Pledge Night

Director - Paul Ziller (Highlander, Panic in the Skies)
Starring - Todd Eastland (Mommy's Day, The Orchard), Dennis Sullivan (Raising Arizona, Night Terror), and Craig Derrick (New York's Finest)
Release Date - 1990
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Brothers to the end...the very end"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've seen a couple slashers this year so far and I've been mostly pleased with them.  A few were mediocre but a majority of them were very worthwhile.  Most of the slashers I've seen were newer indie flicks but I had several older slashers from the 80s and 90s that were sent my way for review from other companies.  When Vinegar Syndrome ran their Valentines Day sale I decided to have a Vin Syn marathon with some of their releases that I haven't got around to checking out yet.  After watching Hell Comes to Frogtown and Blood Harvest I decided to toss in the 1990 slasher Pledge Night.  I had never heard of this one before so I was excited about checking it out.  Thanks Vin Syn for sending this one out.  

     The film follows a fraternity that is gearing up for pledge week by hazing their new pledges.  However, the frat is unaware that the home they are in now is the same home that once housed another frat that accidentally killed one of their pledges.  The frat was forced to disband and the current frat purchased the home.  Now, the slain pledge is back and punishing everyone associated with a frat or sorority.      

     I didn't know what to think when I tossed this one in.  Honestly, I've visited sites dedicated to slashers for 15 years now and I've heard about a lot of slashers but the fact I had never heard of this one before made me think I had some real shit on my hands.  However, that was not the case at all.  I've watching this severely underrated slasher five times since my initial viewing and I'm still not tired of it yet.  The acting in this one is a little better than your typical 80s slasher.  The film pre-dates the meta-slasher craze created by Scream by half a decade but it still able to make some grounded characters that mix well with the light humor the film adds.  The characters are extremely cliched but they are still highly entertaining to watch which adds a different level of fun to the slashers before it that featured inexperienced casts and flat characters.  The story for this one borrows the original slasher storyline and mixes it with the slashers set against the frat/sorority setting.  I dig these types of slashers and loved seeing the story follow someone that was wronged killing those he associated with his death.  This was fun mixed with the college setting.  I also liked the supernatural angle and how the characters, though cliched, still had some personality written in.  I thoroughly enjoyed the writing with this one and how well it adapted to the screen.  Finally, this film is very gooey which I loved.  The films delivers some great carnage with some bloody kills that keep the slasher vibe going.  The practical effects are fucking fantastic and really makes the film as fun as it is.  Overall, Pledge Night is one hell of a good time especially for a film you've never heard of before.  Vinegar Syndrome knocks this release out of the part and I can't express how much I loved this film.  Slasher fans need this one for their collection.