Slumber Party Massacre (2021), written by Suzanne Keilly and directed by Danishka Esterhazy, is an update on the classic 1982 slasher
The Slumber Party Massacre. Like the original trilogy, this new version stays true to the franchise roots with its spotlight on women behind and in front of the camera.
Slumber Party Massacre follows a group of friends going on a trip where they come face-to-face with Russ Thorn aka the Driller Killer (Rob van Vuuren). Dana (Hannah Gonera) joins her friends Maeve (Frances Sholto-Douglas), Alix (Mila Rayne), Breanie (Alex McGregor), and Ashley (Reze-Tiana Wessels).
Slumber Party Massacre offers a new look into the familiar story, while staying true to the spirit of the original film.
This reimagining of the classic film makes changes which include structuring the film as a return to a location where a murder happened years ago, allowing the film to give us a more personal story about these girls fighting for their lives.
This also creates opportunity to subvert the slasher genre in new and unique ways, similar to how the original film was highlighting and commenting on slasher tropes as they were just becoming recognizable.
Slumber Party Massacre changes location, but keeps the same spark and feeling of the original film. Being in a more secluded locale allows the film the chance to play around with tropes found in other subgenres of the slasher such as the summer camp and secluded small town slasher.
The film moves its action from multiple houses in a neighborhood to multiple cabins around a lake in a small, forgotten town. This gives the film a chance to create something new, while still maintaining the mounting pressure of trying to find safety and seeing shadowy figures from far away, yet too close for comfort.
Slumber Party Massacre is fun and memorable in its own right, and the references to the original franchise are welcome and not overpowering. One particularly enjoyable cameo comes in the form of a weapon. One of the group of guys our protagonists meet finds the guitar from
Slumber Party Massacre II