Let’s look at a cheesy and nostalgic horror film.
Whatever onus I had to watch this film must have had some sort of logic behind it, but looking back I cannot think of any real reason. I am certain most folks aren’t dying to read a review of a film this old. I could lie and say that I wanted to look at something made in the 80s since we are all drunk on nostalgia from It and Stranger Things. That makes me sound smart, right?
The movie is about as dumb and exploitative as you’d expect from the title. However, a lot of people enjoy these trashy and silly movies. One thing that cannot be replicated is the complete lack of seriousness in the overall feel of the movie. The fun factor is a bit diminished by the sexual exploitation (by a bit I mean a lot). Sure, we can argue back and forth that this is something an actress might be willing to do, but I would say this is something actresses are still forced to do to get a part. The camera work is bordering on pornographic in an overly long shower scene. These scenes may have been titillating to audiences back then, but they leave a sour taste in my mouth.
We follow a group of high school gals who are going to have a slumber party when one of their parent’s is going out of town for the week. It is a fairly familiar setup, and we have a fairly typical smattering of what people imagined high schoolers were like in the 1980s. Of course, while all this is happening there is also a total lunatic murderer roaming the streets. We get to watch a slumber party where people slowly disappear (with little concern from the other guests) in this corny thriller.
The film’s greatest strength is that it is the type of film you can watch and laugh with. I think the jokes would work better with sarcastic banter from the audience. In a lot of ways, this is perfect background noise. If I had known what type of movie this was before watching I may have opted to do some grading while it ran.
While the indirectness and lack of plot does work as a positive, it is also a negative. The film is trying to straddle a lot of different genres, and this doesn’t always work out. We can see how it is trying to be cheesy and funny, but a lot of the jokes just fall a bit flat. The scares are likewise a bit weak. For a slasher film, there is a stunning lack of gore. For 80s comedy, watch Porky’s, for horror, Nightmare on Elm Street.
While the film is deeply flawed, it is still enjoyable. I am going to double down on this being the type of film you could enjoy on a lazy afternoon. Need to walk away for a few minutes? You pry won’t miss much. When I was a kid these types of movies ran all the time late at night, and it was always somehow relaxing to see a cheesy horror flick at the end of the week. Stupid yes, but at least it is mildly interesting. 3/10.
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