Slumber Party Massacre (2021)

I don't want to tell you too much about the Slumber Party Massacre remake and have you miss discovering it's delightful fun yourself. Suffice to say that while the original had a quietly subversive feminist streak, the remake brings its feminism to the forefront. 

Our heroines break down in a backwoods town while on their way to a girls' weekend. There's more than meets the eye to this town, however. And there's also more than meets the eye to these girls. There's a serial killer on the loose, and he wields an obviously phallic power drill.

Rob van Vuuren as Russ Thorn is a worthy successor to the original's killer, played by Michael Villella. He imitates Villella's bug eyed stare and creepy voice, delivering many of the same lines as the original's killer. (There's also a clever nod to Slumber Party Massacre 2, in the form of a guitar matching that of the sequel's rockabilly killer).

We also see many of the average slasher's tropes repeated, except featuring men instead of women. The girls happen upon some unfortunate males having a party across the lake from their rental. Many of the lurid camera focuses, gratuitous nude shots, and stereotypical behavior normally focused on horror's female characters, is instead turned around on Massacre's men. The women remain un-objectified, while the men are generally powerless.

I recommend watching this one back to back with the original to fully appreciate both the similarities and the differences between the films. We've definitely come a long way since 1982 when the first one was released, but the remake also highlights ways in which women are still perceived as the weaker sex. This remake is a cheeky, irreverent update of the original that all horror fans, feminist or not, should put on their to-see list.