(dir. Mark Rosman)
 |
| Artists Releasing Corporation/Film Ventures International |
*First time viewing
After a group of sorority sisters pull a prank that goes
terribly wrong on their housemother, the girls begin getting picked off one by
one on the night of their big party.
I love 80s slasher movies. I absolutely adore them, even recognizing
that so many follow a similar formula and are victim to poor creative choices.
I’d call it a guilty pleasure, but I don’t believe in feeling guilty because of
films I enjoy. So luckily, I was able to enjoy The House on Sorority Row
entirely guilt free. The film is Friday the 13th-lite, to the point
where parts of it feels like a rip-off, with the only thing being changed is
the location and the primarily female cast. All of the familiar slasher beats,
the wrongful prank, the irresponsible teens, the wholesome final girl, the
vengeful mother, the secret son, and the POV kills with hands that could be
anyone’s. And yet, despite all of these tropes, The House on Sorority Row is
constantly engaging and suspenseful, to the point where there were moments I
got genuine chills.
So why does this movie work? For one the cast is incredibly engaging.
No one’s a good actor in this, the same is true for most of this particular
horror sub-genre, yet each one of the girls has a defined personality and energy
that just works for the film. Their panic works, their stupid ideas work, their
bitchiness works, creating a perfect storm of bad acting that draws you in.
Beyond that, a haunting score by legendary horror movie composer Richard Band
heightens the eeriness and surreal quality that parts of the film have. On the
subject of the surreal, the film begins with a flashback that looks like it was
shot through cheesecloth and then cuts to years later and we open on an
idyllic, dreamlike trek through campus. The film maintains this quality almost
throughout its entire runtime, with scenes having slight shades of Heather in
terms of look if not tone. And then this dreamlike gauze is ripped off during
the climax as the killer is revealed and viewers are taken back to the bodies
of each of the dead victims and forced to look upon the brutality reaped. This scenes
of gore were added after production as studio notes, and while they may not
have been part of the original vision they act as a kind of wake-up call that’ll
make you go “oh shit.” For all of its expected motions, The House on Sorority Row does make a few surprise stops along the
way.
Scare Factor: 3/5 Maybe it was watching it alone in dark
house at night, but The House on Sorority
Row sent some shivers up my spine. If B-movie slashers are your thing, then
this will be right up your alley.
**Available to watch on Hulu.
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