“Nothing can prepare you for what happens when she fights back!”
Watched: January 1st, 2026
Release Date: January 21st 1983
Directed: Mark Roseann
Written: Mark Rosman, Bobby Fine
Hiiiii 2026 Letterboxd!! Started the year out by finally watching The House on Sorority Row and what a treat it was! I totally understand how this has become so beloved for genre fans. Similar to my last film of 2025 Tourist Trap, I wonder why I didn’t get around to seeing this sooner! I loved the mystery element here, and the cast of women at the center of the story.
It wears its Black Christmas influence on its sleeve but as a huge fan of that film it only made me love it more. From Ms. Slater eerily rocking in the wheelchair by the attic window, to our mysterious killer slowly picking off the graduating sisters of Theta phi, the similarities are undeniable. The feminist themes aren’t quite as prevalent here, but I appreciate any slasher with women who show agency, strength and sisterhood! That’s what it’s all about baby! There’s even a bit of Halloween in here with a strange doctor character who shows up with our final girl in the final act.
The sisters all have unique personalities, (even if some of them are borrowed from Black Christmas), and their relationships with one another are well established. The final girl, Katie, is a Laurie Strode clone. She was definitely annoying me in the beginning with the virtuous good girl cliche she falls into. But honestly… she wins me over in that batshit final act!! She is bad ass as fuck even tripping on some nasty sedatives!
Of course my favorite character was Vicki, the mean girl! She was giving me major Chanel Oberlin vibes the whole movie! I love how unserious she was! Like yes girl, pull that gun on your house mama for breaking your water bed! As you should! The scene where they’re hiding Ms. Slater’s body reminded me sooo much of Scream Queens season 1 when the Kappa’s are hiding Ms. Bean’s body. The parallels are awesome and you can see the influence this film had on other sorority slashers!
The killer reveal seems obvious but there are a lot of clever twists that make you question what the story is setting up. I thought I had it figured out like three times until I finally figured out what was going on. The movie treats the audience with intelligence, (at least for a slasher), and that makes it much more engaging.
I really loved the first two acts for the tension, mystery, and characters. But the final act becomes a vibrant and violent drug induced nightmare. They ramp everything up with some awesome chase scenes, gore, and a perfect killer costume that should have stuck around longer.
I’m so glad I’ve finally seen it! I felt like a bad slasher super-fan for sleeping on this for so long! I will absolutely be adding it to my physical media collection when I can!
Vicki you did nothing wrong girl. I support you!
Reviews are sourced from my Letterboxd, where you can find me at @FinalGirlingg