ROGER CORMAN and CHEESE, part VIII: "Sorority House Massacre" and Chuck E. Cheese Pepperoni Pizza

The way Corman was able to be involved in hundreds of films in his lifetime is because "involved" is used very loosely. There were times when he wrote or directed a picture, but most often he financed them. Many times he'd simply contribute an idea, or a title, or a poster. Sometimes he just lent his name as clout. Many credit him for movies that were distributed by his studio. Suffice to say his presence in a lotta productions was peripheral at best. 

 

Sorority House Massacre (1986) was rumored to have Roger Corman as an uncredited Executive Producer (whatever that means). At any rate, it was produced to capitalize on the success of Slumber Party Massacre (another Corman production) and it was released under Concorde Pictures (Roger's company) so all the boxes are checked. But while this movie shares some superficial DNA with the Slumber Party movies (nightgowned girls get stabbed) everything else is entirely different. Sorority House Massacre follows college student Beth who is haunted by nightmares and flashbacks of the night her brother killed the rest of their family when she was just a little kid. And this weekend - the weekend Beth joins the sorority - her brother escapes from the mental hospital to find her and finally complete his task. And yes, once the slashing begins way late in the film it does indeed borrow heavily from the Halloween movies. But for the first two thirds this feels entirely like an Elm Street film -- but better! Freddy sorta set the standard for kitschy 1980s surrealism - usually as an indicator that he was about to appear on screen. This movie uses mood and slow motion and inserts as padding to bulk up the runtime to a robust 74 minutes, but in doing so they create an atmospheric dreamscape of striking imagery and honest-to-god gorgeous cinematography. It's always easier to get away with a "party" atmosphere, but this movie shuns that vibe as best it can, and while a move like that can place it dangerously close to becoming boring, it instead becomes creepy and suspenseful.

 

Speaking of boring... We're actually not familiar with the cuisine of Charles Entertainment Cheese - we grew up with the commercials but not close enough to any of the restaurant locations. Though it's entirely doubtful that it would've made a difference in this situation; while the in-person eatery quality probably wasn't along the lines of artisan pies, they had to be at least somewhat fresher and more full-bodied than these frozen soda crackers. One minute less and it was a flaccid disc of pizza stew, but that extra 60 seconds perfected it into the firm cardboard it was probably meant to be. Can't really judge the cheese because there was so little of it, so as usual all the responsibility falls onto the topping, and somehow the pepperoni managed to maintain a sense of vibrancy and flavor. So in the end this was merely a delivery device for some zesty meat. 

The Movie: A-

The Pizza: C-