The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Trish Deveraux is planning a slumber party.  But an innocent night of pizza, music and talking about boys turns into a bloodbath.  Escaped mass murderer Russ Thorn, with the help of his power drill, wreaks havoc on Trish's friends, a pizza boy, even her gym coach! Trish decides she won't be screwed like the rest and manages to take out Russ with a machete.

The Slumber Party Massacre was released during the endless parade of slashers in the early 80s.  Not particularly scary or memorable, having a power drill as the weapon of choice was a nice change from the usual knife or machete.  The film was directed by Amy Holden Jones, who had to turn down editing E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), in order to helm the movie.  I wonder if M&M's were part of the craft service table.

The Slumber Party Massacre was filmed in Venice and Los Angeles, CA

Location: Trish's House

Address: 3662 Mountain View Avenue, Venice, CA

Location: Mr. Contant's House

Address: 3670 Mountain View Avenue, Venice, CA

Location: The High School

Address: 2224 Walgrove Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Mark Twain Middle School

Location: Valerie's House

Address: 3658 Mountain View Avenue, Venice, CA

Location: Coach Jana's House

Address: 849 N Sierra Bonita Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Locations Visited: June 2021, July 2023

Locations Master List

The Strangers (2008)

 

What was supposed to be one of the best nights of their lives turns into an endless nightmare for Kristen McKay and James Hoyt.  First Kristen rejects James' marriage proposal at a friend's wedding and after returning to a secluded country home, they receive an odd knock at the door.  Shortly after they are terrorized and tormented relentlessly by three people in masks.  Unable to escape and their one lifeline blown away, Kristen and James are overtaken by the strangers and seemingly stabbed to death.  After the assailants leave, they encounter two boys passing out religious pamphlets.  They eventually stumble upon the house and find Kristen to still be alive.

The Strangers was a sleeper hit of 2008.  Released two years after filming, the tension and creepy score make it one of the more memorable home invasion movies.  The film scared up over 80 millions dollars at the box office.  Despite being a hit, it took ten years for a sequel to be released.  And to make up for the lost time, three new sequels have been recently announced to be helmed by Die Hard 2 (1990) director Renny Harlin.

Thanks to Cameron at Horror Explorer for finding some of these locations.

The Strangers was filmed in Florence and Timmonsville, SC

Location: The Intersection

Address: W Evans Street & Dargan Street, Florence, SC

Location: The Wedding Reception

Address: 3053 E Cres Circle, Florence, SC

Pee Dee Shrine Club

Location: The Hoyt Family Summer Home

Address: 4120 Oliver Road, Timmonsville, SC

Location: The Strangers Meet The Bicycle Boys

Address: 329 Green Acres Road, Florence, SC

Locations Visited: May 2022

Related Locations:

The Strangers: Prey At Night (2018)

Locations Master List

House II: The Second Story (1987)

Jesse McLaughlin moves into his family's mansion with his girlfriend Kate and joined by Jesse's friend Charlie and his girlfriend Lana.  In search of an ancient Aztec skull with magical powers, Jesse and Charlie dig up his great-great grandfather.  Gramps informs them that evil spirits wish to possess the skull, including Slim Reeser, Gramps' former partner.  He returns for the skull and kills Gramps, while Jesse eventually disposes of him.  Jesse then uses the skull to travel back to The Old West.  

House II: The Second Story is a definite fixer upper compared to its predecessor.  Reviews and box office receipts signaled a foreclosure to the franchise.  Lar Park Lincoln and Kane Hodder would reunite the following year on Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988).  Coincidentally, House II was produced by Sean Cunningham, who directed the first Friday the 13th (1980).

Location: The McLaughlin Mansion

Address: 2401 S. Figueroa Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

The Stimson House was built in the late 1800s and belonged to banking millionaire Thomas Stimson.    Following his death, it served many purposes from brewery to convent to fraternity to filming location.

Location Visited: June 2021

Related Location: 

House (1986)

Locations Master List

 

House (1986)

Horror writer Roger Cobb moves into his aunt's house after she commits suicide.  A logical move most of us would make.  He begins work on his next novel to take his mind off his separation and the disappearance of his son, Jimmy.  But instead he starts to lose his mind after a series of nightmares and strange occurrences in the house.  He is soon attacked by monsters but manages to reunite with his lost son on the other side of the medicine cabinet.  But the reunion is overshadowed when Roger is attacked by his former Vietnam wartime buddy Big Ben, whom Roger is able to defeat.  He and Jimmy get the hell out of that house to start a new life.

House was helmed by Steve Miner, who had directed Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Friday the 13th Part III (1982) and would later make Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998) and was produced by Sean Cunningham, who directed the original Friday the 13th (1980).  The film didn't produce as many scares as the aforementioned, but it managed a decent performance at the box office, which led to further development of other dwellings.

House was filmed in Monrovia, CA

Location: Roger Cobb's House

Address: 329 Melrose Avenue, Monrovia, CA

The Victorian house seen in the movie is known as Mills View.  At the time of filming, it was owned by two firefighter brothers...

Location Visited: June 2021

Related Location:

House II: The Second Story (1987)

Locations Master List

 

Eye For An Eye (1996)

Karen and Mack McCann find their world shattered after the brutal rape and murder of their daughter, Julie.  After a technicality releases her murderer, Karen takes it upon herself to get justice.  She tracks Robert Doob and plots his murder with the help of her support group.  Karen lures Doob to her house and shoots him, claiming it was self-defense, though Mack and Detective Denillo know the truth.

The critics and I didn't see eye to eye about Eye For An Eye.  Dismissed as exploitative and unpleasant, I was all for Sally Field taking matters into her own hands after yet another example of how the law can fail us.  Kiefer Sutherland delivers a superb creepy performance as delivery man/murderer Robert Doob.  It would not sweep the nation until six months later, but The Macarena can be heard as Karen follows Doob.  Hey Macarena!  Eye, er, ay!

Eye For An Eye was filmed in Pasadena and Los Angeles, CA

Location: The McCann Residence

Address: 456 S Arden Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Location: Dolly Green's House

Address: 2757 Glendower Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Locations Visited: June 2021

Locations Master List