Woodyanders
A vicious killer preys on a bunch of catty and competitive college sorority pledges in an isolated small town. It's up to the short-tempered Detective Watts (a sturdy and engaging performance by Thomas Downey) to catch the maniac. Directors Chris W. Freeman and Justin Jones keep the familiar, but entertaining story moving along at a snappy pace, pull out the sadistic stops with the bloody'n'brutal murder set pieces, employ a flashy and kinetic style which gives the picture an extra galvanizing kick, and further spice things up with a wickedly amusing sense of sly self-mocking humor. Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast: Ed O'Ross contributes a hilarious turn as bumbling redneck Sheriff Lumpkin, Amanda Burton projects an utterly delightful spunky aplomb as the eager Deputy Lang, and Leslie Easterbrook positively breathes fire as the stern and haughty Stella. In addition, the actresses who portray the college gals are quite sexy and energetic: Marissa Skell as the sweet, yet tough Paige, Eve Mauro as the snippy and ruthless Brooklyn, Yvette Yates as the fierce Sloan, Rebecca Grant as the vampy Veronica, Adrian Kirk as the perky Jessie Lynn, and Alison Mei Lan as the ditsy Kieko. Popping up in cool bits are Ron Jeremy as the obnoxious Det. Rico Depinto and Richard Moll as grizzled sea salt Kreager. Freeman's clever script delivers a few dandy surprise twists. Steven Parker's sharp cinematography provides a pleasing glossy look. Michael Quinlan's unexpectedly diverse score supplies the mandatory shuddery sonic punch in a subtle and effective way. A nifty slice'n'dice item.
GL84
Ordered to find a missing daughter, a detective's investigation leads to a small-town gathering of sorority girls for a special pageant only to learn the missing girl is the first in a maniac's rampage against them and must protect the remaining girls.This is decidedly a mixed bag of a slasher that has a lot going for it and a lot of flaws. One of the biggest issues here is the rather convoluted back-story to the killer that really makes no sense at all, especially with the ridiculous explanation given for the rampage which is quite shockingly stupid. As well, there's the fact that there's more than one. That really makes for quite a confusing set of actions in the later half when the movie twists itself around to throwing in twists for the sake of twists when it makes no sense. There's at least four different occasions when the film could've ended without so much as really raising an eye to the fact that there's a new twist coming about simply for the sake of showcasing something new or supposedly shocking but really does nothing. As well, for something supposedly set-up as being this sleazy it's really not with very little skin on display and almost acting shy about doing so when it does, for there's a lesbian character that repeatedly tries to sleep with everyone but never does except in clothed flashbacks, and the few times it tries to show it off they're hidden in obscure angles or generally try as little as possible to show them off, and it really stinks of false advertisement to supposedly be this raunchy and sleazy but really not. Finally, the fact that this is a missing-person's investigation for the majority of the running time means that there's very little slashing going on until the final half-hour, when things really get going but the majority of the first half is pretty much all shot with barely any action going on at all with the group running all over town trying to find out what's going on with the missing girls. That said, there's still some good stuff going on here as, though there's a rather lame back-story for the killer, the mystery of who's behind it is handled rather well and is a pretty competent guessing game overall. As well, the kills are shockingly brutal and provide plenty of variety and originality with them being based on the individual's own fears, which is a handy trick for further keeping the killer's identity a secret, and when it's all wrapped up with a great body count and plenty of action in that final half, there's some solid work here that does recover some of the flaws present.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity.
ASouthernHorrorFan
"Sorority Party Massacre" was directed by Justin Jones, Chris Freeman and stars Ed ORoss,Kevin Sorbo,Richard Moll, Leslie Eastbrook, Louis Mandylor, Tom Downey, Marissa Skell, Eve Mauro, Yvette Yates, Adrian Kirk, Alison Mei Lan, Rebecca Grant, Casey Fitzgerald. The film is about a sorority house worth of girls out for some great P.R.as finalists, to become the winner of an exclusive grant.. (Or something like that). A detective finding his career as tragic as the sorority girls personalities is all that stands between the girls and a brutal killer."Sorority Party Massacre" is a cliché slasher comedy that knows it is a cliché slasher comedy. It plays up the vapid superficial aspects of bimbo meets death as if the film's very life depended on it. It is not a spoof horror comedy though because the darkness is and atmosphere of classic slasher horror is very well present in the film. However the ridiculousness of the characters and melodramatic "acting" is just too much to consider the flick a straight up slasher flick. At times it feels a little too "Prom Night III" and at other moments it is very "Sorority Row". The story is layered with typical sub-plots and explanations that can pass as long as you don't get too in depth with the film's story. The gore and kill shots are well done and very entertaining. This film is not a stellar work of slasher horror movie making but it warrants respect for the simple fact that it is a very fun, slasher comedy that brings the babes and the blood. It manages to capture the atmosphere and classic style of 80's slasher, as well as the campy comedy of satire. The film doesn't really bring anything new to the genre but it doesn't take anything from it either. I enjoyed the movie.
BA_Harrison
If the aim of Sorority Party Massacre was to try and recapture the fun of the boobs 'n' blood scream-queen slashers of the 80s, then it fails big time. While there is no shortage of hot young women stripping off before being bumped off, the whole project misses the mark by a mile, with a pathetic script, woeful pacing, irritating editing gimmicks, a lack of decent gore, and a bloody awful hip-hop/R&B soundtrack.As if to prove that they really had no idea where to go after choosing the title, the film-makers start by ripping off Scream, proceed to take a grating tongue-in-cheek approach for much of the film, and then try to get serious in the closing moments with the oh-so-clever revelation that there is not one but several killers at large. None of it works.Sexy blonde Marissa Skell moves from bit part player in the similarly titled Slumber Party Slaughter (2012) to top billing here and is the best thing about the whole sorry mess, looking particularly fetching in her sorority shorts and bra during the finalé. To be fair, most of the performers are more than okay in their roles; it's the weak material and poor execution that lets them (and us) down.