“IT’S CLEAVAGE Vs.
CLEAVERS AND THE RESULT IS DELTA DELTA DEADLY!”
An in-name-only sequel to Carol
Frank’s micro-budget classic, Sorority House Massacre II became
essential viewing and a horror staple immediately after I discovered it on the
long defunct Action Pay-Per-View, a local cable station devoted exclusively to
genre films which bypassed mainstream cinemas and garnered a dedicated
following through VHS distribution. When your local video shops neglected to
stock the latest Puppet Master or Witchcraft sequel, you’d either
pay through the nose to special order a personal copy, or fork over $3.99 to
rent it from home. Thanks to this channel, I developed both an unwavering
appreciation, as well as a ravenous hunger, for content Hollywood studios
wouldn’t dare touch.
As most films of its kind often
do, Sorority House Massacre II contains a pretty basic, easy-to-follow
plot: a bevy of buxom college co-eds purchase, for a bargain price, a rundown,
dilapidated residence for the purpose of converting it into their new sorority
house. Unbeknownst to four of the five leads, the house was the setting of a
grisly mass murder. Five years prior, Clive Hockstatter, a suburban dad who one
day snaps and unleashes years of pent-up aggression on his unwitting family.
On the very night the girls move
in to their fancy new digs (which appears to be miles from any university
campus and contains nary a trace of Greek paraphernalia, despite its intended
purpose), the girls come to find the basement littered with old family
memorabilia, which just so happens to include a Ouija board. Predictably, they
devise plans for a séance (after, of course, stripping down to their most
revealing evening attire). Convening by a roaring fire, they call upon the
spirit of Clive Hockstatter, an idea they come to regret when the board seems
to come to life and an explosion of flames spill past the soot-stained mantle.
Shaken, they abandon the board and head upstairs to retire for the night. But
shortly after lights out, the girls are methodically stalked and slaughtered by
way of a rusty hook. Has the spirit of a long dead mass murderer returned to do
them in, or have they fallen victim to a lecherous, pock-marked neighbor by the
name of Orville Ketchum?
Originally titled Jim
Wynorski’s House of Babes as well as Nighty Nightmare (which
subsequently became the film’s subtitle, used exclusively on the original VHS
and poster artwork), Sorority House Massacre II was the first Wynorski
film I recall seeing. From then on, I knew I was in for a good time the moment
his name appeared in the opening credits of just about any movie of this
particular era. Even today, I smile whenever wonderfully cheesy moments from
the likes of Chopping Mall or 976-EVIL 2 come to mind.
For the purposes of this commentatary,
I begrudgingly used Concorde’s original 2002 DVD, which runs 1:17:10. Not only
is the film presented in full frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio, but the transfer lacks
any formal color correction or digital remastering. Worst of all, it contains a
very noticeable skip at the start of the third reel. Sadly, this appears to be
the only digital release available, despite my whining tweets to Scream Factory
about a reissue.
So, kick back and join me as I
discuss my 25-year obsession with Sorority House Massacre II (as well as
its spin-off, Hard to Die, which is the subject of B-Movie Bonanza -
Episode 4), along with my own childhood experiences with séances and the
occult.
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