Let’s Party: The 10 Most Outrageous Celebrations in Horror History
Mary Beth McAndrews
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Nobody loves a good party like a character in a horror movie. A giant house in the middle of nowhere with unlimited booze and countless rooms to get lost and/or hook up in? Nothing sounds better to both a tipsy teenager and a slasher villain.
In Beth Hanna and Jerren Lauder‘s new film You’re Killing Me, teenager Eden (McKaley Miller) attends a rich classmate’s Heaven and Hell party in hopes of securing a letter of recommendation from his dad. Little does she know that this party is a little more Hell than Heaven, if you catch my drift. Luxurious wood-paneled walls and too many rooms to count serve as the perfect backdrop to this killer game of cat and mouse. Plus, watching teens fight for their lives while wearing quasi-ridiculous costumes is always a treat. Hanna and Lauder capture the cruelty of teens perfectly, while also adding a generous helping of class warfare. If this sounds like your kind of party, You’re Killing Me is out now on digital and VOD.
In honor of the release of You’re Killing Me, we’re looking at ten of the most ridiculous and blood-soaked parties of horror history. So grab some balloons and a can of warm beer, because it’s time to party.
Scream
Stu Macher’s (Matthew Lillard) house party in Wes Craven’s original Scream was the party to end all high school house parties. Secluded and packed with a never-ending stream of beer and snacks not only made it the perfect hang-out place but the perfect place to stage a murder or two. It also housed (pun intended) the iconic finale where our favorite queer couple in horror Stu (Skeet Ulrich) and Billy admit to their string of killings as Ghostface. The entire party was a ploy to get Sidney to walk right into their hands. We love killers with a flair for the dramatic. The house is so iconic that it’s also the setting for the ending of Radio Silence’s Scream (2022).
Ginger Snaps
I myself have never been to a greenhouse Halloween party, but John Fawcett’s coming-of-age werewolf film Ginger Snaps made me want to attend one ASAP. This is where we see Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) in her strangely sexy almost-wolf form as she embraces her newfound sexuality. She struts through the party with confidence, chugging liquor and kissing boys without a second thought. While her sister Brigitte (Emily Perkins) and party host/local drug dealer Sam (Kris Lemche) aren’t thrilled with this new turn of events, it’s a pivotal moment in Ginger’s transformation.
Blade
This party is a little different than the rest on this list, but it still deserves its spot simply because of how iconic the imagery is. And that’s the blood rave in the opening of the 1998 film, Blade. Raves are the perfect place for vampires to party, especially if they’re hidden in a meat-packing plant. They’re underground, dark, and go for all hours of the night. And these vampires go the extra mile and pack their sprinkles with blood. To get the crowd to feral, quite literally, the blood starts to flow and vampires start to rage. Unfortunately for them, Blade (Wesley Snipes) is waiting in the blood-filled (and probably absolutely terrible-smelling) shadows to take them down.
Slumber Party Massacre
With party already in the title, I’d be remiss to not include Amy Holden Jones’ 1982 classic slasher Slumber Party Massacre. Jones crafts a genre-defying tale featuring a killer with a massive drill and a house full of women ready to fight back. Honestly, you should watch all three films in the series plus the 2021 reboot, because they’re all incredible takes on the slasher genre, all directed and written by women. The original script for the 1982 film, written by Rita Mae Brown, was initially meant to be a parody of the subgenre. However, after Roger Corman got involved, it turned instead into a straight horror film.
Night of the Demons
Look, I am all about holding a Halloween party in an abandoned funeral home. Nothing sounds scarier, and teens Angela (Amelia Kinkade) and Suzanne (Linnea Quigley) in the 1988 Night Of The Demons wholeheartedly agree. But, their Halloween seance goes wrong pretty quickly when the demons sealed in the mortuary escape and possess our teenage hosts. From there it’s all out demonic chaos as each attendee tries to survive the night. But, of course, the body count only grows as the party rages on.
April Fool’s Day
That damn Muffy St. John really knows how to throw a rager, especially on her family’s private island. A group of her closest friends makes the trek to the island for a weekend of hedonistic pleasures, only to be met with murder and terror. But, there’s more going on than meets the eye. This is one of the more surprising slasher films I’ve ever seen.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Halina Reijn‘s 2022 murder mystery slash millennial satire may not fit squarely into the horror genre. But, it’s still a tense and surprisingly bloody journey into coke-fueled hell. With a hurricane in the forecast, a group of spoiled rich young adults gathers in one of their family’s secluded mansions with all of the necessary provisions: liquor, Xanax, coke, and glowsticks. But, when Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) arrives unexpectedly with her new girlfriend Bee (Maria Bakalova), it throws a bit of a wrench into the party plans. As they start to play the game Bodies Bodies Bodies and the storm rages on outside, the bodies literally begin to pile up. Reijn’s writing is sharp, witty, and funny, but also a bit cruel when it needs to be.
The Invitation (2015)
This party is definitely the most awkward on the list and perhaps the most twisted. Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his new girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) are invited to an intimate dinner party hosted by Will’s ex-wife (Tammy Blanchard) and her new partner (Michiel Huisman). A dinner party hosted by your ex-wife in your old house? What could possibly go wrong? Well, she and her new boyfriend may just be members of a cult and want you to join their movement. Directed by the incredible Karyn Kusama, this is a movie that’ll have you questioning the next dinner invitation you receive.
A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 is a strange entry in the franchise. But, there’s no denying that it’s unabashedly queer. That’s why watching Mark Patton’s Jesse kiss Kim Webber’s Lisa at her pool party at the film’s climax is so strange. Regardless, Lisa’s pool party is a big set piece for ANOE2 where Freddy, after gaining power from Jesse, begins slaughtering innocent partygoers in the real world. Say what you will about the film’s exploding parrots, seeing Freddy run rampant in reality is terrifying.
Ma
Octavia Spencer’s turn in the meme’d-to-death Ma is legendary. It may not be a masterpiece, but there’s no denying its cultural significance. Plus, Spencer’s Ma knows how to throw a party, which is what gets the film’s group of kids in trouble. Her willingness to host high school parties and feed kids alcohol earn her “cool” status at first. The only rule is no one can go upstairs. A little sus, sure, but these teens ignore every bright red flag in the name of getting lit. But, those parties are merely a rouse for more sinister intentions. I’d still go to a Ma party, just to say I went and lived.
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