PopHorror Let's Get Scared
The sands of time often slip through our fingers too swiftly, as life flies by us at the speed of light. Once in awhile, little things pop up to remind us that we’re aging quickly… like the fact that 2009’s Sorority Row is already ten years old. This loose re-imagining of 1983’s The House on Sorority Row first hit our screens a decade ago, and while it didn’t reinvent the wheel on the slasher genre, it certainly left an impression on us. Happy anniversary, Sorority Row! Let’s examine your cultural impact and see where you fall among the all-time greats.
The film was directed by Stewart Hendler (Whisper 2007), and it solidly examines what happens when a sorority prank goes terribly wrong, as the past always catches up with us. No matter how many times the “group keeps a secret, someone wants revenge” trope is used, it’s nearly always interesting. Putting characters in tense and life-altering situations and seeing how they react is the backbone of cinema.
The writing for Sorority Row can be a little daft or too comedic for the situation at times, but this isn’t meant to be Shakespeare. There’s a place in horror for mindless fun where you don’t have to strain your brain. Sorority Row may frustrate the hardcore viewer in its tonal shifts, but if you can shut off the mental analytics, there’s fun to be had here.
The biggest plus as far as characters go is the addition of the charming Briana Evigan (The Devil’s Carnival 2012 – read our review here), who brings life to the sweet moral compass, Cassidy. Evigan’s acting brings emotion and depth to an otherwise fairly shallow field. We also get a lot of partying and fluff in this film that falls back on character archetypes: the bitchy leader, Jessica (Leah Pipes: Fingerprints 2006), the promiscuous “Chugs” (Margo Harshman: Fired Up! 2009), the follower, Claire (Jamie Chung: The Real World 2004), and the quiet Ellie (Rumer Willis: The House Bunny 2008). In this standard college romper, we get a few nice character elements from Cassidy and Ellie.
The whodunit aspect doesn’t swerve or invest you in the way a film from the two previous decades would, but it provides a lot of character implications and quick pacing. While the true killer can be narrowed down to a few people, at least this film goes out of its way to keep the plot moving and keeps the deaths coming. The kills in Sorority Row are done pretty effectively. The filmmakers took very basic weapons and surroundings and used them in creative ways. The callback to props is also impressive. From a weapon to a sorority gift to Jacuzzi bubbles… if you caught it earlier in the film, it makes a presence by the end.
Watch Sorority Row Right Now!
After a decade, this deception-revenge horror holds up pretty well. It’s no symphonic masterpiece, but if you know the notes well enough, you can have fun closing your eyes and playing along.
