Fourteenth Annual FMS Scarelicious October Movie Series: #9 Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

 Finally!  I had to go back all the way to 1982 to find an enjoyable horror movie!  Slumber Party Massacre (a/k/a The Slumber Party Massacre) is an excellent little slasher, written - as satire - by a woman and directed - as straight horror - by another woman.  There may be naked b00bs within the first three minutes, and a full on gratuitous shower scene (apparently insisted upon by Roger Corman as producer), but this flick is full of Girl Power.

Trish's parents go out of town for the weekend so she invites some of her BFFs from the varsity high school basketball team to come over for a slumber party.  Meanwhile, a dude has escaped from a nearby mental hospital with murder on his mind and a big electric drill in his hands.  There is a high body count (see following paragraph) but we end up with three Final Girls.  Traumatized, of course, but alive and having prevailed over the killer.

Here's who gets knocked off: female phone technician gets pulled into her own van and drilled between the eyes; Trish's friend and teammate Linda gets trapped in the locked school with the killer; Trish's slightly creepy neighbor gets impaled; Trish's friend and teammate Diane and her boyfriend John get drilled in Trish's garage during a make-out session; the pizza delivery guy (through the eyes - yikes); high school boy Jeff, gutted by the back door; Jeff's buddy Neil, in the neighbor's yard; Jackie, Trish's friend and teammate, whilst opening the front door and letting the killer in the house; Kimberly, Trish's friend and teammate, stabbed in Trish's bedroom; and the girl's basketball coach shows up to see if everyone is okay, whales on the killer with a fireplace poker but ultimately gets gutted too.  Only Trish, new neighbor and teammate Valerie and Val's little sister Courtney make it out alive: after Trish, with a kitchen knife, and Val, with a machete, fight back.

This is a terrific little slasher.  The killer's weapon is totally phallic - but Val's machete is bigger.  The girls get ogled by the guys but they also pass the Bechdel test; they are friends and teammates with interests other than boys, plus none of the males survive.  The kills are numerous and varied.  There's a sense of humor too: Kimberly in the fridge; Val trying to utilize an electric circle saw.  This was a great palate-cleanser and has left me ready for the next one.