Spring Break Massacre (2008 Video) User Reviews

"Damn...I even brought magnets."

[innocuous · 2/10 · 2 December 2010]

Definitely the best line in the movie.

I'm a bit unsure about exactly why this movie was made. I gave it an extra star simply for putting some $$$ in the pockets of Linnea Quigley and Reggie Bannister, even though they may be too embarrassed to put it on their resumes. Still, we all have to eat. Even Reggie must have a mortgage payment.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. This is pretty bad. Most of it looks like a home movie and there's no sense of atmosphere like you would see in the original "Massacre" series. (Take your pick..."Sorority House" or "Slumber Party" or some other.) You're never scared and you don't really care what happens to this bunch of d-bags.

I have to give special attention to the sound. The music score is pretty bad and often wildly inappropriate. As an added insult, the post-production sound is extremely obtrusive. (Check out the dialogue around 15 minutes into the film. The sound is great...just like in a studio. Unfortunately, the actors are playing volleyball at a lake.)

I would avoid this. Watch the originals. It's not even for completists.

It has perky young women...

[osj2507 · 2/10 · 12 September 2015]

Wow this is bad, well there are a couple of good scenes, with half naked chicks but that is about it :)

The film itself is a mess, I had hoped it would be an homage to the old scream queen movies or maybe just to the b-film genre, but this is just terrible and doesn't seem to hit any mark. It should have been an homage to something or it should just have had a better script, better acting, well just more then naked chicks as is the only thing it got going for it.

I can't recommend this at all sorry guys behind it, but you didn't try hard enough it seems, I will give it a couple of stars for some of the fun and the perky young women, but that is all I can do.

Fun, Cheesy, Slasher Movie

[DesperateHouseboy · 4/10 · 19 June 2010]

Let me start off by saying if you're the type of person who only likes serious movies full of A-List stars, then this is probably not for you. But if you like fun, cheesy slasher films then I'm sure you'll enjoy this. 'Spring Break Massacre' is about a group of girls who are having an overnight party, and suddenly become the target of a madman. Sound familiar? Thats because 'Spring Break' is mostly a homage to the 80's slasher series 'Slumber Party Massacre'. The Queen of B Films, Linnea Quigley stars in this, and even though her part is kinda short, its always nice to see her. While its not as gory as it could've been, there's still a decent amount of blood, and a high body count, so gore hounds shouldn't be too disappointed. The bottom line is if you enjoy trashy, brainless slasher flicks, then I suggest you give 'Spring Break Massacre' a shot.

Only a Film In the Strictest Technical Sense; Certainly Not an "Homage" to ANYTHING

[homerjer · 1/10 · 6 August 2010]

I'll try to be brief, and not give SPRING BREAK MASSACRE any more attention than it deserves.

SPRING BREAK MASSACRE could be described as an homage to SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE, in the sense that the distributors went to the trouble to imitate that film's video box art. Apparently they felt that was as much effort as homage required. This makes sense, once you realize that the filmmakers thought that the actual making of a horror film required no more effort than finding a roomful of inexperienced actresses willing to do nude scenes, then filming them running around screaming.

The tacked-on presence of 80s horror stars Reggie Bannister and Linnea Quigley in the film is obviously meant to be the big bone thrown to horror fans. Instead, seeing them in such an amateur production just inspires sadness.

Cynical productions such as this only exist to snatch up the money of unwary horror fans who think "Well, how bad can it be?" Trust me, the answer is "Way TOO bad." SPRING BREAK MASSACRE isn't even worth a couple of bucks just to check it out (trust me on this one; when I was young I too was a "show me" kind of fan). It isn't "so bad it's good". It's just a piece of crap to be forgotten.

If you're the kind of viewer who likes incredibly bad acting, home video cinematography, and lots of planted good IMDb reviews, then SPRING BREAK MASSACRE just may be the movie for you. If, on the other hand, you expect a film to fill a full 76 minutes (including blooper padding in the closing credits) without insulting your intelligence, then you may want to look elsewhere.

Spring Break Massacre

[Scarecrow-88 · 2/10 · 13 May 2013]

Just the idea of a cranky, insulting Reggie Bannister as the sheriff of an Illinois town is incentive enough to watch this absolute waste of your life. That and a rather frail Quigley as his deputy. The director just doesn't know how to shoot a scene. Close-ups at the wrong time. The use of black & white photography for no apparent reason other than to do so. Slow motion when not needed. Zoom lens that is awkward instead of effective. The overbearing score that wears out its welcome right out of the gate. The film goes back and forth from "the day after" and what transpired "during the night", becoming rather jarring when you try to follow the damn thing, with patience put to the test. There are Grindhouse lines that are sometimes used just for the hell of it. The director even casts the film in a pink hue at one point. Dialogue in the film goes on and on about testicles in disarray, what guys' girlfriends might be doing at their sleepover, sex (of course), and wisecracks towards each other (mainly poking fun at insufficient lovemaking) covering a number of subjects (from who's pectorals are more impressive to lake house girl's insufferable father). Both the guys and the girls discuss pulling pranks on each other. There's a creepy neighbor of Heather (Sarah Minnich; she's the one with the house by the lake the girls are having a sleepover at) who pops up occasionally to give the girls the heebie jeebies because of his strange vibes. When the first murders happen (to the boys), it is just right out of left field (the throat slashings aren't too bad actually, with lots of squirting blood (although one of the male actors who got the knife couldn't fake a death if his life depended on it), and there's a nasty face gash that is rather a nice bit of prosthetic work). As much as I dig Reggie, I could do without a bunch of damn close-ups of his mouth. That and the droning piano playing when he's communicating to a prison official about an escaped convict (freed from a psycho in a cop's uniform). There's this soft focus lensing, too, that will probably force you to squint at times. Minnich makes these expressions when she's grossed out or freaked out that did kind of amuse me (at first) but even that becomes tiresome after awhile. And I could have done without that same over-and-over shot of Minnich with her head covered with a hoody and bandages over her nose. There's even the Jigsaw voice across the phone threatening the Sheriff and telling him his deputies are "still at the station". Quigley fans will have to accept the fact that she's in the film for a few minutes and has conversations with Reggie that get on his nerves, not long after getting her head slammed multiple times on a cop car hood. Daddy re-emerges after supposedly going on a trip to a tool convention, totally a lunatic for absolutely no reason except that it must have seemed like the ideal twist when the script was written. There's this whole back story on a pizza delivery man wrongfully accused, but if he doesn't step in any evidence or damage the crime scene it is kind of hard to swallow he'd be sent to prison. The whole murder scene, to begin with, is shabbily staged with one teenage kid just slicing his girl buddy's throat, leaving the scene with his friend, the pizza man arriving at the worst possible time. There's the girls showing their tits, most of them hot enough to divert your attention momentarily, but even here the garbage photography, shooting style, and fast edits undermine even the chance to enjoy the eye candy. To cap it all off, lots and lots of explanation when it isn't needed. Hell, even the closing excerpts that are supposed to be funny mistakes flop like a fish. What crud. I so wish Bannister and Quigley could get roles in better films, but this kind of crap is what they're often relegated to.

Without merit

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 5 April 2022]

A homemade indie slasher from Iowa, of all places. This one is really poor and throughout features stilted acting from the non-professional cast, a heck of a lot of small talk and hanging around, and a lot of deaths kept off-screen for budgetary reasons. It's entirely dull and without merit, and not even the presence of a couple of '80s veterans, Reggie Bannister and Linnea Quigley, can help.

The Anti-Film

[shughm · 1/10 · 23 May 2021]

I'm glad Reggie Bannister and Linnea Quigley are still finding work. They're fan favorites, and it's usually a real treat to see them.

Unfortunately not the case in this movie. I don't mean to come across as conspiratorial-but, I'm guessing that whoever made this did so in an effort to ruin cinema in its entirety for anyone unlucky enough to view it. There's a very palpable hatred for every facet of storytelling and cinematography built into this project; and, it can't be an accident. The writer and director must despise their audience in a very visceral and reflexive way to have followed through with this.

If I believed it was just a poorly made movie, I wouldn't be so rough on it. I have a special place in my heart for poorly made films. No, there's just outright malice and the intent to do harm jam packed into every second of this movie.

the titties are the most important things

[trashgang · 3/10 · 15 September 2011]

I'm going to be straight about this one. It is stated on the sleeve as a return to those "Eighties slashers" and also to the "slumber party's". First of all, slashers from the eighties do have gory shots and are really scary. Secondly, if you but names in it like Reggie Bannister or Linnea Quigley people do want the action they were given in those heydays of horror. But this one surely doesn't deliver. Oh yes, there's a lot of tits to be seen in all kinds from hanging to small to C cups but that surely doesn't make a horror, oh yes, it's gratuitous but there are some rules to follow. I've been grown up in the eighties and I have seen my amount of slashers and if girls go naked then they show it all. Here we only see tits whatever but if they show a shower scene with two chicks in it then I suspect they are naked but no can do here, they still were there knickers then it's a huge turn-off for those flesh flutes to play, if you know what I mean. Why Linnea has been cast is still a mystery for me, she's a few minutes on the screen, so it's for a teaser she's in it. The so-called slashing doesn't deliver too, it's okay but if you state "eighties" then I want to see the knife going in and some gore added. Oh no it isn't here. And to be honest, the storyline sucks and the acting is mediocre. Face it, in some scene's the titties do act better than the girls and let me don't mention the boys at the bar, what a terrible acting. Some people see it as a comedy, well tell me where to laugh. No no, it's not because you but some nudity in it and famous names from the eighties that you have a horror. Indeed, what a massacre it was.

A mess

[TdSmth5 · 3/10 · 5 December 2014]

Years ago, a girl and two guys are hanging out. She's going to party later with her girlfriends so she tries to kick them out. One of them pulls out a knife and kills her. At around that time the pizza delivery guy walks in on the scene of the murder. The suspect is sentenced to jail.

In the present a cop and a fed discuss some crime at a crime scene, a girl is a survivor. And in long flashbacks we learn what happened. Some kids (some look actually pretty old to be college kids) hang out during spring break at a lake. The guys of course want to spend time with the girls. But the girls have other plans--a slumber party. It will take place at Heather's house. Her father left for a couple of days and a creepy neighbor offers to help if she needs anything. The guys in the meantime spend time at a bar and argue whether to visit the girls anyway.

It's not long before the creepy guy starts stalking the girls, the lights go out, and some of the guys end up killed. Some of the cops in the meantime vanish and someone helps the killer from the intro escape from jail. More killings ensue and we find out eventually who's behind all of it.

Spring Break Massacre is the worst of the The ____ Massacre movies. It's fatal flaw is its atrocious look. The movie looks pale, dark, out-of-focus, which is not the way you want to go when this movie is all about attractive girls. Oddly enough, the deleted scenes look better than the actual movie. So it doesn't look like equipment is the issue but a conscious decision to make this movie look lousy.

Speaking of girls, most of them are attractive, in particular Sarah Minnich and another actress who's name I don't know, she's the girl on top on the cover.

Audio and re-recording also has issues. The story is alright though and shows some effort. Acting by the more experienced actors is good (audio problems don't help though) and Minnich does also a solid job. Several other actors don't do a solid job.

I'll give The Spring Break Massacre 3 stars. One for the lovely Sarah Minnich, who is attractive and can act. Why hasn't Hollywood given her more and better roles? One star for the little bit of nudity. One more star for the story that deserved a much better production.

Naughty teens need to be ...

[kosmasp · 3/10 · 12 October 2020]

I reckon some would say punished. If they believe that or just think that is the right answer, is a different question. The movie itself is quite predictable for anyone who has seen at least a couple of other horror movies. If you have you may recognize Reggie Bannister. A nice addition to any movie. Apart from blood and violence though the movie also has nudity (which is mostly expected from movies like this one).

Whatever you make of that (and the excuses the ladies get naked), the movie tries to be funny and self aware. Some of those jokes even work I'd say. But anyone who doesn't like funny in their horror movies will be mad already. So while there are some ingredients that a certain group of people might like, overall this isn't really that good or living up to the quite funny title it has

In the tradition of Slumber Party Massacre a cast of young people get offed one by one by an unknown killer

[classicmaterial · 9/10 · 27 April 2010]

For fans of the Slumber Party Massacre/Sorority House Massacre series this one definitely deserves a viewing. In the tradition of those films we have a group of kids, on spring break, partying it up while someone is lurking around and killing them one by one. Who could it be? The escaped killer? The sheriff? One of the kids? The creepy next door neighbor? (who bears quite the resemblance to Orville Ketchum from Sorority House Massacre fame). For 74 minutes you will find yourself caught up in not only the storyline which is both interesting and simplistic, but also the characters who have some of the funniest bad dialogue in any recent slasher movie. This movie knows exactly what it is and it executes that perfectly, a loving tribute/homage/"re-imagining" of the classic Slumber Party Massacre series, complete with many obvious references to that series along the way. While many modern day slashers become borderline boring and get to the point where you just want to get to the end, Spring Break Massacre never stops once it starts and there are no scenes where you are thinking "well this was just included to make the movie longer". I would highly recommend this movie if you have a group of friends, a case of beer, and whatever else you may enjoy while viewing this fun slasher flick.

Nicely done homage.

[FrightMeter · 6/10 · 28 July 2010]

The cover art for "Spring Break Massacre" tells you everything you need to know about the film; yes, it's a homage to "The Slumber Party Massacre." Anyone expecting anything but a slasher film featuring a killer murdering topless co-eds will be sadly, sadly disappointed. At least you can say the DVD cover was deceiving.

Plot wise, the film is very similar to the original "The Slumber Party Massacre." A group of female friends decide to have a sleepover where "no boys are allowed" by order of our heroine's father. Needles to say, an escaped psychopath known as the slumber party killer has just escaped prison and happens upon the little gathering. Meanwhile, the local sheriff (Robby Bannister) and his deputy (Linnea Quigley) are alerted to the psychopath's escape and must try to keep the town safe.

Fans of 80's slasher films will undoubtedly enjoy this film because it does possess a nostalgic feel with its simple, straight-forward premise and tongue-in-cheek reference. Though the pacing lags in the second act, enough happens to keep us interested. The kills come fast in the last act and seem a tad rushed. Additionally, they aren't all that gory or bloody, and for a homage to an 80's slasher classic, I'd expect the kills to be better thought out, a tad gorier, with much more suspense leading to them. Along those same lines, there is no final "chase scene" with our heroine that is a staple of 80's slasher films. Still, the film is technically well done and, again, does enough to keep the viewer interested.

Unlike "The Slumber Party Massacre," this film does attempt to be different and set itself apart. Much like his other unknown-killer-stalks-group-of-friends-having-a-sleepover film "Reunion of Terror," screenwriter Michael Hoffman, employs a mega-twist ending and motive that is clever, unexpected, and disturbing. I can see this being his trademark as a writer simply because he is so good at it.

Overall, "Spring Break Massacre" is a nicely done homage that doesn't really offer anything new to the genre, but succeeds in taking us genre fans back to the simpler days of horror.

Fright Meter Grade: C+

This movie is terrible, even for horror enthusiasts

[kevin_robbins · 2/10 · 19 February 2022]

Spring Break Massacre (2008) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a group of sorority sisters who get together one night for a sleepover. It just so happens there's a serial killer on the loose that night and the the ladies are the perfect target.

This movie is directed by Michael Hoffman Jr. (Girls on Dead) and stars Reggie Bannister (Phantasm), Sarah Minnich (Army of the Dead), John Shumski (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.) and Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead).

The storyline for this as well as it's characters and subplots are fairly cliche. The cinematography is fairly poor and as for the background sound effects, well, they tried. The acting and writing is bad and in a lot of way this feels home made. The female characters are well selected, fairly hot and there are some good nudity scenes, but not enough to make this worth watching.

Overall this movie is terrible, even for horror enthusiasts. I would score this a 2/10 and strongly recommend it.

Waste of so much nudity potential

[texasboyy · 2/10 · 4 August 2022]

Unlike most horror films made since 2000, at least this director paid his day shift stripper "actresses" a few extra bucks to get naked. But then he wasted so much potential. He films an all girl strip poker scene but all we see is one set of breasts very briefly instead of extensive nakedness with all of them. That scene should have lasted ten minutes instead of 15 seconds. In another, two women are in a shower together but we only see a quick flash of one girl's boobs and a quick kiss between them. That should have been another long sequence with full frontal nudity, slobbery French kissing and their hands all over each other's bodies. Finally, there are a group of girls naked outside and we do see all their breasts, but only for about five seconds. The dimwitted director should have filmed them walking about for several minutes stark naked and from different close ups angles.

Retro, fun, gore filled ride from start to finish.

[xpunk_rock_poetx · 7/10 · 18 July 2010]

A spring-break sleepover takes a turn for the worse for six sorority co-eds, after Stanley Peterson, convicted serial killer, escapes from maximum security prison. It's up to the college ladies to survive the night, and at the same time figure out who is behind all of the grizzly blood-soaked antics. No you have not stumbled onto your very own Hot tub time machine, although this film does an excellent job at reenacting the feel of a classic 80's who did it slasher, "Spring break Massacre" is actually from 2008, and a great example at how a homage film is done.

Recently I have watched a lot of homage films mostly paying tribute to the 70's exploitation film or the 80's slasher with only a handful managing to pull it off to their advantage, "Spring Break Massacre" happens to be one of these mentioned movies. This movie feels so retro that it should be sold on both VHS and DVD in my opinion and any fan of the era will come away from "Spring Break Massacre" more than pleased with their viewing experience.

Story wise "Spring Break Massacre" is your classic who did it slasher, constantly confusing you around each turn as to who the killer is and why they are eliminating college guys and girls at an alarming rate. All the 80's clichés are here and often done in a very humorous way everything from good old fashion 80's style gore, to your typical dose of T&A, it can all be found within the running time of "Spring Break Massacre" causing it become a must see film for any old school horror fans looking for a fix of pure popcorn fun you'll feel like your back at the drive-in minutes into this film.

The special effects are your basic 80's style practical effects, nothing but latex and buckets of blood the way such a film should be created. There are some very fun kills that reminded me of the early "Friday The 13th" franchise during its hay day, one involving a coat hanger you should keep an eye open for when viewing "Spring Break Massacre".

Overall I enjoyed this movie, but I warn you it is geared towards the fans of cheesy gore loaded 80's horror so if you find yourself not liking most of the era's offerings your best bet is to skip this one, but for your fans this is a hidden gem you will absolutely love and I highly recommend you give this one a watch. On behalf of The Liberal Dead I give "Spring Break Massacre" a 6.5 out of 10.

6.5/10 - Ted "Ritualistic" Brown www.liberaldead.com

Scream Queen Revival

[geoff-795-594387 · 7/10 · 20 July 2010]

From a first glance, this could be mistaken as another scream queen classic from the 80's, or a revival style homage, especially as the Queen herself takes a role here, Linnea Quigley, but it's not really the case. This has a confused feeling about it; on one hand it's low budget and amateur, but carries a whole tribute of styles in it's film bag, and on the other hand, it's pure Troma.

A father leaves his daughter home alone for the spring break with a few house rules, no guys, drink or drugs. Of cause, a twenty something is out to break the rules and as soon as father's hit the road, a slumber party is arranged. Girls in lingerie spend the next hours running about the house, meanwhile, the guys in their life are planning how to get in. But, with all good slumber parties, there's gotta be a massacre, and one by one, the youths are slaughtered.

OK, so this sounds like all the other cheap films you've ever seen. Wrong. Although this edges toward the obvious with semi naked girls getting slashed up, the film tries to follow a more thriller approach. Not knowing who the killer is, and good character generation with cops in the station, a back story with a guy escaping from prison, but a nice twist which is unexpected. The film ties up well too with no loose ends. Cinematically, it's got an interesting style. It chops and changes from colour to black and white, slow-mo and some reverse camera-work which works well, but as I say, it's a confused movie due to it's conflict to be taken seriously. Much of the film is shot hand held which gives a good creepy feeling and closeness to the subject. It's quite a dirty gritty film, but suddenly, we get some really nice glorious shots.

The acting all round is quite good. Erin Meyers, LeAnne VanMaulle, Toni Buena, Renee Darmiento and Reggie Bannister. Of cause, Linnea is always great and here she shines as always in a role a bit more reserved from her usual.