On August 11, 2000, journalist/filmmaker/fan Jason Paul Collum's hard work involving a retrospective on the Slumber Party Massacre series was unveiled in Femme Fatales, 9:3. Articles concerning the movies and SPM gals Brinke Stevens, Heidi Kozak, Juliette Cummins, Marta Kober, and Brandi Burkett are, of course, very insightful, providing a look at the actresses these days with interesting tidbits of trivia along the way...

When I learned of a 20-page retrospective on the series, I freaked and wondered how to obtain it... Finally, I went to Femme Fatales Official Site and got all of the ordering information necessary in getting this great magazine! Finally, I received the magazine in the mail one day to my surprise and overwhelming excitement. Running back into my house, I hurried up and sat down to enjoy the comprehensive and extremely cool articles!

There are tons of rare photos I've never seen, and many thanks are credited to Jason Paul Collum who found them from New Concorde's archives which must be full of so many other hidden treasures. After reading this magazine, it's still hard to believe that Roger Corman wouldn't leap at the chance of producing a fourth installment after all of the success involving the Femme Fatales issue, Massacre Collection DVD and VHS reissues, and a 2000 France theatrical release.

I came along some interesting facts involving the SPM franchise while reading. Director Amy Jones shot the first seven minutes of the film for $1,000 in 35mm, getting donations in exchange for credits, and made by a crew of six. Brinke Stevens remembers that during the shower scene, "several of the girls refused to appear naked, so they put tape over their breasts so the director couldn't use shots of them." Stevens also says that her hiding scene was "very difficult. There were about five of us crammed into this tiny area to get that shot. It was literally a closet, but Amy Jones pulled it off and the scene worked really well." (pg. 13) Speaking of Amy Jones, there's an actual picture of her donning a Sleepless Nights t-shirt with fake blood splattered on herself, and Brinke's quoted such nice things about her as "She knew what she wanted and how to get it. She's one of the hardest working directors I've met. She cared about her crew." (pg. 13)

Amy Jones recalls that the preview of SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE, "was extremely successful." Recounting the experience to Charlotte Wolter, she noted, "The audience screamed their heads off, but they also laughed a lot. It was done with tongue firmly in cheek. Still, it delivers."

There's also mention of the provocative ads that were censored many times. "An appropriately lurid print campaign featured four frightened women crouched at the feet of a man holding an electric drill," recalled Charlotte Wolter (of Cinefantastique). "Reportedly, in an eariler, revised version of the ad, the very long bit of the drill dangled strategically between his legs. So much for the hard sell." (pg. 14) Surprisingly, Jason Paul Collum goes on to talk about the profitable theatrical release for SPM, spawning Sorority House Massacre and eventually SPM 2 which originally was supposed to be a separate film from the original. It's believed that Crystal Bernard was "less than happy" with the title change. (pg. 15)

The amusing interview with Heidi Kozak (Sally, SPM 2) mentioned clothing conflicts between the wardrobe lady and Heidi for her character's appearance. "My jean shorts suddenly started getting shorter every day. Somebody was cutting the fringe a little more each morning until they were so short, I eventually had to get a new pair." (pg. 18) I guess the wardrobe lady wasn't too thrilled with Heidi's choice of attire...

Heidi also talks about her 12 hour make-up application for the exploding zit scene, resistance to nudity scenes (which SPM 2 director Deborah Brock helped Heidi out with), and much more. She even mentions that the building they filmed in "had to be destroyed because it was so infested" by real cockroaches previously used for another Concorde movie, The Nest. (pg. 16)

Juliette Cummins is now working largely on such TV commercials for Mission Tortillas, Pepsi, Mobil Oil, Burger King, Crest, Eggos, and Aamco, along with an HMO for breast cancer. She recalls life on the SPM 2 set, an ad-lib audition session involving Anthony Perkins for Psycho 3, and more. SPM 3 pizza girl Marta Kober seems like her heart is set on her music at the moment, but tells how she got the acting gig for SPM 3 from from high school friend Josh Melville. Her feelings on the film - "I thought it was terrible!" (pg. 22)

Brandi Burkett is the other SPM 3 gal to talk about the film and how she and acting class friend Brittain Frye (Ken, SPM 3) were simultaneously hired for the film. She briefly expresses her southern and religious side, as well as the necessity of parental guidance/discipline. She even mentions her father's disapproval of her onscreen death. By the way, there was an ending shot where Diane (Brandi) survived, but Brandi thinks "they used it for the impact." (pg. 25) Also, Brandi mentions how cooperative, patient, and honest director Sally Mattison was during the shoot.

To sum it all up, 20 pages of nonstop fun and entertainment, especially if you're a huge fan of the series. Jason Paul Collum, the actresses, and Femme Fatales did a wonderful job and should be extremely proud of themselves. Lastly, I thought it was cool that scream queen favorite Linnea Quigley expressed her opinions on cautionary tactics she made for female actresses' nude scenes on a closed set and the misogyny sometimes involved with the horror genre.

I highly encourage you to order a back issue of this or any other Femme Fatales magazine today!

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