A Noite das Brincadeiras Mortais

(** out of *****)

It's another sorority pledge/killer-in-the-house flick, with three pretty sorority babes and all their friends getting butchered at an April Fool's Day costume party by the vengeful spirit of a reincarnated fraternity pledge. Only, none of this really gets going until the last half hour -- for most of the movie, we're treated with long, dumb scenes of typical fraternity/sorority hijinks, pranks and shenanigans (I wish my college experience had been half as fun as this movie makes it look.) Also, I docked this movie half a star for the obnoxious and totally unnecessary double-fake-out beginning (a movie inside of a stupid, "Thriller"-like music video inside of a movie). Finally, we get to the haunted house, where the resurrected killer walks around in a deep-sea diver suit and uses such diverse tools of the slasher trade as a hammer, a trident, and a guillotine. In the climax, one of the girls gets possessed and starts snarling and slobbering and crawling around on chandeliers and ceilings (not an altogether unimpressive performance, actually.) There's minimal nudity and all of the violence is off-screen. Paul Bartel makes one of his typical B-movie cameos as an uptight college professor, and the three main girls are played by Elaine Wilkes, Sherry Willis-Burch, and Joanna Johnson. Also with Martin Hewitt, Alicia Fleer and Ralph Seymour (from "Fletch"). The theme song played over the opening and closing credits (the chorus goes, `These are the best times of our life, these are the best times. ... ') sounds like a generic ‘80s song, but hearing it after most of the cast gets wiped out was amusing in a (most likely unintentional) ironic sort of way.

HIGHLIGHT: Johnson's performance as the drooling, wall-climbing, possessed college cutie, Jennifer, is the film's highlight. She's no Linda Blair, but, for this kind of derivative, low-budget trash, she's not half bad.

College pranks are mixed with murder, madness and demonic possession in this suspenseful thriller set on a university campus. Phoebe, Vivia and Jennifer are three pretty coeds enduring the rigors of pledging a popular sorority. But hazing is nothing compared to what's in store for them at the annual April Fools party in the abandoned Delta Sigma fraternity house. The cold, brooding structure has been boarded up and off limits to two decades, ever since the death of a student in a practical joke gone awry. But the house isn't empty and whatever's inside has been waiting 20 years. Now its time has come at a party that's going to be a real killer!

Killer party offers a combination of horror and laugh-out-loud bad effects. the storyline is not new and at times is very predictable but what saves the film is that you can't help but get involved. the film achieves the difficult balance between being hilariously poor and being at times truly terrifying.

a true 80s horror film. it is perfect for light hearted entertainment, offering both laughs at the low budget effects and occasional moments of terror.

I thoroughly enjoyed this 1986 creepy camp classic that in my humble view is a Canadian Cult classic. No, it is not a horror film in the real sense of the horror genre, nor is it a comedy. What I will say is that this fraternity is one that people figuratively and literally "die for!"

If I were to compare it to the 1978 comedy fraternity phenom of Animal House, I actually enjoyed Killer Party much more because it does not rely solely on gross humor to satisfy its college and younger audience. Killer Party provides an abundance of camp, comedy, a little bit of horror, a little bit of suspense and a lot of mystery as to who is actually killing off the school faculty members and the frat boys and girls?

Since this film was released more than 30 years ago and I just watched it, I must say that it holds up very well and should be considered a five (5) C which stands for Canadian, Campy, Creepy, Cult, Classic!

I give Killer Party an entertaining 8 out of 10 rating!

This is a movie people will either love or hate. I have an infinity for 80's and some 90's horror. I think they are the building blocks of what people consider horror today.

Which there hasn't been in good horror flicks in a long time, if you don't count Insidious or The Conjuring. Even then those did not make the hair on my body raise.

But Killer Party did back when I was a kid. Not so much the atmosphere did but it was the character of Jennifer that did. What she did was give me nightmares at eight years old.

The three friends are easily the best characters and actors in the movie if you don't count Martin, who is the comic relief.

If anything watch for Jennifer and Martin.

It's a story you've probably heard somewhere else but what makes it different is how the story is set up. I just wish that there had been more background info on the evil itself.

I liked how the movie ended but there is no second party because the movie flopped. So there's no resolution. It's an open ended ending.

I did find out that there was suppose to more gore and scenes but had to re-edited and filmed due to the MPAA rating.

Give it a try if you like campy fun with a little hair raising.