The Dorm That Dripped Blood

As a die-hard, dedicated slasher movie "fanatic" (as it were) since being a pre-teen at least, I can tell you that nearly all of the films in this genre, or at least the ones from the "classic era" (1978-84), were very inexpensively-made productions, filmed on relative shoestring budgets, and yet they still, as with movies of any category or time period, tend to vary greatly in quality from picture to picture. Some, in fact, if lacking in that necessary raw "energy," or forward-moving drive to the narrative, can be more like endurances to sit through rather than actual enjoyable films. So, much money does not necessarily always a good movie make, nor does almost no money necessarily a bad movie make. It's all in the... er, EXECUTION, of the filmmakers and the cast in question, that dictate whether or not a film will have that essential extra ingredient or "spark" to keep it going.Enter "the Dorm that Dripped Blood," which was made by University of Southern California at Los Angeles film students Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter, toward the end of their tenure at the college. Remarkably, principal photography started over the Christmas break of 1980 at the school (hence the Christmas lights that are visible in several scenes of the movie), and a mere three weeks later, in January 1981, most of the project was by then wrapped up and in the proverbial can.The story concerns a group of students who agree to spend a few days closing up an otherwise vacant college dormitory, that is scheduled for renovation. What the kids DON'T know, however, is that in this very confined and desolate environment, an unseen killer is also locked in there with them, and proceeds to pick them off, one by one, in the dark corridors and dimly-lit interiors of the building, with most of them being completely unaware at the time that anything is wrong.Now, if you want the absolute truth, on the surface, EVERYTHING about this film -- from the direction, to the script (done by Obrow and Carpenter, along with contributions from cohort Stacey Giachino), to the cast -- are very much on the "amateurish" side of things. Well guess what, this was after all a student film, with all of both the crew and the players being 23 or younger (I would presume), so it is abundantly clear, in the finished product, just how well they worked with the (very) limited resources that they had. Obrow and Carpenter in fact utilized the UCLA film school equipment (whether it was legitimately loaned to them by the university, or merely conveniently "borrowed," remains unclear), shooting much of it, for budgetary reasons, in the middle of the night, over that aforementioned three-week stretch.But, to this particular fan, this one just has that extra "something," a charm to it perhaps, that so many other slasher films lack, that keeps me always coming back to "the Dorm that Dripped Blood" again and again, i.e., a very high rewatchability factor. The killings are varied and intense and fairly brutal, and the special effects, while being all D.I.Y. and handmade, with rubber dummies and that sort of thing, are also consistently fun to look at, unlike the overly sterile, computer-generated imagery of so many modern films. I think that just about sums up the attraction that I have for this particular movie: By any objective Hollywood standards, it's pretty "bad," but hey, I happen to like these kinds of "bad" flicks, and, like the original "Evil Dead," the very fact that everything that you see play out before your eyes on the screen, happened to be done by college students, is precisely why it remains such fascinating and compelling filmmaking.And, I must admit that one HUGE plus for me to this movie, was the presence of Laurie Lapinski as Joanne, i.e., the film's chief female protagonist. I for one think that Laurie is just utterly gorgeous in this movie, perhaps one of the absolute cutest slasher movie girls that I've ever come across (and, keep in mind, I've seen lots and lots of these kinds of films). Such a gentle, friendly face and screen presence she has, along with those comely, doe-like eyes, and, since she spends much of the film's runtime in ultra-tight 'Lee' blue jeans and a nifty pair of running shoes, certainly an equally beautiful and slender and attractive body, as well. In short, Laurie is a real talent, one that makes this particular movie endure for me year after year. I literally can't take my eyes off of her whenever I watch it.Finally, this excellent 2011 Synapse Blu-ray/DVD combo reissue is THE definitive version of this classic to have, as it was apparently transferred from the only surviving print in existence, of the complete, feature-length, UNCUT version, that was thought to have been lost to time for some 30-odd years, and was discovered languishing in the interim, in some dusty film reel can or something, exhumed from its hibernation like the buried treasure that it is. It gave this gem a much-needed new lease on life. All in all, a fun, energetic, golden little nugget of a slasher from the peak era, as well as a personal favorite of mine of the genre.

One of the best slasher movies ever

I am very liberal when it comes to "liking" horror films from the 80's. Firstly, some of them are the finest slasher films ever made, but even the less than oscar-caliber ones have a grisly glee when it comes to getting down to business -- the art of serving up bloody bodies in new and hopefully stomach turning ways. First of all, this film does NOT take place in a dorm. It may be some weird kind of apartment building, but that's not very easily determined. It is a foreign film, but some of my favorite horror films are foreign, complete with poor dubbing and stilted acting performances (which I often enjoy as part of a bygone charm). This film tries to be a contender, but it fails. There are three gruesome killings, and I can understand why they were cut from the original release. But even with them restored, I found this film to be slow, more poorly acted than I could stomach, and worst of all, badly written. Still, I recommend watching it from an 80's Slasher Film purist perspective.

This HD transfer seems to have received a whole unholy hell load of flak. I went into it expecting not a whole lot, but I came out of it pleasantly surprised and being reminded once again that I shouldn't listen to the reviews unless they're written by people I really trust to know their stuff (and even then sometimes you gotta see things for yourself to decide). Could this film look better? If the original camera negative (OCN) could be found. This Blu-ray was transferred from a 35mm interpositive (IP)--that is, the 16mm OCN was blown up to a 35mm negative which was then used for the IP. What we get is a source two generations removed from the OCN, with the audio taken from an analog video master, so there are flaws, but to anyone's knowledge these are the best elements for the picture and sound that currently exist. However, it was cleaned up rather well and is a pleasing transfer with healthy, nondistracting grain. (Unless, of course, you're a grain hater--in which case, why are you watching movies shot on film??? The grain MAKES UP the image, and to scrub that away means to eliminate a certain amount of critical picture detail along with it.) Black levels can look a bit light at times, while most times being richly dark and appropriate. Color reproduction is good, and it's nice to have a film in its native 1.66:1 aspect ratio rather than cropping it for 16:9 (1.78:1), or worse, 1.85:1 (which is common practice in a lot of circles and really cramps the headroom and ruins the photography on a lot of releases). I didn't notice any kind of digital artifacting and the like.The film itself is a fun ride and recommended for any fans of '80s slasher flicks. There are a lot of cliches here that come with the genre, but there are some unique twists and the movie overall is just a whole lot of fun, and one I personally think is acted real well. Naysayers of leading actress Laura Lapinski can take a flying leap because I think she's incredibly gorgeous, a unique beauty. Props to this film for not having buxom bimbo babes and loads of nudity, despite being a slasher (though there is one such gratuitous shot, which I'll admit I loved). It's not quite as smart and artistic as "The Prowler", but it's a breath of fresh air amidst the immense slew of cash-in slasher films. For a student film, this is very well made. INCREDIBLY well made, actually.The film is uncut, too! There's a great reason to buy it. To my knowledge this is the only uncut version of the film in the States, and even if you don't yet have a Blu-ray player, it comes with a DVD plus your future-proof hi-def copy of the film for when you eventually do splurge on the newer equipment. The two interviews with the composer and special effects artist are very informative and entertaining, and the two trailers--one for "The Dorm That Dripped Blood" and the other for its retitle, "Pranks"--are in full HD glory.Chalk one up to the Blu-ray horror collection. For high definition enthusiasts, this one's sure to please.An impressive package overall. Highly recommended.

I've seen a lot of slashers especially from the Golden Era. I consider this to be very underrated and one of the forgotten gems. I thought the acting was pretty good. It had great suspense and build. I really liked the ending. This movie stands out in a long line of forgettable slashers. I'd rank it on the level of House on Sorority Row. That is another one to check out. I was bummed this movie never came to regular dvd as I don't own a blu ray player. I own a lot of slasher movies and this is one I frequently rewatch. Enjoy!

Excellent uncut version of this infamous (in the UK) slasher. Comes with reversible sleeve, with the original controversial UK video nasties era artwork and title, Pranks. Essential for collectors. Region Free.

alberne selbstgebrannte kopie , nichts wert!

You basically know what kind of film you're getting when you order a movie called "The Dorm That Dripped Blood." In many ways, this is a pretty typical offering from the Golden Age of slashers - college students are stalked and killed in systematic (yet creative) fashion. It's got a low budget, plenty of blood, and a conclusion that doesn't make much sense. I have no problem with any of these basic qualities, nor should anyone seeking this out to watch for the first time.What I did not care for was how comparatively dull this was in comparison to some of its contemporaries. Similar films, like "The Initiation" and "Happy Birthday to Me" are also made on a low budget and feature some questionably ludicrous plot points, but they're also significantly more entertaining. Most of "The Dorm That Dripped Blood" consists of characters wandering dark corridors, dark basements, dark tunnels - and not a whole lot of anything else. There's no real interesting conflicts or storylines to speak of aside from the slashing, which makes the film feel pretty insubstantial.Still, it is clear that there was passion behind the project, and it's not without it's good points. The film has gotten a reputation over the years as being particularly nasty and bleak, which is a reputation that it has indeed earned. While it's nothing out of the ordinary in comparison to today's horror films, but fans will likely note an unusually harsh mean-streak running throughout. Not necessarily a plus, depending on your point of view, but definitely something that sets it apart from the pack. As well, it also features a surprisingly solid score from Christopher Young.All things considered, this is probably the kind of film that will appeal to horror fans only, and even then it doesn't have universal appeal. But like I said, you probably know what to expect before you even see it. If it sounds like your kind of thing, there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes. The blu-ray features a nice restoration and has a few cool bonus features to sweeten the deal.

Pequeño y olvidado slasher tambien conocido como pranks,esta edicion viene en un disco sin prensar con una calidad de imagen apenas pasable.Trae la pista original en ingles y castellano,asi como subtitulos en castellano.Solo si eres fan o coleccionista del cine de terror o b vale la pena.

Yet again another awesome slasher horror from the 80's!! Good story with a nice setting, the cast is good, there is plenty of quality nasty kills and bloody gore scenes!! Its your typical psycho stalker who did it horror!! Great music score adding lots of dread to the scenes, the ending is certainly shocking, not your usual style slasher ending!! If you love 80's horror this is a must.