The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) has always been one of my favorite slasher movies. The premise is a straightforward Halloween (1978) ripoff—a seemingly fun night turns terrifying for teenagers are picked off by a deranged killer—but that’s part of its charm. Writer Rita Mae Brown and director Amy Holden Jones seem to have had a blast picking apart the slasher movie tropes, many of which were codified in Halloween. The Slumber Party Massacre typifies everything that makes the genre great: a maniac killer who wields a phallic weapon (in this case, a drill); sexy teenagers in constant peril; and loads of gratuitous T&A.
Of course, gratuitous nudity is an integral part of the genre, and The Slumber Party Massacre is loaded with it. Boobs appear two minutes into the film, and reappear frequently throughout. The camera lingers on the women’s naked bodies while showering and changing, multiple times. The film seems to be having a laugh at all the ogling, as one character says, “You know, I think your tits are getting bigger,” and all the girls reply in unison, “MINE?” The Slumber Party Massacre seems to be both indulging in and commenting on the nudity trope in slashers. They have their cake and they’re eating it, too!
One of the film’s other selling points, at least for me, is the cozy, suburban Southern California setting. The early ‘80s decor of the houses, the girls’ hairdos and clothes—everything combines to make a nice, warm blanket of nostalgia for anyone who grew up during that time period. In my review for The After Movie Diner from almost ten years ago, I wrote this about the movie’s nostalgic appeal:
Being a product of the early 1980s, the film is littered with nostalgia bombs for viewers of a certain age. In one scene a character makes Kool-Aid and the entire movie stops dead to focus on it, in loving detail. We watch her pour the sweet red magic dust into a giant pitcher of water, then dump an absurd amount of sugar in on top of that. And then she stirs. It’s like an ASMR video, before such things existed. What does this have to do with the impending massacre? Nothing! But it’s a fine example of Jones taking her time with the film, lulling us into a false sense of comfort before the impending horror will shock us back to reality.
Like the best slashers, The Slumber Party Massacre doesn’t reveal much about its driller killer. We know he’s a mass murdered named Russ Thorn and that he escaped from prison the day before the events of the film. He only utters a few lines, late in the film, it’s especially pointed dialogue Wielding his phallic drill, he lectures a would-be victim, “You know you want it.” The social commentary isn’t subtle, but that’s just part of the film’s great charm. Russ Thorn is a killer, but he’s also a major creep, and we cheer like hell when he gets what’s coming to him.
It’s also easy to root for most of the girls at the titular slumber party. They’re just trying to have fun, flirt with the boys who drop by, eat pizza, and smoke some Maui Wowie. Typical Cali girls! The film establishes some petty resentments between some of the girls at the party and the new girl next door, Valerie (Michele Michaels), but once the shit hits the fan the girls unite to save themselves from (likely) impotent nut-job Russ. More spoilers for a forty-two year old movie, but The Slumber Party Massacre eschews a final girl for three final girls. It’s an empowering ending, even if everyone is clearly left traumatized for life.
For me, The Slumber Party Massacre is one of the essential slasher films that all fans of the genre should see. It’s a natural and successful extension of the tensions and tropes established by foundational slashers like Black Christmas (1974) and Halloween. Beyond all that, it’s also just an awful lot of fun. Heck, it features one of the great pizza scenes in horror (and you know I love those), when the most blasé of the girls starts chowing down on a slice while the delivery guy lies dead on the floor. “Well, life goes on, after all, and eating makes me feel best when I feel bad.” That dark humor permeates much of the movie. Ultimately, I just enjoy spending time with these characters, in these cozy, suburban SoCal locations, and pulling for them to make it out of the deadly slumber party alive.
So, this Halloween season why not add The Slumber Party Massacre to your watchlist? You know you want it.
The Starfire Lounge 