The Dorm That Dripped Blood (Stephen Carpenter & Jeffrey Obrow, 1982)

The Synapse release of The Dorm That Dripped Blood might be the ultimate proof that VHS is 100% obsolete. Without this amazing format we would never have seen this movie as it was meant to be seen. But hey, if you want to watch a version so murky it’s impossible to see what’s happening and of course censored – both by the distribution company from the beginning and then probably by some government controlled fascistoid censorship department – just do that: go Go GO VHS!!!

I would never do such a stupid thing. I’ve never been into nostalgia and that’s basically what VHS and other tape-formats are today. I just want to see the movie in as good quality as possible. To watch The Dorm That Dripped Blood now is like watching a movie you haven’t seen before – even if the film is cheaper than cheap, it still looks fantastic compared to every single release out there. But it’s not just fine quality and the – finally – totally uncut violence that’s attractive. It’s a good slasher movie at the same time, which can be quite rare sometimes.

Alright, I’m a bit whiny now –but I’ve been to the dentist this morning and I’m full of drugs – and plus that the ticking bomb called migraine. Anyway, a bunch of youths stays in the school campus over the weekend or something – I think they’re gonna fix it up. Maybe. Suddenly a very brutal killer starts killing (surprise!) them one by one. The killer even gets a chance to whack the parents of one the students! Fun fun fun!

Alright, that was the worst recap EVER of a movie, but I just can’t write more about such a thin storyline. The thing is that it’s a slasher movie that still holds up so damn well. Maybe it’s like with The House on Sorority row, it just has the great rhythm. What makes this one unique is that its very, very nasty. The kill scenes are often very bloody, drawn-out. Sadistic like few other from this time (maybe The Prowler?) and much of this suffered when Big Brother Censor Monkey took the scissors and butchered it before it even could be released properly.

The drill scene – of course – stands out, which is very graphic even if the prosthetic head used looks a big on the cheaper side. There’s also a spiked bat slamming into the side of the head that seemingly goes on forever. A hand sliced in two, bloody cuts and a very interesting cynical atmosphere – rare for such an intimate and personal project (I think it was more or less hot like a student project at some point). For a slice and dice movie it’s a lot more creative than some of the bigger-budgeted counterparts – even if it never becomes original regarding story, motive or whatever… even if the ending is a bit more edgier than usual.

Using the often very spooky campus environments, a distinct lack of light and the grittiness that comes with shooting super-cheap at a real location, Death Dorm (as it was called once) feels eerily realistic. It’s so far from glossy and sanitized as it can come, which feels very refreshing in a time when most slashers already had become slicker Hollywood-wannabe projects.

 It’s always nice to revisit this film, and if you haven’t seen this version – see it ASAP.

Comments

[Megatron]

"Without this amazing format we would never have seen this movie as it was meant to be seen. But hey, if you want to watch a version so murky it’s impossible to see what’s happening and of course censored – both by the distribution company from the beginning and then probably by some government controlled fascistoid censorship department – just do that: go Go GO VHS!!!"

What I liked about VHS is the durability.....you could drop a tape in the ground and not much would happen.

Other then that......there aren´t many qualities to it.

"Alright, I’m a bit whiny now –but I’ve been to the dentist this morning and I’m full of drugs – and plus that the ticking bomb called migraine."

And on a friday as well......you have to love that.

I hope you get better.

"The thing is that it’s a slasher movie that still holds up so damn well. Maybe it’s like with The House on Sorority row, it just has the great rhythm."

I see.

"What makes this one unique is that its very, very nasty. The kill scenes are often very bloody, drawn-out."

Well, now......great stuff with other words.

"Sadistic like few other from this time (maybe The Prowler?)"

I haven´t seen that one yet.

"The drill scene – of course – stands out, which is very graphic even if the prosthetic head used looks a big on the cheaper side."

Damn.....holding nothing back.

"For a slice and dice movie it’s a lot more creative than some of the bigger-budgeted counterparts – even if it never becomes original regarding story, motive or whatever… even if the ending is a bit more edgier than usual."

They try to elevate material a little bit?

"It’s always nice to revisit this film, and if you haven’t seen this version – see it ASAP."

I haven´t seen it in ANY version......good review and thanks.

[Smallerdemon]

Frankly, the best part of VHS was the ability to record your own stuff. It was never a great archival or even delivery format. Big, bulky, wasteful, but so so so cheap for distribution companies that the entire concept of cheap movies changed entirely because they didn't have to worry about theatrical distribution anymore.