Better Late Then Never

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Slumber Party Massacre III's gravest sin is that it lacks what made the first two special. It doesn't even attempt at subverting the conventions of what it is (the first one started as a satire and got trashier in production but stuck to enough of its original intent to be unique) or be really out-there in its badness (the second one, which may be one of the most entertaining rockabilly slasher neo- surrealist movies of 1987). All this is is exactly what you might expect, and yet it only puts in the minimal amount of effort possible in its run- time (ironically the longest of these movies).Corman sold out with this one - not surprising he would do this of course, but at least this series, all helmed by women, had some teeth and, you know, *ideas* - and either didn't allow the filmmakers to get more creative or never hired anyone good in the first place. Its just a dumb, tired slasher with a final 20 minutes filled with such dumb and *mean* stuff (why do the girls stand by while that one kill happens that could have been stopped in the five real time minute lead up?)It's only for genre completists, or those who might dig watching what is in effect everything that made Scream necessary, from its "twist" third act reveal (think you know who the killer is? F*** off, like I should care) to the inane conversations the characters have are meant to make them sound like real people and not types; its not really fun enough to be a guilty pleasure or something to put on at a party (like, again, the second one was), and its 350 grand budget feels as cheap as that sounds. Its also not a total crime or offensive (hey, it could be worse - imagine Eli Roth putting his taint all over this), but you could be doing better things with your time.

~Spoiler~ Slumber Party Massacre 3 is possibly the most predictable movie ever made. This thing held absolutely no surprise for me. It has a lot of mis-direction for no reason. It looks as though they were trying to make a whodunit but you know who the killer is if you look at the back of the box. Absolutely ridiculous! Speaking of the back of the box, there are three pictures that are not in the movie. Never does the "driller killer" use a hook, yet on the back of the box he's killing two different females with one. There is also a ton of filler material to make it a feature length film and the three main guys all could be famous look-a-likes: Richard Grieco, Patrick Dempsey, and Lavar Burton. The flick is majorly lacking a complete story. Ken's (the killer) uncle killed himself, but why he did it is never explained. Why he is killing the girls is never explained, although the main girl's father is a lawyer and that may have something to do with it. I'm completely reading into that one because the movie never refers to that. Also, Ken acts really weird when any of the girls go for his package. Could his uncle have molested him? I'm also reaching there because it's never explained. Funny scenes include the many opportunities they pass up to kill Ken, death by dildo, and one guy dies from getting hit in face. The topper is one scene where Ken is distracted with one girl for 10 minutes and the other girls are just standing around. No one helps out, no one tries to escape, it's hysterical. Typical slasher junk. If you think the first two Slumber Party Massacre's were bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Hmm. What to say without having a "direct to video" bias. Well, on top of how incredibly cheesy(yet fun)Slumber Party Massacre III turned out to be, there is also a fairly lengthy cameo from busty F13 vixen Marta Kober, who played 'Sandra' in the second 'Friday the 13th' film. I could tell right away by her voice, and with a closer look I could tell the face, too. So that was cool. Furthermore, aside from the highly predictable premise of the film, I actually appreciated the characters because, although they are two-dimensional, idiotic buffoons who have NO idea how to dance...or act, they still stood out enough so that I knew who was who when it came to 'driller-killer' time. It's also pretty violent in a few scenes. Anyway, I would definitely recommend renting this title one night if you happen to find it at your local video store...and if you are a slasher fan then I would recommend buying it if you can find it for a decent price. And by decent I mean under four dollars.5/10 is my vote. Better than I expected it to be.

If you didn't enjoy any of the previous films, than you probably will find no enjoyment from this one. However, I did enjoy this first film and I absolutely hated the second one. Now, we have another group of beautiful California co-eds who decide to throw a slumber party because someones parents are out of town for the weekend. Once these girls bust out their bikinis and brew, the terror begins. However, this time, it's not Russ Thorn or a 1950's resurrected rock star. Instead, it's a rather normal looking individual. And yes, he comes along with a drill. Check this movie out if you want to see people getting drilled from the front seat of a car, electrocuted in a bathtub and then stuffed in a garment bag, or maybe you want to see someone get impaled with a house for sale sign. There's plenty of good stuff here with SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE III. 9/10