Halloween 2009 Horror Part I - Sorority Row

Halloween is almost upon us - okay, so maybe not exactly. People are still looking forward to their vacations before they want to think about decorating with festive orange lights, skull candles, and pumpkin leaf bags. But here at The Moon is a Dead World, it's always Halloween - so let's get everyone ready for the films coming out for this year's holiday with a little preview of each one!


To start things off, we have Sorority Row, slated for a September 11 release date. As with most films coming out currently, this film is a remake of the 1983 slasher House on Sorority Row. Slight name change, but it sounds as though the plot of the film is exactly the same. Check it out:

When five sorority girls inadvertently cause the murder of one of their sisters in a prank gone wrong, they agree to keep the matter to themselves and never speak of it again, so they can get on with their lives. This proves easier said than done, when after graduation a mysterious killer goes after the five of them and anyone who knows their secret.

To anyone who has seen the original, this is extremely similar. But at least there are a few things we horror fans can look forward to in Sorority Row.

1. It's rated R, not PG-13. IMDB lists the film as having an R rating for strong bloody violence, language, some sexuality/nudity, and partying. The original didn't have too much bloody violence, so it's good to see the remake at least attempting to provide some good gory thrills. And we all know the catastrophe that was Prom Night, with its watered down violence and MTV script. Hopefully, with its more adult themes, Sorority Row can bypass all that to get to the good scares - but we can't forget junk like My Bloody Valentine 3D (which had an R rating as well), whose makers were too interested in blood, guts, and boobs to pen an effective or even mediocre script.


2. Theta Pi Must Die. It's a great catchphrase that matches my own sentiments - those girls have got to be killed off in creative, bloody fashion. And if the poster reflects what the movie has in store for us, we should be excited.



3. The second half of this trailer. It may look like a Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer ripoff, but those movies are a lot of fun, and at least it seems there are a lot of dumb college kids for the killer to slash and hack. At least the film's action sequences look interesting.

But there's a few things that could propel this movie straight into slasher hell. Looking at the first part of the trailer, the film could focus too much or too long on minor annoyances like partying frat houses. It's also easy to see that there's not a huge focus on depth of character, with more emphasis being on the hot bodies of the ladies rather than their endearing personalities.

There's not a lot of big names working on this project, either. While Briana Evigan has been seen in a few recent movies (most notably S. Darko), it's to be determined whether she can front a film. I'm guessing (only shallowly) that she will be our main protagonist and final girl, but looks can be deceiving - hopefully. Right now, Sorority Row looks pretty cut and dry, a slasher that is only attempting to be another fun but ultimately forgettable picture that melds with the other remake fare.

Keep posted for more upcoming news on the film as we near its release date.

Cast

Briana Evigan as Cassidy
Leah Pipes as Jessica
Jamie Chung as Claire
Julian Morris as Andy
Rumer Willis as Ellie
Audrina Patridge as Megan
Margo Harshman as Chugs
Caroline D' Amore as Maggie
Matt O'Leary as Garrett
Matt Lanter as Kyle
Carrie Fisher as Mrs. Crenshaw