It’s April Fool’s Day and the sisters of Sigma Alpha Pi believe they’ve found the perfect place to throw a party: the abandoned fraternity house where a guillotined pledge once lost his head in a hazing gone awry. But shortly after their revelry begins, the student body count starts to rise as the vengeful pledge returns from the grave and makes it a party to die for. Featuring appearances by Paul Bartel (Death Race 2000, Chopping Mall) and Martin Hewitt (Endless Love, Alien Predators) and the debut of Joanna Johnson (who would graduate a year later to her longtime best-known role on The Bold And The Beautiful), Killer Party was written by Barney Cohen (Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter) and directed by William Fruet (The House By The Lake, Spasms, Funeral Home).

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Video Quality

Killer Party debuts on Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from an unknown source, but likely the fresh master that was created for the Warner Archive DVD release 2011 – only presented in its optimal state. Whatever the case may be, the results are quite fetching. Clarity and detail are mostly impressive with some of the special effects appearing quite gruesome in close-up shots. We also love seeing the primal texture of the loud clothing choices and the production design that all renders with a wonderful amount of definition. Skin tones are consistent and natural across the ensemble.

The transfer retains the natural film grain of the source without any serious manipulation to compromise the image. The grain helps bring forth the richness of the image while avoiding a weak encode that could introduce some unintended elements. Print damage has been cleaned up considerably with only minor specks remaining and nothing major ever impeding the image. Colors saturate the frame with deep hues shining off the screen in the background elements, light sources, and flashy outfits. Black levels seldom falter with crush and compression artifacts not serving as an issue. Scream Factory has treated this one quite well for fans.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that handles the material well enough with some source limitations. One of the elements that stands out is the combination of score and soundtrack which sets the stage for what you are about to watch. Tunes radiate out with admirable fidelity. The dialogue is typically clear yet experiences some fluctuations in pitch and the level of delivery. The environmental effects of the sorority house are delineated without issue. The track provides the appropriate texture but has fleeting signs of weakness that keep it from being perfect. Scream Factory has done a fine job here. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Campus Gentleman – An Interview With Actor Ralph Seymour: A new seven-minute interview with the actor in which he discusses getting the role in Killer Party, collaborating with Sherry Willis-Burch on their intimate scenes, memorable shooting moments, the shooting locations, and more.

Head of the Class – Interview with Actress Sherry Willis-Burch: A new nine-minute interview with the actress in which she reflects on her time in the production, the audition process, shooting in Toronto, the fun aspects of the special effects work, and more.

Fool’s Night – An Interview With Writer Barney Cohen: A new six-minute interview with the writer in which he discusses the legal fights over the title, creative flourishes he tried to bring to the film, memorable interactions with fans, and more.

Racing To The Party – An Interview With Composer John Beal: A new five-minute interview with the composer David Newman in which he discusses his early career work, developing the sound for Killer Party, and much more.

Unholy Diver – An Interview With Special Make-Up Effects Artist Gordon J. Smith: A new seven-minute interview with the special effects artist in which he discusses learning a lot about his creative process on this feature, the production of certain props and makeup effects, and more.

Dressed To Possess – An Interview With Production Designer Reuben Freed: A new nearly nine-minute interview with the production designer in which he discusses coming on board this project, how he implemented set tricks with this house, the interesting facets of the house, and more.

From Burbank It Came: White Sister and Killer Party – An Interview With White Sister Members Gary Brandon And Dennis Churchill-Dries: A new 17-minute interview with the musicians in which they discuss their background, their musical inspirations, the meaning behind certain tunes, and more.

Final Thoughts

Killer Party is a decently fun horror outing from the age when many were being churned out to strike while the iron was hot. There is not much that makes this stand as an all-time classic, but it strikes the necessary chords by mixing ridiculous humor, slasher chills, and supernatural thrills. If you love this era in horror, flaws and all, then this should treat you well. Scream Factory has delivered a Blu-Ray featuring a quality A/V presentation and some impressive new special features. If you are looking for something lighthearted with a dollop of spookiness, give this a try. Recommended

Killer Party is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.