THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW

THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW ($25) is a film from that magical period in the eighties, when one couldn't throw a rock without hitting some horror movie that featured a deranged killer stalking promiscuous teens. Of course, THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW places a new spin on the proceedings by raising the age level of the victims to the college level and adding an interesting back-story about the woman who rents her house to the sorority. THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW opens with a flashback sequence that depicts the start of a rather traumatic and bloody childbirth.

The film then flashes forward into the present where we find the dour and somewhat unstable Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt) having a fit after discovering that several of the sorority girls have not vacated the house. It seems that Mrs. Slater has an agreement with the sorority that the house must be empty by June 19^th and this year is the first time that the agreement has been broken. The remaining girls, lead by Vicki (Eileen Davidson), want to stay a few extra days to have a party, but Mrs. Slater wants none of it and demands that the girls leave immediately. However, after Mrs. Slater bursts in Vicki and her boyfriend during a private moment, the vindictive sorority girl decides to exact a bit of revenge on the mean spirited woman. Unfortunately, Vicki's prank on Mrs. Slater turns deadly and the girls decide to hide her body under the murky waters of the school's swimming pool. However as quickly as you can say LES DIABOLIQUES, Mrs. Slater's body goes missing and the guilty sorority girls start dropping like flies. Is the old lady back from the grave, or is something even more horrifying exacting a pound of bloody flesh from each of the girls? While THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW may not be the best teen "slice and dice" ever made, the film does have its moments, which include getting a look at Eileen Davidson's naked flesh. The cast of THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW also includes Kate McNeil, Ellen Dorsher, Jodi Draigie, Harley Jane Kozak and Christopher Lawrence.

THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW comes to DVD from the folks at Elite Entertainment. Presented at 1.85:1, the fine looking transfer has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. Image quality is exceptional for a low budget horror flick from the early 1980s. Sharpness and detail are surprisingly good. The element used for the transfer is in great shape, with no serious flaws or distracting film grain. Colors usually have natural saturation, although some of the hues are more intense, especially the blood reds. There are no problems with chroma noise or smearing during the presentation. Blacks appear accurate, plus the picture boasts even contrast and decent shadow detail. Digital compression artifacts are not a problem on this DVD.

The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is clean and free from distortion. Dialogue is crisp, plus the musical score is well recorded and reproduced. The basic interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection feature and a theatrical trailer.

If you are feeling nostalgic for eighties slasher movies, Elite's good looking edition of THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW is definitely a DVD you will want to check out.