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I mean, the story begins with an unmotivated rampage through the streets of late-night Bangkok and ends with the implication of even more pointless violence, so it’s pretty clear that you’re not really meant to root for an “action hero” here. And while Only God Forgives is frequently accused of burying its narrative underneath a pile of artsy excess, I think the heart of the film is rather straightforward despite its obtuse presentation. I mean, the moral here is basically “revenge isn’t fun,” which I think is made clear by the horrific use of violence (though we’ll discuss that further in the next section). Long story short, owners of the 2018 Scorpion Releasing disc probably don’t need this special edition from MVD. In the slightly over-complicated 1982 film, House on Sorority Row, the scholastic friendships were just that — a little crazy and a little sour. The film, directed by Mark Rosman (Mutant and many episodes of Lizzie Maguire) begins as so many early 80s films did, a little exposition, a little flashback, and a little glimpse of things to come later in the film.
Bloody Disgusting!
Don’t mind the trickiness because Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger write their re-imagining indebted to The House on Sorority Row. Maybe late-2000s remake fatigue led to the marketing position in an attempt to separate Sorority Row from trolls screaming for more originality in horror cinema (countless remakes showcase creative originality, don’t get me started)? It’s undoubtedly farther removed from The House on Sorority Row than The Hitcher is from Robert Harmon’s inaugural ride or Quarantine from Spain’s infinitely scarier outbreak — but we shouldn’t shun its remake merits.
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And while Gosling deserves praise as the unhinged Julian, I’d argue that Vithaya Pansringarm steals the show here as “The Angel of Vengeance,” even if his untranslated dialogue is likely to be unintelligible for most viewers. In the finished film, Gosling plays Julian, an American ex-pat running a Muay-Thai boxing club alongside his sociopathic brother Billy (Tom Burke). When Billy gets himself killed after sexually assaulting and murdering a teenager, Julian is tasked by his disturbed mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) with tracking down those responsible for the death of her first-born child.
Movie Info
Overall, The House on Sorority Row deserves its cult status as an underrated slasher classic. When the senior sorority sisters of Theta Pi decide to do in their demented house mother, someone seeks revenge, and begins a night of terror and madness. The House on Sorority Row was named one of the greatest slasher films of all time by Complex in 2017.
Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger pen a script that differentiates itself with an introduction that implies alternative killer motivations, passages of time, and deeper contemplation of soul-eating secrets. Rosman torments his sorority sisters over a few nights and empowers fertility experiments gone haywire — Stewart Hendler oversees how bonds built under traumatic secrecy eventually crack over long periods. Sorority Row takes an idea and speculates further, where The House on Sorority Row crams as much murderous mayhem and Hitchcockian mystery into a single end-of-year serving. Scorpion Releasing put out two prior Blu-ray editions, including a limited 2018 release which boasted a new transfer, a 5.1 surround mix, and an isolated score missing from MVD’s disc.
Remake
What follows is a surreal dive into the seedy underbelly of Bangkok as the cycle of revenge escalates and violence leads to even more violence. For either version, the raw elements show their age with average definition, telecine wobble and even jitter. This is not eye candy and the film transfers are organically authentic but limited reproductions of troubled source material. The finally act of House on Sorority Row folds in on itself by resurrecting the flashback exposition from the beginning of the film. In a somewhat clumsy and honestly confusing fashion, Director Rosman, exposes the convoluted motives of the killer, the killer’s identity, and leaves open just enough room for a House on Sorority Row II.
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Dr. Beck accompanies Katey to the cemetery, where they find Vicki and Liz's bodies as well as Slater's still in the van. Deciding that Slater must be alive, the girls begin searching for her after the party comes to a close. Morgan enters Slater's room, where the latter's body falls on her from the attic hatch. Meanwhile, after finding guests attempting to enter the pool, the girls realize that if the pool lights are turned on, Slater's body will be revealed.
The elements are serviceable at best and almost appear unrestored in the theatrical version. While purists may want the pure grindhouse slasher vibe given off by the decidedly less impressive looking theatrical cut, there’s no doubt the raw video quality is far better on the director’s alternate version. Leave it to MVD to barely spotlight the more aesthetically pleasing alternate version, placed in the special features menu. The school year is over and the girls decided that the time is ripe to roil in boys, new wave, coke, champagne, pools, and stacks of People magazine. Director Rosman employees an interesting drinking game device where he has the girls unfold their character types by disclosing their deepest secrets, their desires, and their heavily clouded wants and needs. Of course no good post college party goes unpunished and the girls (Katey, Vicki, Liz, Jeanie, Diane, Morgan, and Stevie) are quickly interrupted by their imperious house mother, Mrs. Slater.
I’m not saying it’s a flawless commentary given multiple caricatures like Chugs’ debauchery or Jessica’s Queen Beotch crown, but I wonder how audiences would receive Sorority Row today. It’s an inversion of fraternity horror films — or helpless female horror flicks — that’d possibly be lauded today for its punkish desire to prove girls can be just as demeaning, lewd, and horned-up. Then again, there’s no way something this skin-forward and faithful to T&A 80s midnighters would hit screens today. Whether caught in the remake storm or held as an antidote for the ongoing trauma-latent horror wave, I’m not sure there was ever a favorable window to release Sorority Row — and for that renegade reason alone, I’m glad this delinquent slasher exists. On the surface, The House on Sorority Row seems like any standard slasher film that ticks off all the checkboxes.
The old and ratchety Mrs. Slater rudely informs the girls that their summer party plan to occupy the sorority house is not going to be coming to fruition. Sorority Row emblemizes how nastier 2000s horror remakes approached their ruthless reinvigoration of older-school titles. Mark Rosman’s vision is more about the chase and speculation turning into this looming specter, where Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger execute storytelling that’s hellbent on punishment.
The House on Sorority Row - Movie Review - Alternate Ending
The House on Sorority Row - Movie Review.
Posted: Wed, 15 Jul 2015 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In Revenge of the Remakes, columnist Matt Donato takes us on a journey through the world of horror remakes. We all complain about Hollywood’s lack of originality whenever studios announce new remakes, reboots, and reimaginings, but the reality? Far more positive examples of refurbished classics and updated legacies exist than you’re willing to remember (or admit).
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