What is it? - 1982 slasher film following 7 sorority sisters, is generally considered fine. It does have a small cult following, including a big fan in famed director Quentin Tarantino, who showed it in his film festival in 1997. It was remade in 2009 as Sorority Row, another film also considered okay with a small cult following.
First impression: the film's poster is incredible, maybe one of the best of all time. Back to the actual movie, The House on Sorority Row follows a group of seven sorority sisters after they commit a prank that accidentally kills their house mother and cover up the crime. This places it a little outside the tradition of slasher films as conservative, with younger characters punished (killed) for having sex, drinking, or doing drugs, since this time they might actually deserve it. Outside of this contrived initial setup, the rest of the film is a pretty bog standard slasher, though it is elevated by a great score and an excellent, deliciously psychedelic final act. Would recommend if you like slashers, though it is more restrained in its gore than most of its contemporaries, which helps give it a Giallo-like* quality.
*-What does this mean? - Giallo films were the predecessor to the slasher genre, though they were more centered on detective/investigative elements than on the constant mini buildups and climaxes of violence of slashers. The lowered focus on violence and increased focus on the whodunnit elements of The House on Sorority Row suggests some Giallo roots, though this might just be an afterproduct of the tumultuous production.
LENGTH - 91 minutes
SCORE - 6.8/10