After graduating from NYU’s film program, Mark Rosman got an idea for a movie when he returned home to LA. Before attending NYU, he was part of a fraternity at UCLA, and he based his concept on his college experiences. Rosman’s script focused on sorority sisters being threatened after a prank gone wrong but were more than just victims. After gathering a budget of $300,000, Rosman started casting in New York and Los Angeles before filming began in 1981. The movie was shot on location in and around Pikesville and the University of Maryland, though the production struggled financially. After principal photography wrapped, Film Ventures International picked the film up for distribution and gave additional funds for post-production. Richard Band, who later scored Re-Animator and Puppet Master, composed the score with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Following a limited 1982 release, The House on Sorority Row hit theaters nationwide in 1983.
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Synopsis
A group of sorority sisters is celebrating their graduation when their housemother, Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt), spoils it. One of the girls, Vicki (Eileen Davidson), suggests they pull a prank on her that she’ll never forget. Unfortunately, things go wrong, and Mrs. Slater is shot and killed, so the girls hide her body in the pool. While fellow sister Katey (Kathryn McNeil) is distraught and wants to call the authorities, Vicki persuades her not to. Before long, an unknown assailant kills off the girls one by one using Mrs. Slater’s walking cane. Before long, Katey gets in touch with Dr. Beck (Christopher Lawrence), who had been treating Mrs. Slater years earlier. However, Katey soon learns more about her former housemother than she could have ever expected. Nothing can prepare you for what happens when she fights back in The House on Sorority Row!
Review
On the surface, The House on Sorority Row seems like any standard slasher film that ticks off all the checkboxes. You’ve got an isolated setting with the sorority house, plenty of young women to pick off, and some gruesome kills. What separates this from other slashers is that the victims are, in a way, responsible for what’s happening to them. Sure, you feel bad for the girls getting killed, but you can’t help but feel like they might’ve deserved it. Seeing the rational Katey and the vindictive Vicki argue over how to handle the situation drives this point home. It helps that Kathryn McNeil and Eileen Davidson give solid performances and make these characters feel real. The other sorority sisters also do an excellent job of feeling like a group of girls who’ve been long-time friends. All around, the acting is better than you’d expect from this kind of movie.
While this is a slasher film, it could almost be seen as a thriller on par with Brian De Palma. Just when you think the girls have gotten away with the murder, something comes along to jeopardize it. Plus, the plot has so many twists and turns that it keeps you engaged and constantly guessing. Admittedly, the movie goes off the rails in the last twenty minutes when the killer’s identity is revealed. Thankfully, Mark Rosman and cinematographer Tim Suhrstedt keep the suspense and tension going as it turns into a cat-and-mouse game. Also, Richard Band’s score is fantastic, adding a surreal, dreamlike quality to the film, enhancing some trippy moments. Though I wouldn’t call this one of the greatest slashers ever, it’s still a well-made and well-acted thriller worth seeing. Overall, The House on Sorority Row deserves its cult status as an underrated slasher classic.
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