Killer Party (1986)

How have I not seen Killer Party before? This was something that I should have caught years ago and honestly, I’m excited to check it out. This movie also inspired this marathon of movies with people getting possessed or just generally messed up by demons. Should be plenty of those flicks to watch.  

The movie opens with a family at a funeral. After the service one them goes back to tell the recently deceased to go to hell only to get grabbed by the corpse and pulled into the coffin. Which of course is promptly cremated along with the body and victim. But wait that is a movie in a movie and we are introduced to a young woman on a date at a drive-in. She goes to get popcorn only to find the counter unmanned. After helping herself she goes back to the car to find her date missing. He shows up and is now a zombie or something and starts to chase her. She runs back to the concession stand to find a rock band playing a song. So, this is a movie in a movie in a music video?

Confused yet? I certainly was but now we meet one of our main characters who is watching the music video before school. God I hope this is the actual movie! She and two of her friends are pledging a sorority and of course they are going to use a scary house that is off limits for the big party. It is off limits because years before a Frat boy who was into the occult died during a prank and was buried in the back yard. Because you know they do that sort of thing with graves… Long story short, too late for that I suppose, he comes back all demonic and possesses one of the girls forcing her to go on a killing spree. At least I think that is what happened.

Killer Party is a strange movie that I think is supposed to be a parody of eighties horror. At least I hope so because you can’t take this one seriously at all. Early on we get some stalking scenes where we only see a crappy pair of sneakers. This footwear is never connected to another of the characters and I guess is supposed to be the spirit of the dead frat boy? The first kill happens before we see the co-ed get possessed by the evil spirit so I’m not sure who kills the housemother and hides her in the basement. I mean if the ghost can do that then why possess anyone? We also see the killer walking around in an old-fashioned diving helmet that is again never connected to any of the characters. Fun fact whomever is wearing it is much larger than the co-ed! I could go on but I think that I’ve made my point. This has to be a comedy.

The party gets a bit crazy

The kills and special effects work are decent. You get an electrocution, a co-ed meeting her end with a trident, another getting hammered, a guillotined frat boy, and a couple of bee costumed comic relief getting stabbed. Much of the mayhem is on screen and executed well. Most of the kills are loaded at the end of the movie when the party gets in full swing so you will have to wait a while for it. But it is satisfying enough I guess.

I can honestly say that I’m not sure if I recommend this movie. If I watch it as a parody there are a few laughs and it sort of works. But they don’t make it obvious that they are trying to poke fun at anything and at times looks like it wants to be taken seriously. This is the problem with horror comedies. When they work they are brilliant and when they don’t it is miserable. You know I don’t think I liked this movie. Okay I’ve talked myself into not recommending Killer Party.

© Copyright 2019 John Shatzer