I didn’t even know this was coming out when I watched the original Slumber Party Massacre just a little bit ago. When it popped up on iTunes, I decided to watch, hoping for something interesting. Would it be just another knock-off attempt to capture 80s slashers? Something different?

Definitely something different.

Slumber Party Massacre posits a 1993 slumber party that was attacked by the driller killer from the first film (set in 1982). One person survives and now she has a teenage daughter who wants to have her own slumber party. Things go exactly as planned and look exactly like it did decades earlier… and then the fun starts.

I’m not sure how this is being advertised so I’ll tread lightly on spoilers. This isn’t a remake, this is a meta commentary/satire of slasher films with them being aware of Slumber Party Massacre’s existing veneer of satire. And sprinkle in known references to other slasher films and the genre in general.

Yes, knowing, winking commentary on slasher films have been done before but this one feels different. First off, it plays things so straight that, for the first 30 minutes, it doesn’t seem like anything unique. That is, until how closely it was aping its own prelude scene became apparent. Then it lets the cat out of the bag and we begin to realize what a nutty, creative, knowing film this is.

And for the next half hour, I was so in. It’s just so hilarious and winking. It’s totally mocking the expectations of the genre and gender stereotypes in a way that the sledgehammer of subtly that was the recent Black Christmas only wishes it could have done. Yes, this film is woke but not in a desperate, smug kind of way. It gets its point across and it’s funny about it. Almost self-satirizing itself at times.

Unfortunately, the film should have ended with a tight hour-long script. But it has to go on for the requisite 90 minutes and loses a lot of steam. There’s some cool and funny stuff in the final act but it doesn’t stand up to the second act in the least.

This film surprised and delighted me and made me laugh out loud a bunch. This is a pretty strong recommendation if you like slasher flicks, horror comedies, or films that comment on the genre.

Score: 84