The House on Sorority Row
by Mark Rosman
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DVD details
Actor: Eileen Davidson, Janis Ward, Kate McNeil, Robin MeloyDirector: Mark Rosman
Brand: WEA DES Moines Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2010-01-12
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: L300193
Studio: Liberation Ent
Product features:
- HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW (DVD MOVIE)
DVD Reviews of The House on Sorority Row
DVD Review: I'm A Sea Pig!
Summary: 3 Stars
Ah yes. The early 80s slasher boom was a glorious time for fans of the genre. Some say 1981 was the peak of the boom, but a few good to great films and some underrated gems still squeeked by after that. "The House On Sorority Row" was released in 1983. Is it a great film?. Not necessarily. A good one?. Sure. An underrated gem?. I wouldn't say 'gem', but it is a good one for it's kind and provides a fun 90 minutes worth of 80s slasher fun. As for the title of my review, those who have seen the film know it's meaning, and the rest just need to watch and find out.
The movie's opening minutes are a flashback to 1961, filmed in a very blue-ish/dreamlike manner. It sets up something that connects to the main storyline and killer. We skip ahead to present day(well, present day in 1983), and the sisters of a sorority house have just graduated. Instead of leaving right away, the 7 or so that stay behind decide to throw one big final college bash before saying their goodbyes. Unfortunatley, their house mother, Mrs. Slater, is a hard old woman who will have nothing of it. The house closes on June 19 and that's that!. The sisters decide to get back and play a practical joke on 'ol Mrs. Slater that goes horribly wrong. Of course, it wouldn't be a revenge slasher film if it didn't!. Panicking, the girls try to cover their tracks and go on with life and their party. Sadly, the sisters begin being bumped off left and right by a mysterious figure, who wields a weapon very familiar with the girls.
The "revenge slasher" of this type was very common in those 80s slasher films. There is a backstory to the killer, they've been wronged, they want vengeance, and so on. It certainly isn't an out of place plot tool in the slasher genre, and can be quite strong when put to good use. I think it is here. "The House On Sorority Row" was declared a hit when it made a bundle off of it's low budget, but still seemed to of gone by the wayside and doesn't get much attention. That's too bad. It's not an original film, and it doesn't top other, better films that were dominating in the 80s horror world, but it is a pretty good film of it's kind. Mark Rosman wrote and directed the movie, and you can tell that he was really into the movie and wanted to make something a little more stylish than the norm. Apparently, he was a protege of Brian De Palma, and you can see some more artistic flourishes he tried to put into the movie. He directs the movie and all the suspense/horror scenes pretty assuredly, and he shoots some great angles and establishing shots. I think he does a wonderful job in establishing mood and atmosphere. Elsewhere, the music is a step above the usual 80s slasher synth jobs. There is orchestral music in the opening theme and elsewhere in the film that lends some extra class to the proceedings. The movie may end up just being another 80s slasher with a killer cutting up young college co-eds to some people, but there are elements here that showcase the cast and crew trying to make a better movie than expected and it shows in numerous parts of the film. Rosman also throws in some red herrings as to the mystery of who the killer is. Unfortunatley, it's all for naught. From the get go, it should be obvious to everyone who the killer is.
But what about the cast and characters?. The sorority sisters here are really no different than what he have seen before. You have the nice, good girl who is more responsible than the others, and you have the popular, witchy girl, and then there are all the others in between. Acting-wise, there are some performances here that are well played, better than the norm in these movies, and some that are atrociously B-movie bad. The main heroine, Kate, is played by Kathryn MacNeil, and the "rhymes with witch" one is played by Eileen Davidson, who would go on to become a soap opera star. Most of the others are unknowns we have never seen before or since, but Harley Kozack, who plays Diane, went on to co-star as the wife of Rick Moranis and Jeff Daniels in "Parenthood" and "Arachnophobia", respectively. Lois Kelso Hunt plays Mrs. Slater, and her voice was re-dubbed with another female's voice in the finished product. They felt her real voice wasn't sinister enough. The voice might be better, but you can see how the re-dubbing doesn't look too good in the end result. So, the characters aren't anything new, and even though they were involved in something dark, you like most of them. I found myself caring for some of their fates.
Okay, it's a horror/slasher film, so how are the goodies that one expects from films like these?. Blood?. Nudity?. Scares?. A little light for the first two, actually. This really isn't a detriment to the film. The mood and fun of the movie is the fun part and makes up for what it may lack elsewhere. That being said, there is some nudity in the film, but not much. Anyone looking for those 80s horror/comedy staples with plenty of flesh on display will be disappointed. The gore and blood is on display, but it's not over the top and gratuitous. It's pretty tame, especially when compared to the films of today. It might of been right for 1983. Finally, the scares. Director Rosman manages to set up a few startling sequences that are well filmed and lighted. It's not an intense trip into terror, but the movie does manage to be spooky and eerie in a number of scenes, and one scene in particular towards the end of the movie(featuring a new outfit for the killer) was quite a cool little jump.
In the end, "The House On Sorority Row" tried to be something more than a quick buck in the early 80s slasher boom, and it succeeded on some levels. On others, it was nothing but the typical. That's not to say that's a bad thing. The 80s and sorority house setting, the obvious cliches, some of the less than stellar acting, is all part of the fun. It has that great charm that only the 80s could give slashers. It's a movie that has some stylish tricks up it's sleeve, while reveling in the glory of all the slasher movie beats, whether it was intentional or not. "The House On Sorority Row" is not the greatest of movies or 80s slasher movies, but it is a step above a lot of the typical ones, obviously made with more flair and caring than the others of it's kind. If this is your thing, then you should easily be into the movie. I was.
Description of The House on Sorority Row
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