity. This kept going on and on until the entire move was over. He claimed that the editor deserved an academy award nomination, or just to be beaten up for making him stick around and watch the whole lousy movie.
However, when I made my good friend Craig watch it on a dare, a funny thing happened. Every time he was ready to turn it off there was some gratuitous nudity. Not much, maybe for 30 seconds or so, but enough to keep him watching for another 10 minutes. Then, when he had had enough, there was another 30 second spot of gratuitous nudity. This kept going on and on until the entire move was over. He claimed that the editor deserved an academy award nomination, or just to be beaten up for making him stick around and watch the whole lousy movie.
Memorable title. Forgettable film.
BA_Harrison3 July 2016
Director David DeCoteau has been quoted as saying (about the 1980s) "You could make anything and it sold." Nothing shows this to be more true than Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, a cheap piece of z-grade trash that is notable only for its classic scream queen trifecta of Linnea Quigley, Michelle Bauer (credited here as Michelle McClellen) and Brinke Stevens.
The film opens with three college losers (Andras Jones, Hal Havins and John Stuart Wildman) spying on a pair of sorority girls (Bauer and Stevens) being initiated by having their backsides paddled and their bodies sprayed with cream, after which they take a shower. Caught peeping on the young women as they wash, the nerds are forced to accompany the initiates on their final task to steal a trophy from the local bowling alley.
Breaking into the alley out of hours, the pledges and their male companions bump into punk burglar Spider (Quigley), before carrying out their objective, opting for the largest trophy—a big mistake, for therein lurks an evil imp, trapped for the last thirty years, but freed to cause havoc when the trophy is accidentally dropped. Cue lots of wearisome nonsense as the imp torments the kids, granting them wishes that backfire, and terrorising them by turning three sorority sisters into deadly demons.
Lousy special effects (the imp is a truly terrible puppet and there's an unconvincing severed head), a pitiful script packed with cringe-worthy humour, and dreadful performances all go to make Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama a really tedious film, even with Bauer and Brinke doing their very best to liven up proceedings with some full frontal nudity. Rather surprisingly, Quigley, who famously stripped nude for Return Of The Living Dead, remains clothed throughout.
The film opens with three college losers (Andras Jones, Hal Havins and John Stuart Wildman) spying on a pair of sorority girls (Bauer and Stevens) being initiated by having their backsides paddled and their bodies sprayed with cream, after which they take a shower. Caught peeping on the young women as they wash, the nerds are forced to accompany the initiates on their final task to steal a trophy from the local bowling alley.
Breaking into the alley out of hours, the pledges and their male companions bump into punk burglar Spider (Quigley), before carrying out their objective, opting for the largest trophy—a big mistake, for therein lurks an evil imp, trapped for the last thirty years, but freed to cause havoc when the trophy is accidentally dropped. Cue lots of wearisome nonsense as the imp torments the kids, granting them wishes that backfire, and terrorising them by turning three sorority sisters into deadly demons.
Lousy special effects (the imp is a truly terrible puppet and there's an unconvincing severed head), a pitiful script packed with cringe-worthy humour, and dreadful performances all go to make Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama a really tedious film, even with Bauer and Brinke doing their very best to liven up proceedings with some full frontal nudity. Rather surprisingly, Quigley, who famously stripped nude for Return Of The Living Dead, remains clothed throughout.
Fun B-movie nonsense!
Charlotte_Kaye30 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This campy horror comedy is actually quite fun unlike most of the other films I've seen from David Decoteau, who has an even worse catalog than Fred Olen Ray... Yes that IS possible! Sure it has its share of truly lame moments, but it still pretty much delivers what fans of these kind of movies want to see. Action, horror, hit-or-miss comedy and one-liners, decent production values and some random nudity for the guys. Linnea Quigley is wonderful as the biker babe. The rest of the cast was only so-so. I do always like seeing Michelle Bauer and she had a funny role here. Just today I learned of the passing of Babs (Robin Rochelle Stille) today. R.I.P babe, and movies like this will keep you in the minds and hearts of horror fans all over the world.
I can't believe I remember this 'film'
Horrorible_Horror_Films13 December 2005
I saw this movie when I was a freshman in highschool and we went on a band trip to Nashville TN. The hotel had free HBO, and this movie played that night. All I know is that it sucked, a lot, and I was interested in any nudity. All these years later I somehow still remember the title. That's odd becuz long titles are usually a bad idea for movies, but then again, this entire movie was a bad idea. As far as the word 'slimeball' goes, I'm not sure why that is even in the title, I guess maybe for the alliteration. See! This movie is so incredibly undenibly very very bad, that I'm having trouble even writing ten lines about it!
Sleaze classic
quridley29 May 2017
This might be the crown jewel of director David DeCouteau's career, which isn't saying much. Combine the plots of Demons, Chopping Mall and Slumber Party Massacre and you get SBITSB. Its not as entertaining as those movies, but its cheesy fun. There are a few laughs and the overwhelming number of bad jokes are sort of endearing. Modern audiences will eye-roll at all of the sexism, racism and fat-shaming. But you expect stupidity and cheapness in films like this. Surprisingly the cast is good and the cinematography is wonderful in HD. You can watch a lot worse in the 80s sleaze genre. Bonus points as this is probably the best acting job by the cool, sleazy but sometimes wooden "Scream queen" Linnea Quigley. She's a believable punk goddess here with lots of cute, bad-ass and nuanced moments.
He's So Wicked
barnthebarn22 March 2005
Empire, Infinity and Titan released this one. A strange Imp causes havoc when he is released from a bowling trophy (teach them sporty folk a lesson!). There is a never ending (well at least several minutes long) shower and cream scene - very tedious and irrelevant. The Imp looks like a dwarf in a rubber suit (where is the actors union when its needed?) and speaks like Barry White. In many ways a children's' film (little cute creature, playing, fun, adventure...) but with added sex and nudity for adult audiences. Except for stars Linnea Quigley and the resident fat guy the acting is very good. Incidentally the music is amazing - some of it is lifted directly from 'Creepozoids'. The end credits kindly inform us that (wait for it!) 'Coming Soon: Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers' Production manager is David DeCoteau (credited as Ellen Cabot) and Charles Band and then wife Debra Dion get a special thanks. Composer Guy Moon - give us more music...
A good'n'goofy piece of total unapologetic late 80's low budget comic horror trash
Woodyanders28 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
As this film's gloriously bold title alone suggests this sure ain't no exceptionally smart, subtle and sophisticated work of remarkable cinematic art. Instead it's total unmitigated lowbrow crap, plain and simple (with a definite emphasis on the simple, too). The so-called plot concerns two overaged, but very fetching sorority pledges and a trio of moronic, obnoxious frat boys who have to break into a bowling alley late at night and steal a bowling trophy as part of an initiation prank. The dim-witted quintet accidentally unleash a mischievous and diabolical imp who speaks with a pretty dreadful ersatz African American accent; said troublesome little bugger gleefully wreaks plenty of enjoyably inane tongue-in-cheek supernatural havoc upon the idiotic collegians.
Tireless celluloid dreckmeister supreme David ("Creepazoids," "Deadly Embrace") DeCoteau keeps the silly shenanigans bumping along at a reasonably quick clip, the nonstop sophomoric gags are quite amusing in an admittedly crude sort of way, and both the cinematography and production values are surprisingly slick given the paltry nickel'n'dime budget. Moreover, immortal 80's trash horror scream queen Linnea ("Silent Night, Deadly Night," "The Return of the Living Dead") Quigley contributes a spirited and engaging performance as a spunky punkette burglar while the always reliable George "Buck" Flower lends able support as a frisky, doddering, irascible old coot of a hopelessly senile janitor. Better still, the sexy, slinky, smoldering Brinke ("The Slumber Party Massacre") Stevens takes an utterly gratuitous, but much-appreciated lengthy shower and buxom brunette honey Michelle ("Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers") Bauer spends the bulk of her screen time in the buff. Of course this film overall is essentially an extremely cheesy, lamebrained and worthless hunk of absolute junk, but this baby nonetheless still constitutes as one of those true schlock movie rarities: it's a thoroughly shameless, pointless and witless rip-snorting snotwad of a flick that's every bit as blithely tacky and trashy as its glaringly obvious title would suggest. I plead guilty as charged on the grounds that I dug every last sublimely stupid minute of this braindead timewaster.
Tireless celluloid dreckmeister supreme David ("Creepazoids," "Deadly Embrace") DeCoteau keeps the silly shenanigans bumping along at a reasonably quick clip, the nonstop sophomoric gags are quite amusing in an admittedly crude sort of way, and both the cinematography and production values are surprisingly slick given the paltry nickel'n'dime budget. Moreover, immortal 80's trash horror scream queen Linnea ("Silent Night, Deadly Night," "The Return of the Living Dead") Quigley contributes a spirited and engaging performance as a spunky punkette burglar while the always reliable George "Buck" Flower lends able support as a frisky, doddering, irascible old coot of a hopelessly senile janitor. Better still, the sexy, slinky, smoldering Brinke ("The Slumber Party Massacre") Stevens takes an utterly gratuitous, but much-appreciated lengthy shower and buxom brunette honey Michelle ("Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers") Bauer spends the bulk of her screen time in the buff. Of course this film overall is essentially an extremely cheesy, lamebrained and worthless hunk of absolute junk, but this baby nonetheless still constitutes as one of those true schlock movie rarities: it's a thoroughly shameless, pointless and witless rip-snorting snotwad of a flick that's every bit as blithely tacky and trashy as its glaringly obvious title would suggest. I plead guilty as charged on the grounds that I dug every last sublimely stupid minute of this braindead timewaster.
Worth Viewing
skallisjr23 March 2004
The best feature of the film is its improbable premises
Spoilers Follow
The film was apparently aimed at the "young adult" male with extra testosterone still in his endrocrine system. That's why the shower scene, the spanking scene, and the like.
That aside, the concept of an evil imp (or is that a bit redundant?) being imprisoned in a bowling trophy is particularly wacky enough to save the film from being a turkey. Once the menace is defined, then the action follows the form for such movies, though the dialogue isn't as restricted as in most other such films.
It is, of course, a variant of the "genie in the bottle" story, where the wicked genie has to be put back where he came from. But the contrast of the heroine as a capable foe while one of the nerds becomes a bumbling sidekick to most of these films is very pleasant.
Spoilers Follow
The film was apparently aimed at the "young adult" male with extra testosterone still in his endrocrine system. That's why the shower scene, the spanking scene, and the like.
That aside, the concept of an evil imp (or is that a bit redundant?) being imprisoned in a bowling trophy is particularly wacky enough to save the film from being a turkey. Once the menace is defined, then the action follows the form for such movies, though the dialogue isn't as restricted as in most other such films.
It is, of course, a variant of the "genie in the bottle" story, where the wicked genie has to be put back where he came from. But the contrast of the heroine as a capable foe while one of the nerds becomes a bumbling sidekick to most of these films is very pleasant.
Irresistible title, but resist it anyway.
dave13-123 April 2012
Okay, this was one of those movies I rented (on VHS) when I was bored and thought I couldn't get much more so. Wrong. This movie will bore you silly. The whole things stinks of something that was dreamed up at a stoner party. The idea that a demonic imp is trapped in a bowling trophy and that once released it will take over the world with its female bowling minions ought to have some goofy appeal, but the whole thing is so ham-handed and clumsy that no effective comedic or satiric tone is ever struck. The movie fails as comedy, cheese, horror and as a result just doesn't engage the viewer on any level. The effects are unspecial, and the plot has no twists. It plays out just as you anticipate it would.
80s B-movie 'icon' Linnea Quigley has a good appearance here, but as usual she doesn't really give a performance. She just strikes a spunky note and carries on from there. It's an 'attitude role' rather than an acting one, although to be fair she was pretty good at this. Fantasy model Brinke Stevens appears here briefly but doesn't do anything much. The other performers are total no-talent nobodies, and even if there were any talent on display, the script gives them nothing to work with and the director cannot direct actors. Strictly for completists who have to see every grade-Z movie out there.
80s B-movie 'icon' Linnea Quigley has a good appearance here, but as usual she doesn't really give a performance. She just strikes a spunky note and carries on from there. It's an 'attitude role' rather than an acting one, although to be fair she was pretty good at this. Fantasy model Brinke Stevens appears here briefly but doesn't do anything much. The other performers are total no-talent nobodies, and even if there were any talent on display, the script gives them nothing to work with and the director cannot direct actors. Strictly for completists who have to see every grade-Z movie out there.
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