Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Which one was this? I can't really remember. I do, however, know it was the movie where they hire a lot of women and require them all to take their clothes off.I recall a shower scene in there somewhere.And then I remember the women running around screaming in undies that are really only worn in the bedroom.Was there a plot? Not really, it was just an excuse for nudity and undies.But, you already knew all of that when you sat down to watch this. Because, honestly in film making, they aren't really trying to pass it off as anything other than an excuse to film young naked breasts and you don't really get anything but that.So, why are you reading this? You know exactly what this movie is about. You knew that before you even clicked on this review.But, at least the review is as honest as the movie.If you are expecting more than that, there is something seriously wrong with you.

"Slumber Party Massacre II" is a rather cheesy entry in the series.**SPOILERS**Troubled with strange nightmares, Courtney Bates, (Crystal Bernard) decides to plug away her time in a band. For her birthday weekend, band-members Sally Burns, (Heidi Kozak) Sheila Barrington, (Juliette Cummins) and Amy, (Kimberly McArthur) decide to drag her out to an under-construction condo-site to rehearse their songs for an upcoming gig. When Jeff, (Scott Westmoreland) T.J., (Joel Hoffman) and Matt Arbicost, (Patrick Lowe) decide to come up to party with them, it turns into a wild party that is soon interrupted by her weird dreams and visions acting up again. Soon, it's learned that they're real and take the form of some sort of demon who proceeds to tear through them with a power drill, forcing them to take shelter against the maniac.The Good News: This one here is a pretty nice offering with some rather decent moments. One of the main ones is the sheer 80s cheese that runs through the film. From the kooky dance numbers through the bands rehearsals to the slumber party atmosphere that soon turns into a wild group dance and eventual striptease and special effects, it feels like an 80s slasher for most of the time. These are quite fun and actually add an air of coherence to the first one, which was pretty similar in that aspect. The weapon of choice, a rather large guitar with the head made out into a giant power drill. It's cumbersome, but leads to a great visual that really allows for some great scenes. There's the sight of the killer chasing after the victims late in the film that has some nice scenes to it because of the large killing object in place. The gore itself isn't that bad for an 80s film and is mostly relegated to the drill boring through the bodies, mostly all the way through the body and out, leaving behind impressive wounds that are really dripping with viscera. The freak-outs provide even more carnage and in some cases pretty creepy surreal images. The final chase through the under-construction apartment houses are really impressive and is a great way to end the film. These here are all that make the film watchable.The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot wrong with this one, but it does have a couple of problems. The big one is that the absolute utter lack of a body count in this one. It has almost none, and the few that are killed are killed the same way, with the drill rammed through a body part, mostly the stomach. It's not original, it's not creative and doesn't have very many opportunities to distinguish itself from the other slashers out there. Rather than doing something with it, this one has nothing come from the kills as they're all done the same way and don't go anywhere, with the killing weapon being the difference, and it really would've been better had a few more got knocked off with some other form of weapon which would've been a lot better. The other thing is that the killing probably should've started earlier in the film than it does, and then had more opportunities to knock more off. Beginning the killing around the fifty-minute mark of a seventy-minute movie is problematic on several accounts. First is that there's just that short window of opportunity to get damage in, and it isn't all that great when it occurs. The other is that there's a lot of missed opportunities for most of the time, leaving it for some to appear forever for something to happen. The last flaw would be the cheese level. It might not be for some who want it to be more of a serious case film, and for it to be such less serious could be a detriment. Otherwise, this here is just decent.The Final Verdict: This one doesn't have a whole lot of flaws, but is still a watchable fun cheese-fest that has plenty to make it enjoyable. Really recommended for fans of the first one, slasher fans of the time or the plain interested, while the ones who don't have a high tolerance for the cheese will have little use for this one.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity

This amusingly goofy sequel to the tremendously trashy early 80's slice'n'dice winner "The Slumber Party Massacre" eschews serious scares in favor of gleefully inane laughs. The killer this time is some scruffy and sleazy rock'n'roll singer psycho who has an enormous drill bit affixed to the end of his guitar. This nutzoid sub-Elvis Presley homicidal lunatic stalks and murders the members of an all-girl rock band spending the weekend at a fancy condominium. Writer/director Deborah Brock plays the whole ridiculous premise for cheerfully silly humor with the psychobilly singer making for a hilariously campy villain. Atanas Ilitch has himself a hammy field day as our gloriously gonzo fruitcake wacko (his absurd song and dance musical number "Let's Buzz" rates as a definite gut-busting comic highlight). Moreover, Crystal Bernard makes for a most fetching and appealing heroine as the sweet Courtney. Better still, ravishing redhead hottie supreme and perennial 80's slasher sequel victim Juliette ("Friday the 13, Part V: A New Beginning," "Psycho III") Cummins pops her top and bares her cute little breasts. James Cummins' nifty make-up f/x really hit the gruesome spot; watch out for the divinely disgusting moment when a cute chick's hideously gigantic zit bursts open and spews forth yucky pus all over the place. Good, tacky no-brainer fun.

Not as much nudity in this one. Interestingly enough, these films are a byproduct of '80s culture, not a main point. There's something free and surreal about the classic slasher, and this one really lets its hair down with a rocker phantom drill-killer, bit fixed inconceivably into his flair guitar. Let's go this way - see this movie and think past your gut reaction to the last half. When it's over, consider the elements as they've been presented. Movie starts out very quietly, and then uses the "burp" machine to make its point - little spastic moments of hallucination, always suffered by the main character. These build rapidly into a crescendo of unlikely, unexplained events. They teeter into a final moment of couch potato misery unlike any I've witnessed in a long time. This film tries, but ultimately fails, and altogether sucks. But that's just my opinion.