Phil's Cult Classics: SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA (1988) from FUll Moon Features - January 28, 2019

SORORITY BABES Blu-Ray

SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA (1988)

Starring Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer, Andras Jones, Hal Havins, John Stuart Wildman, Kathi O'Brecht, Carla Baron, Robin Stille (as Robin Rochelle)
Written by Sergei Hasenecz
Cinematography by Stephen Ashley Blake
Edited by Tom Meshelski, Barry Zetlin
Produced by Charles Band, David DeCoteau, John Schouweiler, Thomas Keith
Directed by David DeCoteau
Originally released by Urban Classics
Released by Full Moon Features

Hello B-movie fanatics and welcome to the first installment of Phil's Cult Classic of 2019! For today's film, I decided to revisit a favorite of mine, and for those who've read my blog, you may recall that I did a review of the this film several years ago. However, Charles Band, the man behind Full Moon Features, teamed up with director David DeCoteau to restore this beloved 80's gem of a flick. Looking brand new like never before, SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA is now once again available to fans in a new 2k restoration!!

The film's official synopsis: Three frat boys Calvin (Jones), Jimmie (Havins), and Keith (Wildman) sneak into the Tri-Delta sorority to witness the initiation of two new pledges Taffy (Stevens) and Lisa (Bauer). However the boys are busted by sorority sisters Rhonda (Kathi O'Brecht), Frankie (Carla Baron), and den mother Babs Peterson (Stille). As punishment, Babs sends the new pledges and the unwanted frat boys to the local bowling lane to steal a trophy. There the group meets Spider (Quigley) who is robbing the bowling alley. However an accident causes the trophy to break open, releasing an evil imp who then begins wreaking havoc by granting wishes that have dire consequences.

The film was directed by David DeCoteau, who was one of the Top Three B-movie directors during the 1980's (the other two being Rick Sloane and Fred Olen Ray). DeCoteau has directed several low-budget classics from the 80s, such as CREEPOZOIDS, NIGHTMARE SISTERS, DR. ALIEN. DeCoteau would also go on to direct films for Charles Band's company Full Moon Entertainment: PUPPET MASTER III, BEACH BABES FROM BEYOND, THE KILLER EYE for example. In recent years, he has directed a plethora of  television movies for the Hallmark Channel, including THE WRONG STUDENT, DEADLY LESSONS, and MY MOTHER'S STALKER just to name a few. Then there's the films he's made for his own company Rapid Hearts Pictures like the 1313 SERIES, LEECHES, 90210 SHARK ATTACK, and SWAMP FREAK. Overall, DeCoteau has directed a staggering 147 films!!

Original Theatrical Poster (1988)

Another interesting and noteworthy fact is that this was the first film that had all three of the legendary Scream Queens together at once. Quigley, Stevens, and Bauer were at that time the biggest names in the B-movie universe. They appeared in countless films during the 1980s, however it was DeCoteau who was able to bring these ladies together in one film. He would do this again with NIGHTMARE SISTERS that same year, and almost 25 years later, DeCoteau would reunite them again years later for 1313: COUGAR CULT and 3 SCREAM QUEENS. SORORITY BABES had a limited theatrical release on January 29, 1988, courtesy of Band's Urban Classics label. It was later released on VHS and was a staple on the USA cable's late night movie show UP ALL NIGHT during the 1990's. The show was hosted by Rhonda Sheer and Gilbert Gottfried on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively.

Again, this transfer of the movie is the best version that I have ever seen! It looks so damn amazing that I thought I died and gone to heaven. So the story goes is that DeCoteau was going through Band's collection at the Full Moon Warehouse and he came upon the original camera negatives of the film. So they took them, did a 2k scan of it, did a color correction, and added some new special features and released on Blu-Ray. For all these years, what Full Moon Features have been doing is releasing the movie on VHS and DVD, but using an old video copy as their source material, which is way it always looked bad.

As I stated, there's some cool new special features on the disc: Tales from the Bowling Alley: never before-seen behind the scenes featurette featuring an in-depth interview with director David DeCoteau on the making of the film, Original Theatrical Trailer, New 2017 Restored Trailer, Brand New audio commentary with director David DeCoteau, writer Sergei Hasenecz and Scream Queen Brinke Stevens, new intro by David DeCoteau, and several Full Moon Features trailers.

SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA is one of best B-movies to come out of the 1980s! While the film seems tame by today's standards, what makes it so much fun was that there's a touch of innocence to it. These films were just innocent fun, and unfortunately, they don't make 'em like this anymore. So if you're looking for a midnight movie to watch, give this film a whirl and have fun! Just don't let any imps out of bowling trophies! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD from Full Moon Features. To purchase a copy, visit their website at www.fullmoondirect.com. 

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!