Review: Frat House Massacre. By Brian Kirst
www.screamkings.com
www.frathousemassacre.com
Combining the supernatural fancies of the 1970’s (The Sentinel, Crash with Sue Lyons, The Possession of Joel Delaney) with the slasher film ascetics of the 1980’s ultimately makes Frat House Massacre a modern day joy ride. The fact that this film also wholeheartedly embraces the numerous female and gay terror fans is another bloodily frazzled feather in its mightily limb strewn cap.
After being murdered by his vicious frat buddies, one brother transfers his essence into the coma ridden body of his only sibling and, with new face in tow, heads back to campus to get some final, fatal revenge. While a concerned foster mother and the girl-that-got-away cause emotional complications, a final Carrie-style showdown is inevitable and there is plenty of nudity (both male and female) and bloodshed leading up to the stabbing conclusion.
Consequentially, while it is truly fun watching the handsome, barely clothed jocks commit much homicidal mayhem, the biggest flaw of this low budget charmer may be that no motivation is truly given for all the carnage (and at the pace they destroy, someone surely would have caught on quite quickly, as well). Even Jason and Michael have reasons for their slaughtering and the nameless/silent killer of Hellbent, the recent gay slasher film that Frat House Massacre slightly resembles, truly needed no explanation. (Any back story would have given that film a political-social stance that would have destroyed it’s free wheeling fun.)
Frat House Massacre does find further enjoyment with its use of upcoming scream queen Brenna Lee Roth and lead villain, Jon Fleming. Fleming, who has a horror pedigree from his roles in Camp Slaughter and Dante’s Cove, has superstar presence and evil literally flashes through his eyes as the manipulative Mark. Things truly come alive when he is onscreen and a successful future is most likely assured for him, nimble director Alex Pucci and passionate writer Draven Gonzalez.
(Frat House Massacre will screen as part of Horror Society’s Summer Slaughter on 7/11/09 at the Portage Theater in Chicago.)
