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If there has ever been a more warranted call for horror remakes to flourish, it would be in today’s great reawakening of the slasher flick. Anticipation for remakes of Halloween (1978; John Carpenter), Candyman (1992; Bernard Rose), Scream (1996; Wes Craven), and now The Slumber Party Massacre (1982; Amy Holden Jones) have truly solidified the genre as one that has made a name for itself in the 2020s. However, while fans are always on the lookout for homages to their favorite films, the formula for these must walk a delicate line between continuity and re-imagination.
It’s the reason many audiences of Halloween Kills (2021; David Gordon Green) felt underwhelmed by the regurgitation of tropes that have been passed on for generations. But with all the recent horror releases, Danishka Esterhazy’s Syfy remake of The Slumber Party Massacre (2021) is one that deserves recognition.
Hallmarks Of The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
In order to look at what the remake does right, remembering the work done by the creators of the original films is crucial. Director Amy Holden Jones and writer Rita Mae Brown are renowned for their feminist-rooted subversion of the slasher genre, one that previously hadn’t dismantled its misogyny. Focusing on the trilogy’s first film, there are several aspects that make it a slasher about female perspectives on fear and violation.
Objectification Of The Male Body
One of the most commemorated subversions of horror done by the original film is the gradual retreat from female objectification. While the film incorporates traditional camera angles and shots of the female body, it also allows women to objectify their male counterparts. Conversations about male physique and female pleasure rewrite the characteristics of women in horror to enjoy sex just as much as the men who prey on them. Rita Mae Brown’s writing set the framework for the remaining films in the trilogy and the 2021 remake.
Voyeurism & The Male Gaze
Another one of the staples of The Slumber Party Massacre is the inclusion of the average male character within the voyeurism that is traditionally saved for the killer alone. Instead, male peers of the main female cast equally partake in predatory behavior, seen peering into windows to watch the girls just as the Driller Killer does. What this does is ask: what makes the casual male voyeur any different from a predator or killer stalking his prey?
This is also evocative of the male hypocrisy in earlier slashers like Black Christmas (1974; Bob Clarke). This time around, traditional rules of horror are broken as male victims of the killer face the consequences of sneaking around in hopes of infiltrating an all-girl hangout–as they should.
What The Slumber Party Massacre (2021) Gets Right
With the perfect foundation for the remake being set in the previous films, Danishka Esterhazy’s version does not disappoint in providing a true homage while adding some original creative touches. All of Amy Holden Jones’s work is maintained, but it isn’t simply a replica of her film. What Jones started in redistributing objectification to include male bodies, making commentary on the male gaze, and creating intricate female characters is heightened. In addition to the satire of ’80s slashers, Esterhazy allows there to be more room for consciousness within the female characters.
Elevating Male Objectification
Much like its 1982 predecessor, The Slumber Party Massacre inserts an even more direct objectification of the male physique and traits. Common visuals of female vulnerability — i.e., the shower scene — are transferred over to male characters in the same sensual and intimate way that has held women in horror in a chokehold since Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). What’s great about this is the explicit redefinition of men’s roles in horror, but even artistically, these visuals are done in a way that is gentle and almost a bit romantic.
Another great comical nod to traditional female objectification is the fact that two male characters are quite literally named “Guy” and “Guy 2”, which provides the film with some of the funniest dialogue while acknowledging common problems with female characters written by men (( Esterhazy, Danishka, dir. The Slumber Party Massacre. Shout! Studios. 2021. )).
Erasing The Helpless Victim
Self-consciousness and awareness are not only reserved for men. One of the additions from Esterhazy and writer Suzanne Keilly is creating a desire for revenge for the Slumber Party girls. Yes, they become stranded in the small town of Holly Springs, but what changes is their new motive; avenging the killer’s past victims. The film begins with another recurrence of murder in Holly Springs in 1993 that leaves one survivor, Trish Devereaux (Masali Baduza), Dana’s mother. Because of Dana’s (Hannah Gonera) connection to the killer through her mother’s previous encounter with him, she and her friends are far more equipped to handle any lurking men wielding phallic-shaped weapons. With the erasure of women as unsuspecting victims of a serial killer, the stakes become higher, and the kills regain their shock-value without being reused.
The Slumber Party Massacre (2021) Is A Horror Remake That Satisfies
Danishka Esterhazy’s slasher gem proves that horror remakes can live up to their expectations with attention to detail and passion for honoring great feminist films. Preserving the same spirit of the iconic female-directed trilogy while inventing new ways to keep it suspenseful is exactly what future installments of horror franchises should do. Where the original excels as a movie meant to subvert convention with its redefinition of objectification, voyeurism, and the male gaze, the remake is able to enhance.
The Slumber party Massacre (2021) is able to walk the line between homage and creative freedom the way some box-office horror films only wish they could. Not only does it tackle the need for strong final girl characters, but it’s also such a fun viewing experience! The heavy satirical commentary on male and female roles is so sharp and makes the comedy more than just the Bechdel test (a tool used initially to measure female representation in media) jokes. For anyone looking for a playful approach to slasher horror, look no further! So grab your friends, order that pizza and enjoy what is undoubtedly one of the best horror remakes of the year. The newest addition to The Slumber Party Massacre franchise is an absolute treat.