Before I even really jump in I can say straight out: this movie is great! It is plain creepy fun and fulfills all my wishes for a campy horror film from the 80s. (Which is my favorite type of horror film!) Right as the film opens we know this film is going to be great. The film is introduced with a fantastic animation sequence that takes cues from the Night on Bald Mountain sequence in Disney's Fantasia. The animation is creepy, yet fun, and sets the chilling and cheeky mood of this great cult horror classic.
After the credits end we are introduced to a group of crazy and stereotypical teenagers. Despite the seemingly stock writing for each character I was still enjoying their specific personalities and their crazy fun attitudes. Watching teenagers in 80s films makes you wish it was the 80s again, despite all the high crime rates and crazy hair styles.
It turns out the weird goth chick from school, Angela, is the one throwing the party. She is looking to make friends and is hoping for a spooky and enjoyable evening. What she doesn't know is the horrors that await her and her friends in the basement crematorium of the house. The kids decide to hold a seance in order to communicate with their past lives. Mostly the kids act immature about the situation but the seance spooks two of the party guests, a short blonde girl, Helen, and the African American guy, Rodger.
The two decide to try and leave while the others split up to explore different parts of the house. What none of them knows--except for one--is that they've awoken a demonic force from the basement and it has possessed one of the party members. And thus the terror and killings ensue.
Right at the beginning the two teens who tried to leave realize the gate to get out has completely disappeared and the house is surrounded by a tall brick wall. Right away I'm thinking, "Of course. The black guy is gonna die first." But to my surprise he doesn't. It is instead Helen who dies. Her body flops down and hits the car Rodger is hiding in.
It is a simple yet tried and true plot that delivers on all accounts here. The movie gets slow here and there but only for a very brief moment before it jumps back into the fun. The whole way through I was satisfied with the events and how they were being portrayed. They back the plot up with some great scares and gore. All of the kill scenes are silly, entertaining, and satisfying. My favorite is when one character gets their arm smashed off and the arm comes to life on its own. All of the special effects are practical and look great. In one instance, Angela turns to greet another party guest and has set her hands on fire. It is a chilling, simple, and effective moment.
The acting is cheesy and over the top yet fitting for the film. I liked--or respectively disliked if they were a jerk--each character the way they were portrayed. Yet, the thing I enjoyed the most about this film is the mood and setting. It is so classically scary with not only the dead coming back but a creepy mansion, a foggy graveyard, coffins hidden in rooms, thunder storm outside, and many other horror staples that some call cliche but I consider classic.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 9
Language: 5
Gore Factor: 4
Sex Factor: 4
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 5
Overall Rating: 4