With three scream queens aboard in the form of Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley, and Michelle Bauer, how could Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, released in 1988, be anything but successful?  It is a question for the ages and one that requires little debate, as the answer is quite obvious.

Famously shot in less than two weeks with a budget of less than a hundred thousand, the movie would not be a monster hit right out of the gate, as one might expect, but it would go on to become a cult classic in its own right, and how could it not? Directed by David DeCoteau, it had everything that anyone could want from a campy horror-comedy hybrid from the Eighties. Girls, nudity, nerds, blood, bodies, trashy costumes, bad one-liners, bowling and a magical imp that would grant wishes, albeit of his own interpretation. Despite all of that, some of the comedy falls flat. What was funny forty years ago is not quite as humorous in this day and age, some might argue, but part of it also had to do with the writers of this film not exactly making the funny funny. Given everything that is in this film, that is not as bad as it seems, as there are other things to focus on, like Stevens and company.

One has to give the ladies their due, as they do the best they can with what they were given in many ways. Out of the entire cast, they were the center of attention and made the most of it, with the eyes of the audience rarely wandering very far. With a title that screams absolute lunacy, one knew exactly what they were getting into with this movie, and it is hard to be disappointed because of it. Even those who were in the cast to simply support the ladies were half-decent as well, rounding things out to make for a good time. It would have been nice if the script were a little stronger or if the budget were a bit bigger for the special effects. That being said, even if the budget were big enough to have the best impact in the world, the story is so ludicrous that it may not have mattered how good they were. In a way, they were appropriate even if the imp was highly laughable in appearance. The zombie woman and her friend, who resembled the Bride of Frankenstein, were extremely silly. Still, it was the performances that really made this film as good as it was, allowing its audience to latch onto the characters and want to follow them from the first minute to the last.

Over the years, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama has become a cult classic, and it is easy to see why. It’s short and sweet, never overstaying its welcome, with the proceedings set at a good pace that never taxes the viewer. It features three of the best B-movie vixens of the day, which was a surefire way to guarantee an audience, at least at a rental store and some decent horror, even if the light tone of it all took away from it. Despite the cheesiness of it all, the movie would entertain on every level and that is the best thing one can take away from it all.

3 out of 5