Directed by Stewart Hendler. Starring Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, and Rumer Willis. USA. Horror. 101 minutes. See exclusive clip here.

A group of sorority sisters decide to play a prank on the brother of one of the girls, it goes horribly wrong and they decide to cover it up – only to find themselves the prey of a serial killer.

Yet another tits-over-talent remake of a supposed horror classic. The masterpiece in question being THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW (1983), a weak, early-80s IKWYDLS prototype whose name was undoubtedly shortened for the modern audience – idiots that we are. The standard fare starts with a group of sorority sisters planning a prank on Garrett – the brother of one of their number, and ex-boyfriend of Megan – another of the sisters, who he cheated on. But the practical joke goes wrong in a genuinely surprising way, and the girls make the disastrous decision to cover it up and move on. Fast forward eight months and the girls are graduating, Cassidy (Evigan, strong as a ‘final girl’-type) has drifted away from the group, focusing more on her blossoming relationship with ideal boyfriend Andy. Bitch Jessica (Pipes) has put everything behind her, whilst Ellie (Willis) is struggling to come to terms with the events of that night. Then the girls start receiving sinister text messages, and are bumped off one-by-one by a serial killer armed with a customised tire-iron (!). Cue a series of gruesome kills (some truly inventive) up until the inevitable climax. But this is where things really fall apart...a poor reveal followed by a ridiculous motive leave a bad taste in the mouth.

A solid three-star film, until the last ten minutes – when the desperate need for a twist removes any shred of credibility from the film. Good gore/kills, combined with strong performances from Evigan and Pipes, give a good hour and a half. This film is better than the average remake but in the end it’s a frustrating ride.

There are plenty of extras on the disc, the standard deleted scenes are enlivened by the director telling us why they were removed (although it always seems to be for maintaining pace/tension!). A rehearsal of a scene, alongside the storyboard, gives a good insight into movie-making. Other than that? A short making-of documentary, outtakes and ‘Kill Switch’ – a pointless gimmick to let you skip through the movie so you can just watch the kills.

In the shops on 11th January. You can order from here.

Denise Morrisroe & David G Bennett

© London FrightFest Ltd. 2000-2009
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GORE IN THE STORE
REVIEWS BY FANS FOR FANS
5 STAR FAB - 1 STAR RUBBISH

Antichrist
Wrong Turn 3
Coffin Rock
Orphan
Sorority Row
Drag Me to Hell