Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- darkly comic
- foreboding
- late night horror viewing
- 1980s horror marathon
What critics said
Critics generally regarded the film as technically polished and intermittently suspenseful, but predictable, derivative, and only moderately effective as horror.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Katherine, Vicki, Liz, Jeanie, Diane, and Morgan form the central sorority-house group threatened after the prank death.
Critics specifically praised the keen-edged, brightly colored photography while the film stages stalking and murder inside the sorority house.
The girls hide the house owner’s body after the prank goes wrong, then face a witness or killer who stalks them one by one.
Critical reception repeatedly notes dark humor interrupting the expected slaughter and compares the film’s clever touches to De Palma and Hitchcock.
Films like The House on Sorority Row, and why
Black Christmas
early slasher suspense, isolated house setting, and a concealed death that draws a killer’s attention
Diabolique
female-centered psychological horror, body concealment, and escalating paranoia around a seemingly impossible disappearance
Dressed to Kill
stylized slasher mechanics, subjective camerawork, dark humor, and a young female ensemble threatened by a hidden killer
The Initiation
sorority setting, stalker suspense, and colorful early-1980s slasher atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Mark Rosman
- Release Date
- 1982-11-19
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (237)
Cast
- Kate McNeil
- Eileen Davidson
- Janis Ward
- Robin Meloy
- Harley Jane Kozak
- Jodi Draigie
- Ellen Dorsher
- Lois Kelso Hunt
- Christopher Lawrence
- Michael Kuhn
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The House on Sorority Row about?
- After a sorority prank ends in accidental murder, guilty young women face a relentless stalker who knows what they did.
- What is The House on Sorority Row like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The House on Sorority Row as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The House on Sorority Row violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The House on Sorority Row as graphic.
- What did critics think of The House on Sorority Row?
- Critics generally regarded the film as technically polished and intermittently suspenseful, but predictable, derivative, and only moderately effective as horror.
- Which films are like The House on Sorority Row?
- Films with a similar feel include Black Christmas, Diabolique, Dressed to Kill, and The Initiation.
- How long is The House on Sorority Row?
- The House on Sorority Row runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The House on Sorority Row?
- In United States, The House on Sorority Row streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
