Slumber Party Massacre III
Director: Sally Mattison
Writer: Catherine Cyran
Starring: Brandi Burkett, and Hope Marie Carlton
Body Count: 12
Review: Now I realize that this isn't saying a whole lot, but Slumber Party Massacre III is the best film of the trilogy.
Continuing the series tradition of female writer/directors, the third chapter of the series starts off fresh, having nothing to do with the previous two films (with the exception that the killer in this flick happens to use the same type of drill as the driller killer in the first film). A gang of teens spends the day at the beach, where they meet two blonde-haired loner guys--one, a clean-cut Ivy League type named Ken, and the other, a weirdo who looks just like Kurt Cobain! The action shifts to the obligatory "slumber party" at one of the girls' homes, where the suspicion about who the killer is starts to mount.
The movie does a fairly good job of throwing equally possible suspects into the limelight (including Ken, the beach weirdo, main girl Jackie's new boyfriend, and her peeping Tom neighbor). The only problem is, some of these red herrings are never carried out to their full potential.
That aside, there's a lot to like about this flick from a slasher fan standpoint. There's plenty of blood, some very creative death scenes, and some great teenage drama (and, in fact, a little character development here and there). Not too mention some rather quirky little things thrown into this story that don't really mean anything at all (what's with that whole fishing story thing?)
The killer's identity is revealed midway through the story, and from then on it becomes an endless chase scene that can grow a little tedious, but not so tedious that the film is unwatchable. In fact, when it comes right down to it, SPM III has the best killer of all the films, because we actually get to find out a little bit about the nut (and damn is he nutty! This is one sicko dude!). If you're thinking about checking out one of the Slumber Party Massacre movies, definitely go for this third installment, as its the least likely to disappoint.
