A fun well made slasher with hints of Giallo / Euro horror from the golden age of the genre, Row plays like an 80’s redo of the original Black Christmas in structure & loosely plot wise with its likeable cast, sorority house, and the requisite lurking killer. Plus it adds in some medical experiments & sinister doctor figure for extra spice.
After the sorority girls play a prank on their mean spirited house matron (the polar opposite of Mrs Mac from Black Christmas) someone starts picking the group off one by one during a house party. As was the case for many of these films, the kills are insinuated & the gore saved for the discovery of the corpses.
What lifts this film is the stylish direction by Mark Rosman, a great cast, a nice little reveal of the killer and an excellent score by Richard Band. The underrated composer really shines here & even does a bit of heavy lifting in a mid movie lull where one girl spends a loooong time exploring the attic space & Band works overtime trying to inject some atmosphere into the scene. The film then jumps up a notch in the final reel for a great gonzo finale where the killer is unmasked & battles Final Girl Katherine.
We also get bodies in a disgusting slime filled swimming pool (a mini trend from 1982 see also Poltergeist), severed head in toilet, a poppy Cars-esque New Wave band playing at the party & some creepy ass clown doll action.
4 toilet bowl heads out of 5.
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