Is there anything more fun than a college prank? When Jonathan and I were fresh-faced college kids we pulled a prank of epic proportions. A prank for the record books. A prank maybe five people remember ever happening. Under the guise of a campus club known as The Dangerous Friends of Jesus, we hung posters in strategic areas around Campbell University advertising an ice cream social. Next we purchased a carton of coffee ice cream, which we determined was the grossest flavor our neighborhood Food Lion had to offer. I think we took a single spoon from the cafeteria. As we entered the building where our ruse was to occur, we noticed more people than usual milling around. We quickly took a seat and assessed the situation. It felt like everyone was watching us. Unsure of our next move, a carton of coffee ice cream melting in a plastic bag we had stashed under a table, we waited. A fellow English major and his girlfriend arrived, saw us, and moseyed over.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.
"There's supposed to be an ice cream social here tonight," he answered with a grin that said 'boy howdy, do I love me the ice creams.'
"That's us," Jonathan said quietly. Our friend laughed, but I could tell a part of him was broken inside.
The sorority sisters in today's twisted tale also attempt a hilarious college prank which goes horribly wrong much like our ice cream social stunt. OK, maybe not in the exact same way. We made a fool of our chum and left a carton of ice cream to melt under a coffee table. The girls in The House on Sorority Row shoot their house mother, wrap her in towels, and dump her in a swimming pool. Now murder pranks can be fun, but not when the murder is for real and not when your victim's unhinged, homicidal son is watching from the attic. Eric Slater, our hulking madman (think Michael Myers in a jester costume), stalks the girls, picking them off in increasingly derivative ways until there is only one, Katherine (think Laurie Strode only strung out on a mild sedative).
If you've seen Psycho, Les Diaboliques, or Halloween, you'll recognize what's on display here and most likely hate The House on Sorority Row. But before you completely dismiss the film realize that House is one of only two movies that feature a performance by 80's powerpop group 4 Out of 5 Doctors, and they totally toured with Hall and Oates. Awesome!
