“From its phallic symbolism, to its commentary on the male gaze, to its rejection of the conservative morality tinged ‘rules of how to survive the genre,’ [The Slumber Party Massacre] created something that is not only fun, but fundamental to understanding how women are shown in horror, and how women experience the world.” -Peyton Brock, Collider

Amy Holden Jones turned down an editing job on E.T. to direct this movie. She made the right choice. Written as a commentary on the inherent sexism of slashers by feminist icon Rita Mae Brown (but shot completely straight), The Slumber Party Massacre is a terrific inside joke that also delivers the goods as a skid row photocopy of Halloween — complete with a killer who gets figuratively castrated when the tip of his power drill is hacked off. With its stylized photography, plot points that involve pizza, and endlessly cool homemade synth score, The Slumber Party Massacre is a drop-dead masterpiece of subversive trash-horror.

This film is screening as a double feature with Slumber Party Massacre II. Part of Arkadin’s March-long spotlight on great films by female directors.