The House on Sorority Row: Special Collector's Edition – MVD Rewind Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1983
Director: Mark Rosman
Writers: Mark Rosman, Bobby Fine
Cast: Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Janis Ward, Robin Meloy, Harley Jane Kozak, Jodi Draigie, Ellen Dorsher, Lois Kelso Hunt, Christopher Lawrence, Michael Kuhn, Michael Sergio, Ruth Walsh

Release Date: July 6th, 2021
Approximate Running Times: 91 Minutes 47 Seconds (Theatrical Version), 91 Minutes 53 Seconds (Alternate mono audio version with re-timed pre-credit sequence)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English (Theatrical Version), Dolby Digital Mono English (Alternate mono audio version with re-timed pre-credit sequence)
Subtitles: English SDH (Theatrical Version), N/A (Alternate mono audio version with re-timed pre-credit sequence)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Come meet the girls of Theta Pi. All through college they've lived under the tyranny of their resident house mother. But tonight will be different. Tonight the girls of Theta Pi are celebrating their graduation in the most deadly way they know. You're invited to join them for this night of terror and madness - the fatal last fling of Theta Pi - in the smash hit film The House on Sorority Row.

When these inventive senior sisters decide to do in their demented house mother, it's an easy task. But, someone has seen, someone who wants revenge. And no college class could have prepared the girls - or you - for the horrifying mayhem that greets them on that last fateful night in The House on Sorority Row." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "High Definition (1080p) presentation of the main feature from the original internegative".

The House on Sorority Row comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46 GB

Feature: 22.7 GB (Theatrical Version), 13 GB (Alternate mono audio version with re-timed pre-credit sequence)

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape and it's on par with the transfer from Scorpion Releasing Blu-ray. It should-be noted that Scorpion Releasing’s logo is on the cover/slipcover.

Any source related debris is minimal, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels look strong throughout.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear, balanced and ambient sounds/the score are well-represented. Included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a collectible mini poster, a slipcover, reversible cover art, The House on Sorority Row radio spots (4 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), The House on Sorority Row theatrical trailer (3 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digtal stereo English, no subtitles), alternate ending storyboards (7 minutes 11 seconds), original pre-credit sequence (2 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Harley Jane Kozak (41 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Eileen Davidson (7 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Kate McNeil (14 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Mark Rosman (21 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Richard Band (45 minutes18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Igo Kantor (10 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), alternate mono audio version with re-timed pre-credit sequence (91 minutes 53 seconds, 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Mark Rosman, an audio commentary with Mark Rosman, Kate McNeil, and Eileen Davidson and trailers for Mortuary, Dahmer, Mikey, and Mind Games.

Summary:

After the success of Halloween in the late 1970’s this spawned a new subgenre of horror, the slasher film. And though many elements from the slasher film can-be traced back to the thriller genre. Ultimately, the way Halloween took these familiar elements and turned them on their head transformed said elements into something unrecognizable.

By the early 1980’s the slasher film was in full bloom and though there are many slasher films from this era that had stood the test of time. Like any genre that becomes over saturated there’s bound too be a lot of dreck.

That said, over the years there have been a handful of films that I was not impressed by upon my first viewing, only to have my mind changed when revisiting said film years later. Case in point The House on Sorority Row, a film that has won me over after additional viewings.

What starts off as a tense thriller, quickly transforms into a well-executed slasher film that successfully exploits all the slasher film genres tropes. Though the premise features elements that can-be found in countless slasher films. The result is a film that often exceeds the sum of its parts.

Content wise, The House on Sorority Row has all the elements that one would want and expect from a slasher film. The narrative has an ample amount of twists, and turns and the murder set pieces are sufficiently gory. And though the characters are cliched, this is easily forgivable since most of the performances are very good. With the standout performance being Eileen Davidson in the role of queen bitch character named Vicki. 

The House on Sorority Row returns to Blu-ray via a solid release that carries over the wealth of extras from Scorpion Releasing’s Blu-ray, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer