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Driller Killer: Revisiting the ‘Slumber Party Massacre’ Trilogy!

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For slasher enthusiasts, the Slumber Party Massacre trilogy is an aptly titled series that delivers exactly what it suggests; a massacre that occurs during a slumber party. The cover art also sums it all up in a single image of scantily pajama-clad women cowering from a drill-wielding maniac. Yet, all three films were written and directed by women, earning the trilogy a reputation for being a feminist take on the slasher. That’s not entirely true, but that its cast and crew were stacked with women does make the trilogy noteworthy.

The Slumber Party Massacre films were produced by the legendary Roger Corman, the pioneer and king of independent filmmaking (mostly genre) under the model of “fast, cheap and profitable.” Corman didn’t see gender; he hired whoever he felt was suited for the job. He also gave his directors creative freedom on their projects, so long as it contained enough violence and nudity to cut a decent trailer to entice viewers. In the context of the Slumber Party Massacre trilogy, this resulted in a collision of subversion and pure 80s slasher fun.


The Slumber Party Massacre

Amy Holden Jones had been editing films for Roger Corman’s production company and wanted to try her hand at directing. So, she shot the opening scenes from the script over a weekend, spending only $1,000, to show Corman her work. He was impressed and asked her to direct the full film, an opportunity that meant Jones passed up a job editing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. As for the script, it was penned by feminist author Rita Mae Brown, who intended the film to be a lampoon of the slasher genre. It was rewritten by others to take a more straightforward and familiar approach.

The plot set up is simple; teen Trish decides to host a slumber party for her fellow basketball team members while her parents are away. It’s all fun and games until an escaped murderer crashes the party with power tools. Though it doesn’t show its killer until much later, the early reveal that there’s an escaped killer on the loose takes away any mystery, leaving ample time instead to get to know these teen girls.

Despite plenty of nudity to appease Corman’s rules for genre filmmaking, and a straightforward kill by numbers slasher formula, some of Brown’s feminist angle still shines through. Namely in its gender swapping. The first kill of the film is that of a phone repair woman, introduced up on a ladder working away on the lines. The killer offs her and steals her van (hence his new collection of power tools). The love interests to the female protagonists exist as fodder for the killer, and their dialogue is solely fretting over their relationships. The slumber party ladies, though, talk basketball, call up their coach for stats on the previous night’s game, and gossip over pizza and marijuana. The true hero, Valerie, spends most of the film next door watching horror movies and bickering with younger sister Courtney. The coach, also female, also comes to save the day in the final act (she fails).

Gender swapping aside, one of the biggest subversions this film takes is that these characters band together once they realize they have a killer on their hands. Granted, their plans to survive and thwart their attacker aren’t very successful, but it’s rare in slashers to see its characters attempting safety in numbers.

In other words, despite the generic title, this is a slasher is anything but. Fun gory kills, really goofy “red herrings” (hello, weird neighbor who uses a kitchen cleaver to kill snails at night), and even an early appearance by scream queen Brinke Stevens as an early victim. It takes its time to introduce these characters, too, even in a fast-paced slasher.


Slumber Party Massacre II

If ever there was a perfect film to play in a double feature alongside Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, this would be it. They even share the same release date, so, now it’s mandatory that someone set this double feature up. Writer/director Deborah Brock wasn’t interested in following the same footsteps of The Slumber Party Massacre, and this sequel gets weird.

Set years after the first film, now teen Courtney is a senior in high school and plays in a band with her three close friends. She also happens to suffer night terrors about the drill-wielding maniac from the first film, only this time he’s a young greaser with a massive drill bit guitar. And he likes to sing. When Courtney goes away for the weekend with her friends, and their boyfriends, the nightmares become reality.

So, between Courtney’s band and her musically inclined killer, Slumber Party Massacre II steps away from the standard slasher and into schlocky musical horror. Freddy Krueger mania was in full swing at this point, and The Driller Killer draws overt influence from the dream stalking wisecracking boogeyman. First, he taunts Courtney in her dreams, then her dreams turn her waking life into surreal horror, and finally, The Driller Killer escapes from her dreams into her reality to slaughter everyone in his path – all while dancing and singing in his fringe jacket.

This sequel doesn’t bring anything insightful to the realm of slashers, it’s far more interested in B-movie fun and special effects. That’s not a bad thing, by any means. The best moment of the film is the gag-inducing vision Courtney has of her friend Sally’s massive zit growing to grotesque, monstrous size until it bursts and splatters her with fluid. Yeah. That’s the type of madness Slumber Party Massacre II delivers.


Slumber Party Massacre III

The third entry in the trilogy goes back to the blueprint of the original, following a new, entirely unrelated group of girls getting picked off by a drill-wielding killer during a sleepover post volleyball game. Written by producer Catherine Cyran, Slumber Party Massacre III wasn’t initially intended to be a sequel to this series at all. Directed by Sally Mattison, this sequel was originally titled Stab in the Dark, but was repurposed for an easier sell with a recognizable title.

This is likely why it’s the only film in the trilogy to not reveal the identity of the killer until the end, and give the killer an actual motive outside of just being a homicidal maniac. Granted, just what that motive is remains a bit murky. A point is made to connect the killer to a character who died prior to the events of the narrative, but doesn’t really much explain how that character is connected to anyone in the main cast. They’re just mentally unstable, ok? Slumber Party Massacre III also tries really hard to throw in a few red herrings, albeit red herrings that are so over the top they’re easy to scratch off the suspect list.

The killer gets a little more creative with his weaponry, too, lending to humorous kills like the plug-in vibrator electrocution via shower, mounted swordfish “sword”, chainsaw, and above all, the drill. It matches the body count of the first film, but with a little more gore and nudity. Or maybe a lot more.

In terms of subversion and originality, Slumber Party Massacre III closes out the trilogy as the weakest entry. But for slasher fanatics, it still brings entertaining fun. The Slumber Party Massacre trilogy is an odd trio of slashers that follow the Corman style of genre filmmaking but with the freedom of making it their own for the women who wrote and directed each film. Because of that, it’s a slasher series that doesn’t feature the same killer twice, and each brings a very different flavor to the mix. Well. Except for slumber parties and drill induced massacres.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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