Sorority Row (2009) User Reviews

In a row

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 20 August 2013]

So another horror remake? Shocker ... though not exactly literally. What it is though is beautiful. Especially if you do like women. There is not much acting necessary (which doesn't imply the people involved are not able to do so), just having to look good and scared. All of them are good in that regard.

I haven't seen the original (or I don't remember it?), but the premise is pretty simple. As another reviewer wrote, you could say, just another slasher. The effects/murders are pretty good, so you get your moneys worth from that. Thrills are decent enough, though you do know where it is heading and characters still "act" dumb/irrational, as they always do in those movies

Slasher remake that beats all of the lifeless remakes/sequels of late

[A_Llama_Drama · 6/10 · 15 January 2010]

Sorority Row seems to be receiving a lot of bad press for the same reasons that all slasher flicks seem to garner - it's clichéd, the characters aren't likable, the plot isn't handled well, the set-up is botched, blah blah blah. OK, these ARE fair points - there exists within this movie one too many "Hello, is anybody there?" moments, too many "Don't go in there!" moments, and let's be honest, they could have quite happily pinned the entire thing on someone else and gone to police instead of covering it up.

However, to complain about those things would be to complain about the entire purpose of the slasher genre. Besides Scream, Hallowe'en and Black Christmas, there is not a single slasher that has a shred of believability (and even Hallowe'en doesn't - Michael Myers is the boogie man for goodness sake!). We go to see slasher films to watch people get killed and don't pretend otherwise. These situations do not happen in real life, why expect any level of realism in the film?!?

So why bother going to see this? Primarily, for the kills. Out of the 10 or so murders, I'd say but only 3 are gratuitous and 2 of those are badly set up. Again, it's the same old story of bimbo/drunk frat boy wandering where they should know not to. But for the 7 or so others, they rock! The manslaughter at the beginning is pretty twisted, yet I, and many others got satisfaction watching one of those twits from The Hills getting offed and thrown down a mine shaft. Following on, a "pimped up" tyre iron is implemented to cause as much gore and depravity as possible: bottles, mirror shards, cars, flare guns, axes, fire-extinguishers, shotguns and the bird cane from the original all are used at some point to bring the death count to a total Rambo would be proud of. One of my favourite set-ups in the movie comes after the party, when they are aware that somehow, someone knows about their little secret. In an intense scene involving many bubbles - because in the World of the Greek Letters, you are more likely to find a jacuzzi than a room full of mannequins - one of the 5 get caught out in it. The build up ranks with that of Annie in Halloween or CC in Scream 2 - after the girls receive another threatening text, they realise that one of their names was missing from the list and before they know it, the missing girl is running, screaming through the courtyard towards them. Although the scares are few and far between, that scene had me ducking. The murder weapon, that tyre iron, is set to become iconic if it garners any sequels (which, undoubtedly it will).

The main characters may not be the most interesting, and two of the girls really are just plain boring, but there are 3 who stand out in my mind: Jessica, Cassie and Ellie. Jessica, the bitchy queen, is played with fervour by Leah Pipes: she relishes every mean phrase, never misses a chance to put someone down, and when she stumbles across the dead body of a sorority sister, her first remark is "God, she looks terrible!" delivered with a dead pan attitude that just rocked. The fact that, unfortunately, she is governed by a bloke is a shame, but she redeems herself towards the end, staying true to her bitchy, selfish nature. Ellie, although a walking cliché in a horror movie, is played really rather well by Rumer Willis. A girl falling apart at the seams as she tries to cope with her part in the accident, she goes from slightly shaky to worried to paranoid to hysterical to catatonic. Yet she maintains some integrity and humour and has quite possibly the funniest moment during which the girls are trying to stop her from finding out that Megan just might not be dead. Finally, Briana Evigans is such fun to watch. Although her character has no right to feel better about herself over what happened and she certainly is no Sydney Prescott or Laurie Strode, Briana brings out of Cassie a feisty, tough girl who can actually be rooted for towards the end. The other 2 VERY good reasons to watch this movie are as follows: gratuitous cat fights (in a burning house with a psycho killer running around none-the-less!) and Carrie Fisher blowing her kitchen to smithereens with a shot gun, all the while taunting the masked killer with lines such as "Come to Mama."

All in all, Sorority Row is not a good film but it is sheer entertainment. What it lacks in plot and credibility it more than makes up for in style. it's also the first remake that I've had pleasure watching due to it's total carelessness of where it's origins lie. I'd give it 6 out of 10. (yes I am aware I've awarded it 10 out of 10 but that's because I feel bad that morons would mark it so harsh on its lack of plot... seriously)

Pimp my tire iron.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 4 June 2010]

With it's excessively asinine plot, crazy killer armed with a particularly impractical weapon (a modified tire iron), exaggerated death scenes, a larger-than-normal quota of bitchy, big breasted bimbos (including the obligatory sexy nerd) and their equally obnoxious boyfriends, and a fair smattering of gratuitous nudity, I'm pretty certain that Sorority Row was intended by its makers to parody the countless, moronic, teen slasher remakes that have blighted horror in recent years. However, it appears that their motive may have been lost on many viewers, who seem to have mistaken the deliberate playing up of genre stereotypes and intentional over-use of dumb clichés for a case of plain, old-fashioned bad movie-making—something which there has been plenty of over the last decade or so.

It's a shame, because when armed with the knowledge that much of the film's apparent awfulness is by design, one can have quite a bit of fun with Sorority Row.

The film opens with one of those frat parties that only ever seem to happen in the movies (or maybe I just went to the wrong parties): it's thumping with the latest cool tunes, heaving with physically perfect specimens of both sexes indulging in all manner of hedonistic activities, and overflowing with an endless supply of alcohol. Whilst the gorgeous revellers bump, grind and get wasted, six sexy sorority sisters carry out a mean prank that will have disastrous results: they con a poor schmuck into believing that he has accidentally killed his ex-girlfriend Megan by plying her with drugs. Carrying the joke a little too far, they also convince him that it would be a good idea to hide his crime by pushing her body into a lake located near a disused mine. Unfortunately, before they can reveal that it is all a sick joke, events spiral out of control, and Megan winds up dying for real when the guy plunges a tire iron into her chest (to let the air out of her lungs so that she will sink). Now the group are forced to dispose of a genuine corpse—opting to dump their dead friend down the mine-shaft.

A year later, as the girls celebrate their graduation, a hooded murderer is busy at work on the campus. Is it Megan, back from the dead for revenge, or does someone else have a motive for the rapidly rising body count?

What follows is undeniably silly, but as I have said, when viewed with the right frame of mind, it's also rather enjoyable; one can have fun spotting the deliberate attempts by the makers to ridicule the more idiotic conventions of the genre (the over privileged students, the stern but protective den mother, the innocent girl who unwillingly goes along with her friends' plans) whilst also revelling in the brutal violence, ogling the many attractive women, cheering on a shotgun toting Carrie Fisher, and marvelling at just how much Rumer Willis sounds like her mother.

It's not a brilliant piece of film-making (if it was, the parodic content would have been obvious to all), but it's not nearly as dreadful as many might have you believe. I rate Sorority Row a reasonable 6/10. Give it a chance.

Less like a remake, more like another slasher

[Cujo108 · 3 August 2010]

A group of sorority girls pull a cruel prank on the brother of one of their brethren. They wind up taking the prank too far, and it goes terribly awry when one of them is killed. Fearful for their futures, they decide to dump the body down an old shaft and keep what happened a secret. Time passes and it seems that they've gotten away with it, but a hooded killer shows up on the night of their graduation party to pick off those involved.

I am not the biggest remake fan. I outright skip many of them, though I'm not as vehement in my stance as I once was. In fact, a few have actually been catching my interest more and more as of late, the other most recent example being The Uninvited, a surprisingly well-done adaptation of a somewhat overrated Asian title. Then there is Sorority Row, which garnered my attention for two key reasons; A) I am an unapologetic slasher fan and B) Margo Harshman has a role in the film.

With that said, I really enjoyed Sorority Row. I did a double-bill with Whiteout, and thankfully I decided to watch this one second, as it washed away the foul taste of that nonsensical mess. For slasher fans like myself, Sorority Row had a feeling of "old school" to it. The storyline setup, the atmosphere, the wild sorority parties... it felt like old times. Old times that were witnessed via 80's slashers, of course. Some pretty inventive kills in here too, just like in the glory days of the slasher film. No repetitive Scream or IKWYDLS type kills. And really, if you're a slasher fan, the kills are half of the fun. I also have to say that I enjoyed the dialogue in this film. It was always spot-on with the wit, always funny in a dark humor sorta' way. I actually had the opposite reaction to the characters, as the girl playing Cassidy annoyed me. Her voice just grated on my nerves for some reason. The queen bitch was a joy to watch. I thought she was thoroughly amusing. As for Margo, she was stuck with the thankless role of the group slut, but she brought her own brand of deadpan humor to the part. Her lacking amount of screen time was my biggest disappointment with this movie.

All of that aside, the killer's reveal was also disappointing. The motivation just wasn't resonating with me, and some of the theatrics seemed too in line with the lame Scream brand of villains. Still, the rest of the film was so much fun, I can't help but recommend this to other slasher fans. If you like this kind of film, give it a chance. If you don't, well, I doubt you'd be reading this far anyway. It's a slasher film, plain and simple, and one I'd give the ol' slash of approval.

Awful Combination of "I Know What You Did" with "American Pie"

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 14 February 2010]

During a party in the Theta-Pi sorority house, the sister Megan (Audrina Patridge) plays a prank with her unstable boyfriend Garrett (Matt O'Leary) simulating an OD after using pills. Her sisters Jessica (Leah Pipes), Claire (Jamie Chung), Ellie (Rumer Willis), Cassidy (Briana Evigan) and Garrett's sister Chugs (Margo Harshman) suggest to dump her "body" in a lake and the stressed Garrett sticks the tire iron through the Megan's chest killing her. Cassidy decides to call the police, but the sisters are convinced to dispose the body in a shaft and keep in secret under the leadership of Jessica that blackmails Cassidy. Eight months later, in their graduation party, the sisters receive a creepy message with the picture of the tire iron in the beginning of a nightmarish night.

"Sorority Row" is another rip-off of the franchise "I Know What You Did…" and other sub-products of the slasher genre combined with "American Pie", with those sorority houses where the women are stupid sluts and the guys are stupid drunkards. The result is a plot absurdly imbecile and the characters Jessica and Maggie are simply unbearable. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Pacto Secreto" ("Secret Pact")

Scream meets I know what you did last summer meets Urban Legends

[Filmaholic78 · 7/10 · 10 September 2009]

This film is nothing original.

But then what teenage slasher film is. And for that reason only I give this film 7 out of 10. I feel giving a movie of this style a poor review is cutting it short for the credit it should get. It is well shot, the death sequences are well put together and inventive, there are the comical moments, characters you hate and can't wait to meet there makers and the who is the murderer guessing game.

Don't get me wrong the film is not special, it's no Oscar nominee and has so many plot holes it is swiss cheese but what you do get is a fun slasher flick that won't let you down as long as you don't expect too much from it.

A must see for slasher fans

[skullhead739 · 7/10 · 1 April 2020]

This movie doesnt have the best avg ratings but for the genre it is really well done.

Acting: This is a slasher after all so they do well at portraying stereotypes and the conventions. You get a sense of feeling for them and enjoy their relations.

Cinematography/special affects: Really nice gory scenes and creative kills in this one. Camera shots are decent and you get a sense of tension which is really important for these types of movies.

Story: I really really enjoyed the plot of this. It was unique, interesting and kept me glued the whole time watching. Yeah some scenes arnt the best but most of them are awesome. Beginning, middle and end were conventional but unique and made to stand out among its rivals. Many people compare this with "scream" and "I know what you did last summer", both classics.

Summary: Very decent horror/slasher flick, high up there with the greats. It must be said that slasher films arnt for everyone. But if you like them than you'll most likely really enjoy this one.

People were too harsh on it

[sahrahsaheo · 8/10 · 3 April 2022]

I'm sorry but I think that people were just way to hard on this movie at the time of release. It may not be the greatest slasher in film history but it's still an entertaining flick with an enjoyable cast.

Surprisingly fun slasher flick and a decent remake.

[Nightman85 · 7/10 · 12 September 2009]

When a prank goes awry, a group of sorority sisters are left with a dead body on their hands. They cover up the accidental murder, but on graduation night someone begins to brutally kill everyone involved in the deadly prank.

Admittedly I went into Sorority Row with low expectations because I've always had a soft spot for the original House on Sorority Row (1983) and I feared that this would be another weak insulting remake, i.e. Black Christmas 2006 or Prom Night 2008. However I found myself rather entertained by this polished and energetic remake, it was an engaging ride all the way. Sorority Row has a typical slasher film setup, some hokey dialog, and the usual MTV-style direction, but it manages to build some good suspense and action throughout its interesting plot. Also it has some effectively funny moments of dark humor. In addition there's some flashes of nudity thrown in along with some inventive and bloody murder scenes.

Cast-wise the actors are adequate enough though their characters are typically paper-thin. The biggest standout is definitely Carrie Fisher as the amusingly tough housemother Mrs. Crenshaw. She deserved more screen time.

Over all Sorority Row is a fun slasher guilty pleasure that thankfully doesn't tarnish the memory of a horror classic. It's a worth-wild watch for horror fans, especially if you don't take it too seriously.

** 1/2 out of ****

Sorority Row (2009)

[fntstcplnt · 1/10 · 19 September 2019]

Directed by Stewart Hendler. Starring Leah Pipes, Briana Evigan, Jamie Chung, Rumer Willis, Caroline D'Amore, Margo Harshmann, Maxx Hennard, Julian Morris, Matt O'Leary, Carrie Fisher, Audrina Partridge. (R)

A stupid college prank goes extra stupid (and wrong, to say the least), resulting in a dead co-ed and five fellow sorority sisters with a dirty little secret to keep; you don't want to know what these twits did last summer, this summer, or any summer to come. Ostensibly based on 80s slasher flick, "The House on Sorority Row," but hardly resembles it; within the deluge of uninspired horror remakes of its time, possibly the lowest of the low. Opens with a camera shot that circulates a college party so obnoxiously crass, it immediately becomes clear that every character in the movie will be loathsome (even Evigan, who appeared destined for "final girl" status as soon as she was introduced). So nauseatingly constructed--frothing camera movements, gratuitous close-ups, grimy filters, edited with a chainsaw--that one begins to wonder if the direction was done as a sick prank similar to the one that occurs in the first act. Avoid at all costs, even those curious about what the heck Carrie Fisher is doing in this garbage--she's only onscreen for about five minutes, and is right to look a little embarrassed.

15/100

A surprisingly fun guilty pleasure

[lovecraft231 · 7/10 · 13 September 2009]

Oh no, a guy is cheating on one of the Theta Pi sisters! Good for them they have a prank lined up for some prime revenge. Too bad said prank ends with one of them dead. To make things worse, a hooded slasher is after them after graduation.

Last year, we got a remake of "Prom Night" that ended up being one of the worst horror remakes of the decade, and committed a cardinal sin-a PG-13 slasher movie. Well, look at "Sorority Row" (a remake of the 1983 slasher flick "The House on Sorority Row") as the movie the "Prom Night" remake should have been-the anti-"Prom Night" remake if you will. It's not a classic, but nobodies expecting that now, are they?

So, what works?

For one thing, while not a splatter flick, there are some impressive kills available, as well as a sweet murder weapon that has potential to become iconic. Also, the performances are fun. Carrie Fisher is a hoot to watch (her role is a bit too minuscule though) and unlike say "I Know What You Did Last Summer", this movie makes no bones about the fact that most of these characters are unlikable and deserve their fates. The best surprise as far as acting is concerned is Leah Pipes as the bitchy leader of the sorority sisters Jessica. She's a blast to watch, and plays the part without overacting or overdoing her character. In short, she steals the show as far as I'm concerned. The movie does have it's flaws-it's a bit too flashy at moments, at times could have done a little more with it's R-rating (there's nudity, but none of the lead girls gets naked? For shame!) and the final ten minutes could have definitely used some work.

Nags aside, "Sorority Row" is a fun guilty pleasure. Sure, it's more catered towards a teen audience than hardcore horror fans, but come on, most slasher flicks have been catered to a teen audience. Besides, in an age of pointless PG-13 horror, 3D gimmicks, unnecessary sequels like "Halloween II" and "The Final Destination", horror flicks that try to hard to be hardcore, and horror flicks that try too hard to cater to horror fans (I'm a hardcore horror fan, but occasionally that can get annoying), a piece of unapologetic slasher fluff goes down easy.

Plus, any movie that opens with girls in PJ's with their asses exposed jumping up and down can't be all bad.

Good grief

[thales-63045 · 1/10 · 1 November 2020]

Just watched this on The Horror Channel. Please don't waste your time. Go cut the grass even if it's snowing. You'll find that more entertaining that this dross. Acting was awful. Storyline incredibly weak. Scary. No. Ironic yes! Will you waste 95 mins of your life? Yes.

Much better than you think

[lancelg-54377 · 10/10 · 24 December 2021]

I would say the only flaw in this film is that the motive of the killer isn't explored well, but other than that, it's a solid slasher with fun characters/dialogue.

Pretty much by the numbers

[preppy-3 · 1/10 · 6 June 2010]

A bunch of unlikable sorority girls pull a stupid prank which accidentally kills one of them (the details are too stupid to get into). Naturally they all dump the body and pledge never to tell anyone. Eight months later, when they're graduating, someone starts sending them text messages with videos of the killing and saying they're going to all die.

Positively insulting redo of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (which sucked too). The plots are virtually identical with a typically annoying ending when someone who you never suspected is the killer. To be honest the person seems to know things that it would have been impossible for them to know...but I was so bored by then I could have cared less. The plot has the same boring clichés we've all seen--people wander off into the dark alone with no protection; there are ENDLESS stalking scenes; there's the evil rich girl and the sweet one (guess who lives); bloody murders that aren't shocking or interesting; a gratuitous shower sequence to show off nude females and male characters who were hired for their looks and muscular bodies--NOT their acting. The girls are all attractive and might actually have some acting talent but you can't tell by this. I gave up on this movie totally when one of the women is going into the sorority house alone and is warned not to. Her response? She holds up a FLARE GUN and says, "I'm protected" with a straight face! I broke out laughing at that one! This is yet another attempt by Hollywood to revive the slasher film by giving us the same garbage that KILLED the slasher film back in the 1980s! Let's put it this way--the 20 minute or so documentary in the DVD is a hundred times more entertaining than the full movie! Also don't let Carrie Fisher's name being in the credits fool you--she's barely in this. Boring, stupid and pointless.

A Nutshell Review: Sorority Row

[DICK STEEL · 3/10 · 3 October 2009]

I can't help but to compare this with I Know What You Did L:ast Summer, where one can make a slasher film by assembling a bevy of hot looking girls, never mind if they can act to save their lives, and designing enough innovative ways to make them fall to the killer's weapon of choice. It's pretty no brainer, and while this film succeeded in its casting, the way it went about dispatching its victims was a tad too boring.

Story centers around a group of sorority seniors whose prank went awry resulting in the demise of one of their own. The surviving members decide to hush it up after a great moral debate on what's right and wrong, and the voice of reason gets drowned out. Fast forward some 8 months later to graduation, they get haunted by the victim's phone messages and video clip of the event, that they decide to investigate just who is bumping them off one by one.

The filmmakers don't even try to make the killer an iconic one worthy for induction into Horror's Wall of Infamy, and designed yet another generic psychopath that are B-grade plenty. Body count is low too, and it didn't help that the characters are unlikable to begin with that you just don't bother if they live or die.

sexist, raunchy, objectifying, lacking imagination

[eelliemaee · 1/10 · 13 September 2009]

this is a totally horrible and immature T&A piece. There is absolutely no imagination what-so-ever, just exploitation of the females body. If people want to watch this sort of material they are better off just going and buying porn cause the acting is about the same (bad) If you enjoy films that are done just to offend demoralize and humiliate women with no class and poor acting (similiar to "porky's" "national Lampoons") crudeness, where they will use any lame excuse to show a womans rack (shower scene...puh leez) then this is right up your alley. If you enjoy films that are worth watching, have good acting, and actors that respect the female body and don't support flaunting it to the "anything goes" desensitized hooters loving audience then this movie is for you

Fun, Fast and Furious!

[jery-tillotson-1 · 7/10 · 12 September 2009]

Sassy, bitchy, scary and good-looking--Sorority Row more than pleased me since I wasn't expecting much. And when I read that this was yet another remake of an older fright flick, I was ready to destroy it.

Surprisingly, it proved to be lots of fun and the string of murders were amazing. What I liked in particular, besides the really excellent performance of the whole cast, was the terrific musical score b Ken Seng. The pounding music worked perfectly the hidden violence that explodes when you don't exp3ect it.

Director Stewart Hendler moved things along smoothly and never let things lag. As an old timer, I just wonder if college is as wild as depicted in the movie since my glory day back in the early 60s were still in the Pat Boone and Doris Day style of living.

A silly plot with uninteresting revelation of the murderer

[sauravjoshi85 · 2/10 · 22 April 2020]

Sorority Row is a murder mystery movie directed by Stewart Hendler and stars Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Julian Morris, Audrina Patridge, Caroline D'Amore and Matt O'Leary.

The movie is nothing but just some cruel and violent killings with cliche dialogues and some overacting.

The movie is a mystery murder movie but the way movie progresses the grip diminishes and you will start feeling uninterested.

Climax neither excites you not shocks you. The director has also failed to make you understand the real intention of killing and climax is bad. With some gratuitous nudity. The movie is totally avoidable.

It definitely surprised me.

[Moviefreak4653 · 7/10 · 12 September 2009]

You know going into "Sorority Row" I wasn't expecting truly a whole lot, if anything. Because, although I knew it would be nothing I'd give a 1 rating too, somewhere inside me was ready to feel that feeling of infuriation. I mean coming into this one is kind of already expecting it to be a good for nothing movie with just an excuse to find ways to kill people and to have girls take of their tops, and for their to be a parade of unlikable people who you could care less if they lived. What I ended up getting, actually surprised me. I guess it's kind of redundant too say that "Sorority Row" isn't all those things I just mentioned, because it may be at some points, but in my opinion they handle it in a classier way than most if not all of the movies wouldn't even dream of going. For example there were many scenes where a sexual tension built up, but that all that happened. I really appreciated that fact. Also I must say it was kind of original, I mean sure they don't provide us with anything ENTIRLEY new, but at times it feels fresher. The characters, the moment I saw them I expected them to be the most annoying, under-written, horribly conceived, badly acted, and unlikable characters ever, they really wern't. I mean sure some of them may have been a little stereotypical at times, some of them may have been just like the girls in every slasher movie from the last 15 years, but the dialog is actually handled in a very witty way. This movie has a sense of humor, and I'm glad it did, otherwise I wouldn't have liked it as much. I mean sure if you've seen the movie I'll admit the humor(although I admire it) can be a bit out of it's league for scenes that didn't call for it. However when it's okay to have it, they use it, and it works well. I mean I'm just a sucker for a good sarcastic line, and "Sorority Row" definitely delivers that for me. Next the killings were actually really cool, and fits the slasher tone well. I also felt the film was very well paced, when it started (because they do jump into the story pretty much immediately) I feared that after-wards it would become mellow dramatic nonsense. Mellowdramatic, maybe, entertaining, most definitely. I will say that "Sorority Row" maybe should have given itself a little more credit in some scenes that were a bit sloppy joe, and I think the actresses(although they do a fine job) maybe should have all stayed on the same level of fear. Because in many scenes it's like they're not even scarred or sad yet Rumor Willis' character(who although IS suppose to be like she plays) kind of looks a little dumb, and over the top mellow dramatic. I also didn't particularly care for the ending, I didn't think it was well thought out, and it seems rushed. Plus they killed one certain character whom I didn't want to die, and who went out WAY too easy. I also think it should have had a really good chase scene, and I think the killer should have been a little more active and physical. I mean it's like okay we get it that you need to remain, for the first half, mysterious, but okay now were getting to the main climax come out of the shadows! Again on the VERY end, was it THAT necessary. If you've seen it you'll know what I'm talking about, if you haven't and are going too see it, you'll see what I mean. Overall although "Sorority Row" does have it's fair share of flaws, it's actually not that bad at all. I expect it to not do so well, but I'm just saying out of the recent remake wave that's been happening this one was actually kind of above average. I won't say that as a remake it's great (although I'll admit I've never seen the original), I just think as a stand-alone horror film one would get some enjoyment. Even though the movie may look dull, I actually had a fun time watching "Sorority Row". 7.5/10

Derivative and uninspired

[Siamois · 4/10 · 6 January 2010]

Sorority Row offers all the ingredients of the average slasher film; young, beautiful people, each filling a niche personality-wise, are chased by some kind of costumed killer and die gruesome deaths. Of course, the main characters are all linked by some terrible sin of the past.

This particular recipe has been used by countless films, but Sorority Row particularly takes inspiration by the 90s slashers, which added slight moments of humor, sometimes even during the scary scenes. Think Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer and you aren't far off what Sorority Row attempts to do.

There was certainly an attempt to get actors as attractive as possible but someone in casting probably forgot to make them speak a few lines; the acting on display during the 100 minutes is often cringe-worthy. The uninspired director probably hoped that numerous shots of breasts would make everything else forgiven.

If Sorority Row took itself more seriously, the film and its awful story would be unwatchable. But the light tone makes it OK for one watch. Do not expect revolutionary death scenes or an epic villain. In fact, don't expect much, except a way to kill 100 minutes of time.

Barely recommended, strictly for slasher fans.

Enormously entertaining slasher remake

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 9/10 · 20 August 2012]

A group of sorority sisters find themselves the target of a maniacal killer in retaliation for their involvement in a prank gone wrong on one of their friends and must survive the attacks before they're all killed off.

A lot better remake than initially expected, as it appears to be a glossy-looking, safe slasher that intends to tease rather than deliver, ably demonstrated by the rather low amount of nudity and sleaze offered despite their being not only one but two drunken college parties and more opportunities spread throughout the running time that would've been nice to show off a little more than it did, but also applying to the gore as well with it's rather lame-looking CGI bloodspurts that aren't nearly as much as what would've been unleashed had the kill actually gone down as it should've, yet the stalking in here is rather good with numerous chilling spots, the finale chasing has plenty of action and a nice recurrence of the old burning-down-the-house spirit so common in the Corman/Poe classics and a rather novel killer identity revelation that works really well. Could've been a lot better, but it's still really good as is.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Nudity, a mild sex scene and drug use

I had Expectations for This Movie - and it Exceeded Them!

[Screen_Queen · 6/10 · 10 September 2009]

This movie has enough frights & thrills to make you jump multiple times, but it's not just that that makes the movie for me. What makes this film different from all of the recent mediocre horror films is that it is very much character and dialogue driven. The characters become as compelling as the plot itself and you actually find yourself starting to care about these characters. The dialogue shoots back and forth between the characters and further builds up the suspense until the final revelation. The suspense is very well drawn-out - it doesn't reveal the killer too early and it doesn't make you impatient for the end. The resulting finale is a big bang and not disappointing at all.

The acting was also a cut above the rest - I didn't cringe at the lame screams or badly-acted terrified facial expressions because there weren't any. Kudos to all the girls because they gave performances beyond what I expected would be given.

This movie doesn't deserve any awards, because it doesn't want any. Thinking about this movie is useless; if you want a movie that makes you think then go catch Inglorious Basterds. This film is meant to entertain, and entertain it did. It's what most horror films today should be. This movie has set a standard which all subsequent horror films (especially teen horrors) should follow.

Just let yourself be drawn in instead of attempting to guess who the killer is and ruining the experience for yourself. If you just go in with a blank mind and just leave all you doubts at the door you will enjoy it as it is and not blame it for being what it's not afterwards.

I hadn't watched the 1983 version before going in, but I have no doubt in my mind that this remake is at least as good as, if not better, than the original film. As a film, I give it a 7. But as a horror film, it definitely deserves an 8. I loved every moment of this movie. Completely worth my money.

As a Horror-fan, this saddens me...

[ImtheAwesomest · 2/10 · 17 September 2009]

A few months ago, I was looking through movies that were to come out, and finding out which ones looked like ones that I'd be really excited to watch. This was on the top of that list. This film, especially from a males perspective, has everything a horror-fan could want: a REALLY good plot idea, from a clip I saw: good deaths, hot women and from the trailer I watched; seemingly good cinematography.

Oh, how I couldn't be more wrong. This film has quite easily proved just how BAD remakes are. Before I watched this, I always stuck up for it when people would say how much of a rip-off from other films it was, as it was a remake itself. And you know what? I Know What You Did Last Summer was BETTER than this.

My main criticism goes to whoever wrote the script, because the speech in this film was the worst I've ever heard. The girls were so unbelievable and yet attempted stereotypes (one nerd, one stuck-up-bitch, one person that had a 'good heart', etc.). It was just REALLY bad. To be honest, there was only one believable character in this film, and she died at the beginning, giving the only imaginative death in the entire film.

When reading the reviews, I didn't really care how good or bad they were, I KNEW I was going to see this film, and to be honest, I'm glad I did so I can tell the rest of my friends not to bother with it. Worst ever use of a good plot.

2/10 for the bottle-scene.

A completely unoriginal horror movie.

[bramb600 · 3/10 · 23 September 2009]

The plot of Sorority Row is very similar to I Know What You Did Last Summer. It involves Sorority girls who plan a prank that accidentally results in the death of one of their sisters. Now, it's 8 months later and they're still living with that secret. All of a sudden, after graduation, everyone that knows about the secret is being killed off one by one. It is important to understand that this isn't a ripoff of I Know What You Did Last Summer, but yet another remake. The original film is The House on Sorority Row from 1983. Horror movies these days can never be original because the studios know that there are unless remakes that could be made and they will be successful. This is another bad one.

The acting in the movie is very bad and that goes for the dialogue as well. I actually counted 15 references to Facebook. Anyway, I just couldn't care for any of the characters. At a certain point, I was just waiting for the next one to die, hoping that there would be some creativity in the deaths. There was probably only one truly disturbing death involving a bottle of vodka that I won't be spoiling in this review because it's probably the most entertaining part of the whole film.

The twist was also very disappointing and didn't make any sense. It was just very predictable that they would take it in that direction.

I'm going to give Sorority Row a 3/10. If you're a fan of nudity and don't care so much for decent acting and dialogue, then you may like it. If you care, then it's best to just stay away from this trash. There really isn't much good about Sorority Row.

Sorority Sisters

[RobTheWatcher · 4/10 · 29 June 2023]

Sorority Row was a below average horror slasher movie. There were just too many flaws and gaps in this movie, although I was fully expecting them given the kind of movie this is. The acting was particularly bad and often times just cringe. The story line itself seemed very chaotic and all over the place. I still don't clearly feel like I understand how things panned out and why. The best parts of this movie were definitely the killings. The gore and violence of it was pretty well done and some of the killings were creative and funny. It was a decent enough watch but not something id necessarily recommend.