RUTHLESS RAGERS: THE TOP 10 KILLER HIGH SCHOOL PARTIES OF HORROR

They say ‘necessity is the mother of invention‘ and there are none more creative than stressed, hormonal teenagers looking for an opportunity to let loose and imbibe in alcoholic beverages with friends. However, due to various laws and such, organizing a proper party for the underage demographic can prove a bit difficult. But you see, that’s where the creativity portion of the program comes into play.

Teenagers will jump on any opportunity to throw a party and this age related stereotype is represented beautifully in horror. Parents out of town? Party. Costume-centric holiday? Party. Rock pile off a dirt road? Party. Finals done? Party. While dances are great and all, there is inevitably a level of adult supervision and that’s certainly a buzzkill. There’s something so dangerous, so bad about an illegal party and it’s really no surprise that sometimes these parties can get out of hand. While for some that may mean Mom’s vase gets broken, for others it may mean that party will have real, eternal consequences. Here’s a list of the Top 10 Killer High School Parties of Horror…body counts included:

10. GINGER SNAPS (2000)

Tagline: They don’t call it the curse for nothing…

When you’re in high school, sometimes you just gotta party where you can. In the case of Ginger Snaps, it’s a greenhouse with a marijuana dispensary tucked in the back. This is a jackpot for teenage party aficionados. On top of the pulsating techno music, the locale, the booze and the lack of parental supervision, it’s a costume party where a fledgling werewolf can literally walk among the crowd unnoticed.  While the party itself remains death free, that’s not to say everyone leaves unscathed. Sam and Ginger leave with very real injuries while Brigitte leaves with her nerves very much frayed. But what would a high school party be without a little bit of drama right?

PARTY KILL COUNT: 0 INJURIES: 2

9. ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE (2006)

Tagline: The O.C. meets Friday the 13th

Right out of the gate this film lays the story line groundwork with a high school pool party that goes horribly awry. Mandy Lane is the girl all the boys want and yet remains on the outskirts of popularity. After an invitation from alpha bro Dylan, Mandy and her awkward best friend Emmet decide to join their fellow students at Dylan‘s lavish house.  Pools, booze and lowered inhibitions never really mesh well together and Dylan falls victim to his own machismo and alcohol consumption.  The result of Dylan‘s untimely death is a familiar setup that inevitably leads to more bloodshed.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 1

8. THE CRAFT (1996)

Tagline: Welcome to the Witching Hour

We’ve all been to parties we haven’t really wanted to attend, and the party in The Craft is definitely one of those. Sarah, Bonnie and Rochelle cab it over to retrieve Nancy who is on the hunt for sleazeball Chris. In typical high school party fashion, cars surround the giant house while hordes of people mill about holding plastic cups both inside and out of the property. The girls are not here to mingle and tap the keg, they are here to find their friend. As the girls split up looking for the volatile Nancy, Sarah finds her with Chris in a compromising and deceitful position. The party ends real quick after Nancy unleashes her disgust, anger and killer monologue on Chris sending him tumbling out of a third story window. Talk about a party buzzkill.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 1

7. MA (2019)

Tagline: Get Home Safe

The great thing about the party mentality present in Ma is how relatable it really is…apart from the extremely disturbed and traumatized enabler. For so many, getting drunk and partying in high school is ‘soooo cool’ and getting away with it is a thrilling and dangerous activity. It’s easy to look back with adult eyes and see how completely ridiculous, unnecessary or even idiotic it was to pursue such things, but when you’re a hormone-ravaged teenager in a small town, the pursuit of getting drunk is a very real thing. What Ma offers these kids is a respite from standing outside at a rock pile or sitting in a van. Kids can’t just go to the local bar, they have to get creative. The music, the lighting, the locale and the danger of Ma‘s basement become legendary… until Ma become a little too clingy. Ultimately, Ma goes from being the life of the party, to the death of it.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 1

6. SCREAM (1996)

Tagline: Solving This Mystery Is Going To Be Murder

The party scene in Scream has to be one of the most iconic scenes in horror history. Clocking in at 42 minutes long, it also has to be one of the longest party scenes in film history. In all reality, minus the Ghostface killer and inappropriate timing, the party downstairs is kind of every horror fan’s dream. Sitting around eating snacks, drinking a few beers, talking at length about horror films and tropes…I wish I had parties like this in high school. However, as Randy could have probably told us, the party simply could not last and the kills were bound to come.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 4

5. NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988)

Tagline: Angela is having a party, Jason and Freddy are too scared to come. But You’ll have a hell of a time.

The Halloween party setup up here is pure gold.  Here we have a deserted funeral parlor called Hull House, beer, costumes, candles, fireplace, a strobe light, Linnea Quigley and a seance. Before long, the teens are joined by an uninvited guest.  The long slumbering evil that the teens awaken results in possessions, bloodshed, screams and an incredible dance number by Angela to Bauhaus’ ‘Stigmata Martyr.’ This is a party that is crashed in the spookiest of fashions and one that few will live to remember.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 6

4. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE (1985)

Tagline: The first name in terror returns…

There are few things more iconic to a teenager in the 1980’s than a quality pool party.  The summer night breeze, barbecue and glistening oiled up bodies, tiki torches and pop music blasting out of boombox speakers…these are the things that dreams are made of.  Maybe that’s why Freddy decided to crash Lisa Webber‘s party? Whatever his motivation, Freddy makes a rare real world appearance and ravages the party in epic Freddy fashion. Despite a few altruistic attempts by party goers to mellow that classic Krueger carnage, this is a party with no chance of being salvaged with disastrous by-stander casualties.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 6

3. FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984)

Tagline: This is the one you’ll be dying for…

Leaving the cares of city life behind, a group of teenage friends heads to the mountains in an effort to relax, party and enjoy life.  Too bad for them they didn’t realize how little of it they had left.  While the party that takes place at their rented retreat is rather small, the group of friends encounters twins Terri and Tina which certainly kicks the party up a notch. While this party has lots of classic party ingredients (weed, drinks, sexual tension, etc.) I think it’s safe to say that the highlight of the party is Jimmy‘s incredible dance moves. However, parties weren’t meant to last, and when you’re in Jason‘s territory, they don’t end gracefully. One by one the young teens meet Jason proper and none are left to tell the tale.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 8

2. FREDDY VS. JASON (2003)

Tagline: The “Slicer”…The “Dicer”…And This Time, They’re Not Any “Nicer”!

Say what you will about this mashup of horror franchise royalty, the cornfield rave party is top notch stuff.  With a live techno DJ, piles of kegs, proper lighting and a seasonally appropriate setting, this is a high school party for the books. Not to be confused with a grumpy goalie, Jason quickly makes his presence known, literally igniting fear and terror among the party-goers.  With no clear goal other than to destroy as many as possible, it’s no wonder that Jason holds a top spot. He is the ultimate party crasher and that one person you really don’t want to show up to your party.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 9

1. SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (1982)

Tagline: The Ultimate Driller Killer Thriller

While you may not initially think that a slumber party counts as a real party, all the elements are here. Parental figures? Out of town. Illegal substances? Present. Party crashing boys? In attendance. Uncomfortable outsider? Conveniently next door. What starts as a carefree girls night quickly turns dark as escaped and crazed Russ Thorn crashes the party in the most dramatic fashion, drill in hand. This classic genre film is one that lays into typical slasher tropes while simultaneously winking at them. It’s heavy on cheekiness, quirkiness, wit and of course, bloodshed. Thorn‘s drill is certainly a force to be reckoned with and his one night rampage in and around the party has the kill count to prove it.

PARTY KILL COUNT: 10

*Honorable Mention*  Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986)

Tagline: Readin’…writin’… and radiation!

There’s a lot of strange things going on at Nuke ‘Em High, but high school kids sneaking into a college frat party is certainly not one of them.  It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book and this particular frat party has it all for these underage teens.  This party has live music, booze, bikini’s, radioactive marijuana and of course, experiences they’ll probably regret in the morning. While no one loses their lives at this particular party, what happens at the party does not stay at the party. The choices young Warren and Chrissy make that night come back to haunt them in very real, very radioactive ways.

PARTY KILL COUNT = 0

Published September 23rd, 2019 at Nightmare on Film Street.