Blu-ray Review: Slumber Party Massacre II (1987) involves nightmares about a rockabilly Driller Killer!
Slumber Party Massacre II (1987) picks up where The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) left off. Courtney (Crystal Bernard) continues her life as a traumatized high school student, while her younger sister Valerie (Cynthia Eilbacher) is confined to an insane asylum. Courtney plays guitar in a band with three of her friends—Sheila (Juliette Cummins), Amy (Kimberly McArthur), and Sally (Heidi Kozak). They all go to Sheila’s dad’s condo for a weekend getaway, but Courtney is haunted by premonitions that a supernatural rockabilly driller killer (Atanas Ilitch) is going to murder them all. Slumber Party Massacre II stands apart because of its satirical tone, psychological themes, and driller killer with a penchant for singing and dancing.
Right from the beginning of the film, we know that Courtney suffers from nightmares and hallucinations. She has a terrible dream containing death scenes from the first film, and an image of a dead pigeon. While walking to school, she looks down at the sidewalk and sees the dead pigeon she was dreaming about.
Mrs. Bates (Jennifer Rhodes), Courtney’s mother, wants to go visit Valerie over the weekend and wants Courtney to go along. Courtney argues that she wants to go to the condo with her friends to practice for the band’s upcoming performance at the school dance, and her birthday is on Sunday. Mrs. Bates forgot about Courtney’s birthday, and can see how important the weekend escape is to Courtney. She agrees to let Courtney go on the trip with her friends.
Later, Courtney has a strange dream with a mashup of frightening images. She is under a bed and sees the black boots of the rockabilly driller killer as he walks by; she sees her friends in a car; she sees Valerie in the mental institution begging her not to “go all the way.” Courtney is looking forward to spending time with her boyfriend, Matt (Patrick Lowe), at the condo over the weekend. Unfortunately, she cannot get rid of the nightmares involving Valerie and the rockabilly driller killer.
The rock n’ roll music is very enjoyable and is almost a character unto itself. There are several catchy tunes throughout the film. At the beginning of the story, when Amy gives Courtney a ride to school, the two girls sing “Tokyo Convertible” in the car. You don’t see characters break into song like this in typical horror movies. At the condo, the girls sing “Hell’s Café”, by a band called “Hell’s Café” from Austin, Texas. It is a pleasure to listen to the rich vocal harmonies when the girls perform “Why”, by a band called Wednesday Week. The girls even rock out to a song in the film Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979), which is playing on the television.
Although low budget horror films are known to have blatant nudity, there is only one scene of nudity in this film. The girls have an alcohol fueled dance party at the condo, followed by a ridiculous pillow fight in which Sheila bares her breasts. The sexuality theme is treated differently in this film. Courtney’s sexuality is repressed, and the act of “going all the way” with her boyfriend is what brings out the driller killer.
The black leather clad, cigarette smoking, greasy haired driller killer is so over the top. His stylish look, comical behavior, and evil laugh makes him a character unlike any other in the horror genre. Almost every line he has is a quote from a famous classic rock song. His murder weapon is an outrageous red guitar with a built-in power drill and an oversized drill bit at the end. When he appears at the condo, his presence terrifies everyone. The boys and girls frantically try to escape from his murderous rampage. His mesmerizing performance of the song “Let’s Buzz” is complete with choreographed dancing. It is like a music video.
The acting in this film is not bad. It is a cut above what you would expect in a campy horror film. You feel for the troubled heroine Courtney, and you hope that things will get better for her. However, not all of the characters are very likeable. T.J. (Joel Hoffman) and Jeff (Scott Westmoreland) show up at the condo earlier than expected, and they scare the girls with a prank. T.J., the boyfriend of Sheila, is obnoxious. He thinks he is a cool guy, but he is annoying and makes life difficult for everyone else. On the other hand, the two police officers—Kreuger (Michael DeLano) and Voorhies (Hamilton Mitchell)—are great characters who provide some comic relief.
As with the acting, the effects are pretty good. James Cummins, the special makeup effects artist, probably had a lot of fun. This movie was made before digital effects were prevalent, and there are many memorable gags throughout the story. For example, when Courtney is eating lunch outside, she sees a bloody hand in her hamburger. Later, she opens the refrigerator door, and a chicken jumps out and attacks her. Courtney even sees a giant zit on Sally’s face explode. This effect grossed me out!
The Blu-ray release from Shout! Factory’s Scream Factory label is a double feature that includes Slumber Party Massacre II on one disc and Slumber Party Massacre III on a second disc. As expected, the picture and sound quality are excellent. The disc includes an audio commentary with writer/director/producer Deborah Brock, producer Don Daniel, and story editor Beverly Gray. It is worth listening to as they discuss many stories about the production of the film. Other bonus features include the Extended Unrated Cut, “Sleepless Nights” documentary, trailers, and a still gallery.
Slumber Party Massacre II is a unique psychological horror-musical-dark comedy. The film combines rock n’ roll, sex, and violence, but it is more than meets the eye. The tone is tongue-in-cheek, as evidenced by the exaggerated personality of the driller killer. I won’t ruin it, but this film has a surprise ending that is open to interpretation. You will have to watch and draw your own conclusions.
Right from the beginning of the film, we know that Courtney suffers from nightmares and hallucinations. She has a terrible dream containing death scenes from the first film, and an image of a dead pigeon. While walking to school, she looks down at the sidewalk and sees the dead pigeon she was dreaming about.
Mrs. Bates (Jennifer Rhodes), Courtney’s mother, wants to go visit Valerie over the weekend and wants Courtney to go along. Courtney argues that she wants to go to the condo with her friends to practice for the band’s upcoming performance at the school dance, and her birthday is on Sunday. Mrs. Bates forgot about Courtney’s birthday, and can see how important the weekend escape is to Courtney. She agrees to let Courtney go on the trip with her friends.
Later, Courtney has a strange dream with a mashup of frightening images. She is under a bed and sees the black boots of the rockabilly driller killer as he walks by; she sees her friends in a car; she sees Valerie in the mental institution begging her not to “go all the way.” Courtney is looking forward to spending time with her boyfriend, Matt (Patrick Lowe), at the condo over the weekend. Unfortunately, she cannot get rid of the nightmares involving Valerie and the rockabilly driller killer.
The rock n’ roll music is very enjoyable and is almost a character unto itself. There are several catchy tunes throughout the film. At the beginning of the story, when Amy gives Courtney a ride to school, the two girls sing “Tokyo Convertible” in the car. You don’t see characters break into song like this in typical horror movies. At the condo, the girls sing “Hell’s Café”, by a band called “Hell’s Café” from Austin, Texas. It is a pleasure to listen to the rich vocal harmonies when the girls perform “Why”, by a band called Wednesday Week. The girls even rock out to a song in the film Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979), which is playing on the television.
Although low budget horror films are known to have blatant nudity, there is only one scene of nudity in this film. The girls have an alcohol fueled dance party at the condo, followed by a ridiculous pillow fight in which Sheila bares her breasts. The sexuality theme is treated differently in this film. Courtney’s sexuality is repressed, and the act of “going all the way” with her boyfriend is what brings out the driller killer.
The black leather clad, cigarette smoking, greasy haired driller killer is so over the top. His stylish look, comical behavior, and evil laugh makes him a character unlike any other in the horror genre. Almost every line he has is a quote from a famous classic rock song. His murder weapon is an outrageous red guitar with a built-in power drill and an oversized drill bit at the end. When he appears at the condo, his presence terrifies everyone. The boys and girls frantically try to escape from his murderous rampage. His mesmerizing performance of the song “Let’s Buzz” is complete with choreographed dancing. It is like a music video.
The acting in this film is not bad. It is a cut above what you would expect in a campy horror film. You feel for the troubled heroine Courtney, and you hope that things will get better for her. However, not all of the characters are very likeable. T.J. (Joel Hoffman) and Jeff (Scott Westmoreland) show up at the condo earlier than expected, and they scare the girls with a prank. T.J., the boyfriend of Sheila, is obnoxious. He thinks he is a cool guy, but he is annoying and makes life difficult for everyone else. On the other hand, the two police officers—Kreuger (Michael DeLano) and Voorhies (Hamilton Mitchell)—are great characters who provide some comic relief.
As with the acting, the effects are pretty good. James Cummins, the special makeup effects artist, probably had a lot of fun. This movie was made before digital effects were prevalent, and there are many memorable gags throughout the story. For example, when Courtney is eating lunch outside, she sees a bloody hand in her hamburger. Later, she opens the refrigerator door, and a chicken jumps out and attacks her. Courtney even sees a giant zit on Sally’s face explode. This effect grossed me out!
The Blu-ray release from Shout! Factory’s Scream Factory label is a double feature that includes Slumber Party Massacre II on one disc and Slumber Party Massacre III on a second disc. As expected, the picture and sound quality are excellent. The disc includes an audio commentary with writer/director/producer Deborah Brock, producer Don Daniel, and story editor Beverly Gray. It is worth listening to as they discuss many stories about the production of the film. Other bonus features include the Extended Unrated Cut, “Sleepless Nights” documentary, trailers, and a still gallery.
Slumber Party Massacre II is a unique psychological horror-musical-dark comedy. The film combines rock n’ roll, sex, and violence, but it is more than meets the eye. The tone is tongue-in-cheek, as evidenced by the exaggerated personality of the driller killer. I won’t ruin it, but this film has a surprise ending that is open to interpretation. You will have to watch and draw your own conclusions.
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