Movie Reviews

Review: ‘Slumber Party Massacre’ is an 80s Remake Done Right

Published

5 years ago

September 30, 2021

In 1982, director Amy Holden Jones took a subversive slasher parody script by famed feminist writer Rita Mae Brown and — with the support of producer Roger Corman — made a cult classic piece of 80s horror history, Slumber Party Massacre. Two (loosely connected) sequels followed, creating the first (and only) slasher franchise entirely written and directed by women.

It’s not uncommon to remake a popular horror film — some are grittier than others — but it’s not often that a horror remake is able to capture the true spirit of its original. With 2021’s Slumber Party Massacre, however, writer Suzanne Keilly (Leprechaun Returns, Ash vs Evil Dead) and director Danishka Esterhazy (Level 16, The Banana Splits Movie) have found a perfect celebration of the original film and its feminist intent, while adding their own distinct improvements.

In the film, a group of girls go to a remote cabin for a good old fashioned slumber party. There’s drinking, dancing, and a deranged killer. You know the drill. But Esterhazy’s Slumber Party Massacre excels at setting you up for a run-of-the-mill slasher before completely subverting your expectations.

There are so many details that show a deep and loving respect for the original films — character names, props, a kid sister, and Russ Thorn’s detail-accurate recreation — but perhaps the greatest homage the film offers is its treatment of its male characters. The slow motion pillow fights and shower scene are a perfect way to lambast the sexualization of the original franchise (which was strongly encouraged by Corman, despite how the directors felt about it). Their inability to run away and even their names (which literally include Guy 1 and Guy 2) poke fun at the treatment of female characters in 80s horror as a whole, while notes on toxic masculinity offer logistical reasons for very bad ideas.

For those familiar with Leprechaun Returns, you may feel a familiar vibe with Slumber Party Massacre. Both of Keilly’s scripts have a fun take on the original film that sprinkles social commentary in a way that keeps it from feeling heavy-handed. This balance of humour and horror is perfectly captured by Esterhazy; between the script and the staging, I had moments where — in my house, all alone — I was literally laughing out loud at the delightful absurdity.

The original Slumber Party Massacre was intended as a parody, but producers pushed for a more conventional slasher film. With the remake, Esterhazy definitely leans into the parody angle, but that doesn’t keep her from building some legitimately tense moments of horror goodness. Practical effects are awesomely gory without being excessive; every victim of drill-bit carnage is impressively done.

Slumber Party Massacre is a bitingly clever slasher for the modern woman. It’s the perfect companion piece to the original movie; chock full of references that you’ll appreciate all the more if you see the 1982 classic, but different enough that you’ll have an entirely new viewing experience.

The spirit of Slumber Party Massacre is alive and well in this remake. Keilly and Esterhazy knew exactly what they wanted to do, and it feels like a true accomplishment. Presented with humour, tact, and a great deal of care, the film is a perfect way to honor the original while doing something completely different.

Modern horror remakes, take note. This is how you do it right.

You can check out Slumber Party Massacre for yourself on SyFy Channel on October 16 at 9pm PT/ET

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Movie Reviews

Self Driver Runs Out of Road

Published

7 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Luna Gray

Every few years someone makes a movie where a desperate person takes the money and watches his conscience become negotiable. I am always there for it. Cheap Thrills. Would You Rather. The whole subgenre of moral erosion for cash that does not have a name but absolutely should. Self Driver walks directly into that territory and for the first half of its runtime, it delivers.

Nathanael Chadwick plays D, a cab driver trying to keep his head above water, who gets recruited onto a mysterious new rideshare app that promises fast money and asks for increasingly terrible things in return.

Writer-director Michael Pierro shot this on cellphones with a skeleton crew. That constraint should work against the film. For the first act, it does not. Chadwick earns your sympathy without doing anything obvious to ask for it, and Pierro keeps things tense enough that the premise does exactly what it is supposed to do.

Then the psychedelic angle shows up.

I want to be fair about this. I understand the intention. But it lands the way a plot fix lands. You feel the seam. By the halfway point the script has accumulated a lot of threads, and the psychedelic detour is where those threads stop being pulled. They do not resolve. They just stop mattering.

That is the consistent frustration with Self Driver. It is not short on ideas. It is short on follow-through. Almost every interesting thing Pierro introduces gets picked up, examined, and set back down before it earns its place in the film. The bones of something genuinely great are visible throughout. The second half just never shows up to finish the job.

Chadwick won Best Actor at Grimmfest for this role, and it is not hard to understand why. He is doing real work here. He makes D worth following even when the film is not fully following through on its own premise. That is harder than it looks.

Self Driver is out now on UK digital via GrimmVision. At 2.5 out of 5, it is worth your time if you have patience for low-budget genre work and can make peace with a film that is better than it finishes. Pierro has instincts. Watch for his next one.

Indie Horror

Panic Fest 2026 Review: ‘Frogman Returns’ Is A Thrilling Sequel That Goes For The Croak!

Published

6 days ago

May 6, 2026

Jacob Davison

Horror as a genre has a greater propensity for sequels than almost anything else in the world of cinema. There have been scores of slasher sequels from the likes of Friday The 13th to A Nightmare on Elm Street to even sequels to seemingly stand-alone affairs like The Exorcist and The Blair Witch Project. While some may be seen as cash grabs or of diminishing returns, it cannot be argued that there have been some phenomenal sequels to horror films such as Aliens and Evil Dead 2 among many others. So imagine my pleasant surprise to see that 2023’s Frogman is back in the aptly named Frogman Returns!

The sequel picks up not too long after the original’s cryptid catastrophe. The Loveland, Ohio Frogman and surrounding cult that was exposed by amateur filmmaker Dallas (Nathan Tymoshuk) has since disappeared and the terror of the magic wand wielding amphibian seemingly ended. Having lost his friend Scotty (Benny Barrett) and a falling out with Amy (Chelsey Grant), Dallas has found a new life heading a cryptid reality web show. But when strange forces call him and his team back to Loveland, will he have to face the Frogman for a final battle?

I was a big fan of the original Frogman upon release, and was interested in seeing where director Anthony Cousins was going to take the story. I’m happy to report that he did the best kind of thing you can do for a sequel like this: made it weirder and wilder! Not only is there Frogman, but a number of classic cryptids have encounters as the genie is out of the bottle and Dallas irrevocably proved that there are truly monsters among us. There is a pretty memorable scene involving a run-in with the living pants-like Fresno Nightcrawler creature that establishes what a brave and bizarre new world things have become since the previous film. Monsters are basically a fact of life now. So, of course, people are finding ways to profit from it.

Dallas’ arc continues from the first film and I do like how he carries the weight and guilt of Scotty’s disappearance and his disconnection with Amy. There are real consequences to the ways things went wrong previously and Dallas is haunted by the consequences of his obsession. Now he attempts to make things right in some form as his adventures bring him back to where it all began. And for those here for Frogman… without spoiling too much, everyone’s favorite amphibious cryptid does make a triumphant return. With a neon explosive finale that left me craving even more.

Frogman Returns does a fine job of documenting the new adventure in the traditional found footage format, with the foundation of Dallas’ new reality web show keeping the cameras rolling. Combining that with ample and memorable practical fx for all manner of beasts and gore to see. Exploding heads, zapped limbs, and so much more get captured on camera in all their visceral glory.

Overall, if you were a fan of the first Frogman, then Frogman Returns is a more than worthwhile follow up to digest.

Indie Horror

Panic Fest 2026 Review: ‘Creature Of The Pines’ Is An Interesting Found Footage Horror That Walks A Beaten Path

Published

7 days ago

May 5, 2026

Jacob Davison

There are certain parts of the world that have an inherent evil or cursed nature to them. The Bermuda Triangle, where so many ships have vanished in its waters. Death Valley, where many have met their end in the unforgiving desert. And then there’s The Pine Barrens of New Jersey. A woodland infamous for the cryptid named The Jersey Devil.

While The Jersey Devil may be the mascot or face of sorts for the area, there are other dangers within those woods. Specifically, an area known as Pine Hollow. Infamous for numerous disappearances of local and hikers. While some attribute it to natural hazards, others say the source of these incidents may be tied to folklore. An ancient mimic of indigenous legend that targets those wandering its woods. After a trio of hikers disappear and leaves only one shell shocked survivor and witness wandering the wilderness, a documentary crew attempts to clarify between fact and fiction… only to find themselves subject to their own torments.

Creature Of The Pines is a decent found footage/mockumentary endeavor, and I’m always a sucker for that kind of framing. I will also give points for taking an original approach on the region rather than using a more well known cryptid or monster. Instead, crafting their own beast with the shapeshifting demon of indigenous lore. It did make it more interesting than relying on a more infamous antagonist, allowing the movie to make up its own rules and history behind the titular creature.

Unfortunately, the story does fall into a lot of the cliches of the sub-genre as well. Lots of scenes building up strange sounds coming form the woods leading to some shaky cam segments as a character is dragged off by an unseen force and such. The talking heads portions of the mockumentary featured some decent actors and subjects that kept things fairly fresh. Especially the former forest ranger who discussed the dark and terrible history of Pine Hollow.

Even still, the third act was kind of a mixed bag with the final confrontation and reveal of the horror. Ambiguity tends to work better in found footage for a reason, sometimes its better to leave the evil up to the imagination. There’s also a twist to the ending that felt a bit obvious considering the build up.

But, if you’re a big fan of found footage and mockumentary horror like I am, (especially for New England based horror) then Creature Of The Pines is worth at least a watch.