Horror Blu-ray: The House On Sorority Row (Scorpion Releasing)

Scorpion Releasing | 1983 | 93 min | Rated R | Apr 22, 2014

When a group of sorority girls incur the wrath of strict housemother Mrs. Slater, they pull a sick prank on her as revenge. The girls set Mrs. Slater's favourite cane adrift in the unused dirty pool at the back of the sorority house, where they plan to force her to wade into the filthy water to retrieve. Unfortunately as this is a slasher film, things don't go as planned, as Mrs. Slater ends up getting shot by resident bitch, and nemesis, Vicki. Panicking, the girls decide to hide the body in the pool, at least until their graduation party happening later that night is over. No sooner has the party begun when an unseen killer begins to stalk and murder the girls one by one. Has a revenge filled Mrs. Slater somehow survived? Or is it something far worse stalking the girls?

Presented in 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen, and remastered in high definition, the movie looks wonderful, especially colours and faces are very strong, as are the daytime scenes. The opening and night time scenes are still a bit soft, but this is a vast improvement for the film. There is only audio option, an English language Dolby Digital Mono mix with no alternate language or subtitle options provided. The track is fine, but the source is a bit dated, overall it serves the movie well.

The real standout and the reason it might be worth a double dip, even if you have previously bought the movie, are the special features. Spread over 2 discs there are commentaries, comprehensive interviews and trailers. The first commentary is from the out of print Liberation DVD, which has writer/director Mark Rosman joined by actresses Eileen Davidson and Kathryn McNeil. There's also a new, exclusive commentary again with Mark Rosman, but this time accompanied by Scorpion Releasing host Katarina Waters. The rest of the interviews are quite extensive, first up is a lengthy chat with Harley Jane Kozak, which runs just under forty two minutes. On the second disc there are more interviews with stars Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, director Mark Rosman, composer Richard Band and co-producer Igo Kantor.

This high-def edition of 'House' greatly trumps the previously released Elite Entertainment and Liberation Entertainment transfers. If you're a slasher fan this stands as an essential purchase for your collection.

Special Features:

Disc 1

Commentary 1, with writer/director Mark Rosman, actresses Kate McNeil and Eileen Davidson.
Commentary 2, Mark Rosman with host Katarina Leigh Waters.
Original Pre-Title Sequence (2:06, HD)
Interview (41:39, HD) with Harley Jane Kozak.
Alternate Ending/Storyboard Comparisons/Production Stills (7:11, SD)
A Theatrical Trailer (2:57, HD) and Three T.V. Spots (1:33, HD) are included.

Disc 2