Slumber Party Massacre 3 (1990)
PLOT - Jackie is throwing a slumber party while her parents are out of town. The night starts off full of fun and partying once some of the local boys crash the party...until one of them begins violently murdering the teens one by one. Here the girls are held captive in the house, trying whatever it takes to escape or defend themselves against the killer wielding a giant cordless power-drill!
LOWDOWN - I believe I was a freshman in high school when I first watched the original Slumber Party Massacre. Having been a huge fan of pervious other Rodger Corman productions, I always really dug the vibe of his films he produced. I really liked Slumber Party Massacre since there was no hiding in what it was. A total B movie cashing in on a massive slasher boom that had hit during the early 1980's. What I always found interesting about these films was the fact they were all written and directed by women, yet totally fit the stereotypes that made horror movies so memorable at the time. You got a bunch of half naked girls running around, add in some horny teenage boys, a crazed psycho, and tons of blood! Still, these women knew exactly what they were doing. They knew what worked, and what would bring people to the theaters. Also as said by the original film's director, she was honestly trying to express the sexual freedom these young women were showing, as well as how the crazed sexually frustrated killer murders these women using a phallic over sized weapon to "penetrate" them. Well the original Slumber Party Massacre was a fun B slasher movie, that really captured the early 80's suburbs California vibe. We had all the right elements to make a great slasher movie, and clearly it worked and was a hit.
Then a few years later part II happened...
This was a film I remember renting and honestly not getting nor liking the first time I saw it. I was confused by how whacky and strange the movie was. I found it way too tongue in cheek, and found it a huge missed opportunity the first time around. Well, a few years later I snagged it on VHS and decided to give it another watch. Maybe I needed to be a little bit older to truly appreciate a good B black comedy. I had to hand it to this film was taking things in a complete opposite direction. I feel they took pages from Rock N Roll High School, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Grease. They took a slasher movie, and decided to play up the musical element, and make it flashy, over the top, as if it was an MTV production. I really do like that they knew exactly what this film was. A sequel to a B movie slasher. They didn't take it seriously, as should the viewer. It continues the story of one of the survivors from part 1 now a teenager, and haunted by vivid nightmare of that faithful night years back, as well as their sister who went insane after witnessing the first film's events. It truly is bat shit crazy, feeling more like a comedy mixed with a music video than anything else. We now have this rockabilly killer with a guitar shaped drill, strange nightmare/dream sequences, musical numbers, huge exploding zits, a crazed frozen chicken, and a naked pillow fight. (Yep! It has it all!) Still, there's something charming about this strange little sequel and it's gained quite the cult following. I for one really love watching this installment once the weather turns warm. Nothing says summer more than a killer wearing leather pants. I mean...right?
Which brings up to our main movie and finally installment in the official trilogy.
Part III.
I had honestly never heard about this sequel until a few years back when they announced that Shout Factory was releasing part II and III on blu-ray uncut for the first time ever since going out of print. Curious, I looked up reviews on this film, and instantly knew I needed to check this out when somebody said they couldn't believe how mean spirited this sequel was. Instantly I knew I was in for a treat. Buying the blu-ray set as soon as it came out, I sat myself down with a couple of beers and decided to dive head first into this wonderful sleazy world of the Slumber Party Massacre films. Once I was finished I could firmly state that the third film in the series was by far my favorite!
Part 3 tells the story about a bunch of young high school or college kids living in LA, how one of them named Jackie is holding a slumber party that night while her parents are out of town. The film begins with the group of friends all playing volleyball on the beach. Everyone is having a blast until they notice this creepy stranger sitting close by staring at the girls. One of the guys shouts at him, telling him to get lost, and the stranger quickly disappears. As the game continues the ball rolls away and one of the girls Juliet chases after it, before running into handsome med student Ken who's just come home from school. As the girls all part ways to meet up later, one of the girls get into her car alone, only to have somebody spring up from behind them, grabbing their wrists, and starting a giant cordless drill and ramming it through the seat and into her back over and over again until she's killed.
Afterwards, Jackie arrives home being dropped off by her new boyfriend Frank. When she walks in, she's scared by her strange neighbor who was waiting inside for her. Quickly he makes up a story, telling her he noticed the Open House sign and figured her family was showing the house. Once he leaves Jackie takes a shower and welcomes her girlfriends who arrive with junk food and beer.
The party starts off like any other typical slumber party from these films. Lot's of laughable moments, cheesy acting, nudity, creepy characters, and teens who are very horny. The girls all start playing truth or dare, which ends up resulting in two of them giving a strip dance. Here we get to see the character of Maria show off her stuff...and by stuff I mean her very odd and large looking nipples. I have only watched half of the commentary for this film but I loved how hard the people speaking about the film noticed this. Very unsettling. Still, the actress who plays Maria (Maria Ford) Is actually quite beautiful and even tho she spots a very large 80's red wing in the film I find her to be a very beautiful bad ass of a final girl. I mean during the film her character actually leaves her very good hiding spot in the film to rescue a friend. Her death was very unsettling as well as disturbing since her friends did nothing to help her! (mostly due to the bad editing since her death was re-shot) In fact the cast is full of very beautiful young women. The lead who plays Jackie looks just like the lead from Orange Is The New black. There's also Hope Marie Carlton (best known for her roles in A Nightmare On Elm Street 4, and Ghoulies 3), Maria Claire from Society, and even Marta Kober from Friday the 13th part 2 as the pizza delivery girl who meets a very violent end. I guess what makes this film work is the fact that believe it or not this cast of young adults all play pretty likable people. They all seem like friends, and I was actually bummed out seeing them get killed. Instantly that's where I knew what that reviewer meant. It felt mean spirited since the film actually does do a pretty good job setting up the friendships in this movie.
I can't stress enough that this is a B slasher movie. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but actually pulls away from the comedy that part II gave us, and goes to a much darker route, darker than the original. This film had the script been stronger, I believe really could have dug deeper into the twisted disturbing backstory involving the killer. There are just tiny hints sprinkled throughout the movie, and had that element been stronger, I might have been able to take it more seriously.
The most laughable part of this film is the fact a huge group of girls are stalked by ONE killer and somehow can't get out of the fucking house. I find it laughable that they somehow can't figure out how to open any of the doors suddenly, nor break any windows. In fact there's a moment I DIE laughing when the killer drags a kitchen table in front of an open door where earlier a character actually had the balls enough to tell the killer to fuck off before smashing herself through it. Sadly this knocks her out and the killer drills into her, leaving her laying out on the deck with her guts hanging out. Well after I have to say at least the 30th time where the girls have an opportunity to escape, they stand in front of the kitchen table that's sitting in front of the large open back sliding door, and CAN'T I repeat CAN'T figure out how to climb over or under the table. I wish I was lying. It cracks me up that they really didn't give two shits on making it believable so they just made the girls this stupid that they were stuck in this house with the killer.
Still, I did really like the setting of it all taking place inside this house in the middle of a neighborhood and how even though people were all around them, there was nobody around to help (Including the world's slowest police! Who only take the 911 call seriously when a man makes it. Woof!) The film is a fun dark slasher. The gore isn't too crazy, nor are the kills, but it has some pretty memorable moments, as well as one crazy bloody ending. This is for sure in my top ten favorite slashers. It's a guilty pleasure, and always a fun watch. In fact I'm currently trying to track down a poster and VHS copy of it. I mean Joe Bob briggs has quoted that he loves it!!! So, in closing, stay tuned more for more Slumber Party Massacre 3 fun! This slasher deserves more love!
4 stars!
