‘PILLOW PARTY MASSACRE’ (2023) IS A TERROR-INDUCED HOMAGE TO CLASSIC 80’S SLUMBER PARTY HORROR
The concept of sleepovers mixed with a bit of murder has been kind of a regular thing since the 80s. The formula tends to be somewhat the same when it comes to the foundation. You have the elements of a group of attractive women, whether they be in high school or college. They have a few random dudes that show up that you don’t really get time to care about, and of course, a crazy violence-fueled killer who may or may not have a revenge plot at the center of their need to kill the main characters. There is usually a mix of drinks, drugs, some random nudity, and blood-curdling screams. The great thing about these slumber party-type horror movies is you really don’t know who the final girl would be. It creates a twist within itself that makes you just as hooked on the idea of who the killer might be.
There has been quite a good haul of these slumber-party killer horror movies. One of the best ones obviously has to be “Slumber Party Massacre 1 and 2”. The second one of course adds a weird element of a guitar-wielding killer who has got a giant drill at the end of his guitar. I mean they are weird as hell, but who doesn’t like a weird concept going on in some classic horror? We all have seen “Sleepaway Camp” and completely love the insanity that goes along with it right? It and the slumber party movies previously mentioned give quite the setting when it comes to surviving a crazed killer on the loose. The insanity and crazy elements are always the best part of a horror movie with a weird concept. We huge horror fans are not going to turn away a horror movie no matter the concept and how it sounds. We even have given “Chopping Mall” multiple viewings over the years, at least I have.
Recently I got the chance to watch a slumber party-themed horror movie called “Pillow Party Massacre” from Breaking Glass Pictures. This movie stars Laura Welsh, Chynna Rae Shurts, Allegra Sweeny, and Jax Kellington. The movie is written and directed by Calvin Morie McCarthy. The synopsis for this movie is as follows:
“Two years after a tragic April Fools prank, a group of friends returns to their childhood vacation home to reconnect and heal old wounds. As strange things begin to happen, and girls turn up missing, it’s clear that someone or something is out for revenge in this devilishly wicked throwback to classic 80s slasher films.”
From start to finish this movie got me hooked. It did feel like quite the unique and original homage to 80s slasher films and very much had a foundation of gore, twists, and mystery that definitely felt like it was going to be one hell of a ride from the very beginning. The insanity of a prank gone wrong by our main characters Sam (portrayed by Laura Welsh), Alana (portrayed by Jax Kellington), Mikki (portrayed by Nicolette Pullen), and Barbara (portrayed by Chynna Rae Shurts) that they play on their other friend of the group Ashley (portrayed by Savannah Raye Jones) really took a turn that I didn’t expect with Ashley shooting the guy she was dating (who was in on the prank) in the head. Definitely gave me those “Prom Night” (the original with Jamie Lee Curtis) vibes, which I enjoyed. I didn’t expect something that to happen right away.
We then go into a sequence of 2 years later where the group of friends gets together. They have each changed due to the past events of their prank and are clearly not as close. We get the main focus of Sam being the one that the movie is mainly focusing on with the death of her mother within the two-year time jump and her being a bit of the “voice of reason” when she gets talked into hanging out with her group “The Panther Pack”.
The group of women that are friends in this movie is a melting pot of people that made me feel that I could see them being as connected but as different as the group of kids in “The Breakfast Club”. The first kill (of course after the main one with the Ashley character killing her boyfriend) comes at you quickly when one of the girls gets to the vacation home before the rest of them do. The movie tends to mix a bit of practical effects with CGI gore. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn’t but in the scene that I am referencing with an eye gouge effect looked pretty cool. I am always going to be a fan of practical effects over CGI gore effects, but there are a good number of times (just like in this movie) where it works.
The cinematography of this movie also really caught my eye. In the beginning, there was a clear vibrant color scheme and brightness that showed it was a happy event. Then of course when everything gets turned upside down, there is a bit of a gloom around the cinematography that makes it seem that there is a grey cloud of dread that follows our main characters throughout the entire movie.
The second act is a bit of a slow burn but looking back on how it built everything up was very well done by writer/director Calvin Morie McCarthy. You can tell not only is he a very talented person at what he does, but you can also see in how he writes/directs this movie that he clearly has been a huge fan of horror movies for a long time. You can clearly tell when someone in the industry is inspired by horror movies and loves them just as much as all of us horror-fueled fans. Having that way about your thought process while making a horror movie shows on the screen, not only with the cinematography, writing, and directing but with the final execution of how the whole film is put together.
One thing that I really enjoyed about this movie most of all (besides the obviously enjoyable horror plot, mystery, and gore) is how well the actresses portraying the main characters came off as such close friends. I often wonder how the process is with actors in a movie when they portray friends so well on screen. Do they just hang out all the time and actually become friends or do they show the range of their talents by fooling us all into believing it is a genuine friendship? Honestly, it could go either way but whatever they did, it clearly worked in this movie.
The final act of this movie and the reveal of the killer was a bit of a surprise. When a horror movie with a possible revenge plot starts, I start going into “horror movie detective mode” and setting up my list of suspects, as well as possible motives (clearly, I listen to and watch way too much True Crime content but don’t most horror fans?) to see if my guess was correct. I don’t want to spoil anything by revealing if I was right or wrong, but it is a very good reveal. Also, the killer’s costume was quite an interesting choice and seemed to be set up as an original look, as opposed to doing what some horror movies do these days and trying to use a template of what has been successful before. I really enjoyed this movie. I liked everything that happened with it, and I am all about a female-empowering horror film that really exceeds expectations. This is going to be a high recommendation for me, especially if you enjoy some of the classic 80’s horror movie sleepover tropes and also just a hell of a good ride with any horror movie you watch.
“Pillow Party Massacre” from Breaking Glass Pictures is now available on digital release worldwide. Rent or buy your copy now and leave us a comment on our Instagram page to let us know what you thought of this movie. Also, be sure to look for the writer/director Calvin Morie McCarthy on a new episode of my podcast “I Love Horror” available on all podcast platforms coming soon. Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram @I_Love_Horror_Podcast for updates on that episode and future episodes featuring great people from the horror community.
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