Sisters of Death is a horror film that was so good it was shelved for a bunch of years before it was finally released. Be that as it may, it did actually turn out to be not all that bad, but it was simply not all that good either. The movie definitely has that Seventies sheen on it that films from this decade tended to have and though it tries its very best, the film is not all that scary though there are a few times where it does manage to be a little suspenseful.

The film opens up on a couple of pledges ready to be initiated into a sorority. Part of said pledge includes being subjected to a little Russian Roulette and suffice it to say, it does not end well for one of the girls. Fast-forward to the present and all the women, now grown up and on their own, are invited to a little reunion at an estate which unbeknownst to them, is run by the dead girl’s father. As you would guess, he is more than a little angry at the turn of events from years past and during that time he has been planning on just how he would take his revenge on the girls that caused his beloved daughter’s death.

As it starts out, the movie immediately ratchets up the tension yet it is not too soon after that the film gets a little bogged down during the middle and it is only when the girls start dying in a number of different ways that it starts to pick up steam again. Starring Playboy Playmate Claudia Jennings who some might remember from Gator Bait, as well as Cheri Howell, Sherry Boucher and more, it is quite possible that the only reason the movie keeps your attention is due to the good looks of all the assembled women and the promise of twisted revenge. The problem is that while its stars are attractive, said revenge takes a long time in the coming, at least until the final act and even then, most of it is not as inventive or gory as one would like when watching a film entitled Sisters of Death. The final scene is a good one though, bringing the movie full circle and while you want to really like this film, it only comes off as being all right.

Directed by Joseph Mazzuca, the film ultimately manages to hold your attention, but it is one of those movies that you catch by mistake and not one that you actively look for. It is hard to quantify the film as being in any one sort of genre, be it sleaze or exploitation or straight-up horror as it tends to border on all of them without being any of them, though horror or mild slasher would fit best. If only it had tried a little harder, it could have been a film that would have been released when it was made instead of sitting on an almost-forgotten shelf.

2.5 out of 5