The slasher sub-genre has made a triumphant return to horror in the last couple of years. Ever since its prime in the ’80s, the bloodthirsty sub-genre has been trying to recapture the magic of the original slasher era, and one of the mostly-forgotten franchises of that era was The Slumber Party Massacre. Now, thanks to Scream Factory, the first two films in the franchise are coming to 4K via a double pack in February.
The original Slumber Party Massacre came out in 1982 at the height of the slasher craze. It was a clear response to films like Halloween or Friday the 13th, and predates other iconic franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street. While the characters and killer are pretty generic by today’s standards, there’s still something so eerie about the “driller killer”. He’s a silent killer like Michael or Jason, but his unique drill weapon and jean jacket aesthetic make the film a fun campy slasher. Plus, the surprisingly realistic, female-centric is a credit to director Amy Holden Jones, the franchise was a rare horror series where all of its entries were directed by women. That’s sadly a rarity today, but it was completely unheard of in the ’80s.
However, while the original could be labeled as a forgettable slasher, 1987s Slumber Party Massacre II can be called anything but that. This insanely fun sequel takes the franchise in a musically supernatural direction. It’s a bizarrely entertaining film full of disturbing imagery, amazingly memorable kills, and one of the best finales in horror history. No other slasher villain compares to Atanas Ilitch’s guitar wielding driller killer. This version of the killer, like Freddy Kreuger, preys on dreams, but murders with the sweet power of rockabilly music, arguably making the film a slasher musical at times. The killer’s songs “Hell’s Café” and “Let’s Buzz” are so catchy and watching him having the time of his life stalking his prey with rock n’ roll — almost like he’s an evil Elvis — is so delightfully deranged. When you pair that with the scary dream sequences, this is one of the best horror sequels of all time.
Slumber Party Massacre would go on to have one more sequel, and recently had a surprisingly good Syfy remake in 2021, but the first two films captured the original slasher era perfectly. From the straight-up slashers of the early ’80s to the more experimental concoctions of the later side of the decade, Slumber Party Massacre is underrated genre royalty. That’s why it’s so great that Scream Factory is treating these cult classics as such with this release. This new edition comes in a Blu-ray/4K Blu-ray combo pack and, if you pre-order directly from Scream Factory, comes it will come with two exclusive posters featuring both films.
The Slumber Party Massacre 4K double pack releases on February 21, 2023, and you can preorder the set now on Scream Factory’s website for $34.99. While you wait, the films are also streaming on Shudder. Check out the trailer for Slumber Party Massacre II below: