Slumber Party Massacre first image teases slasher classic remake

Slashers are back! Not like they've really been away, of course, but following hot on the heels of this weekend's Fear Street Part 1: 1994 comes the first image from eagerly-awaited horror remake The Slumber Party Massacre. 

Ahead of its debut at Cannes this month, Bloody Disgusting unveiled the pic, which errs less on the side of massacre and more on the side of slumber party. That's fine, of course, as the photo gives a good glimpse at the cast, putting the remake back onto everyone's radar. And it couldn't come at a better time with Netflix's Fear Street trilogy reigniting widespread interest in the teen slasher subgenre.

This new remake is described in the official synopsis as: “A new contemporary twist-filled reimagining of the 1982 slasher cult classic just in time for Halloween. A slumber party turns into a bloodbath, as a psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill disrupts the fun.”

It sounds like the remake plans to hit the same beats as the original. And, like the 1982 classic directed by Amy Holden Jones and written by Rita Mae Brown, this reimagined remake will be produced, written and directed by women. 

Suzanne Keilly, who previously penned episodes of Ash vs. Evil Dead and Warrior Nun, is producing the pic and writing the screenplay, and Danishka Esterhazy, who horror fans may recognize as the director of the Banana Splits Movie, is behind the camera. With their credits in mind, the remake may hew close to Brown's original script. Intended as a send-up and parody of slashers – 1981 multiplexes were stuffed with 'em – producers, including Roger Corman, rewrote her screenplay to make the resultant film play more as a straight horror.

Made for less than half a million dollars, the 1982 movie arrived at the height of the slasher craze and scooped up $3 million at the box office. It's since gone on to become a cult classic among horror hounds, along with its sequel which features the fan favorite killer who offs his victims with a power-driller guitar. 

No official release date has been announced, yet it's expected The Slumber Party Massacre remake will debut in the US on SyFy later this year as part of its annual 30 Days of Halloween event. To keep you occupied until then with some frightfully good viewing, check out our picks of the best Netflix horror movies to stream right now.