Sisters of Death (USA, 1977) 87 min color DIR: Joseph Mazzuca. PROD: Gary L. Messenger, Gustaf Unger. SCR: Peter Arnold, Elwyn Richards. DOP: Grady Martin. CAST: Arthur Franz, Claudia Jennings, Cheri Howell, Sherry Boucher, Paul Carr, Joe E. Tata, Sherry Alberoni. (First American Films)
Sisters of Death starts off rather intriguingly in what at first looks like an occult thriller, where two girls are initiated to a sisterhood in this huge Gothic mansion with a big fireplace, and everyone is decked out in magenta gowns and veils. Then for the final piece of initiation: they play Russian Roulette with a Derringer! The gun fires into one of the girl’s heads, blood flies onto the magenta garments, roll credits.
But sadly, this flick doesn’t offer much of the same fireworks after that. The movie, looking like it could’ve been a Friday night thriller for ABC television, is an easy to watch, but flyweight Ten Little Indians ripoff, which would become a standard plot device for such slashers as Prom Night. We flash forward to the present, “seven years later”, when the girls are each given anonymous invitations to attend a reunion. They all meet in the parking lot of a hotel and then are approached by two guys who are to escort them to the actual reunion location. Sure, the guys are total strangers, and their car windows are frosted so they can’t see where they’re going, but it’s the 70’s right? So naturally, off the fun-loving gals go. They arrive at a mansion with a “Welcome Sisters” sign at the pool, bathing suits and booze laid out for everyone. But the party doesn’t last long, as this reunion is part of a revenge plot hatched by the father (Arthur Franz) of the girl who was shot in the initiation years earlier.
The production history of Sisters of Death eerily resembles the structure of the film itself. It was shot in 1972, yet stayed on the shelf for several years before release. Therefore, drive-in fans in 1977 would be surprised to see Claudia Jennings in a minor role, despite that she’s second-billed. And yet, hers is given the most development among the women in peril, if because she’s the one most haunted by the gruesome initiation gone wrong (as seen in a nifty double exposure), but largely the characterizations are two-dimensional (despite their amusing hedonistic ways), so we don’t much care what happens to them. It’s apparent the scenario finds Franz’s character the most interesting, as we follow him dashing from secret compartments, and playing the flute! This mild good time is full of such ingredients as electric fences, spiders, and slashing, and while it’s all a pleasant night at the ozoner, it’s still average. As a vehicle for Claudia Jennings, her fans will be disappointed to see that she’s given little to do. (Trivia note: one of the two guys who escort the girls, and later help them out of danger, is recognizable character player Paul Carr, seen in dozens of television appearances. He would co-star with Ms. Jennings again in Truck Stop Women.)
Because Sisters of Death is in the public domain, it has been widely available on tape and disc. It is one of those titles that collectors have several copies of, as it has appeared on numerous DVD collections. My first viewing of it was on a VHS by good old Interglobal Video. It has also appeared on some of those Millcreek 50-movie packs, and on a fun VCI Scream Theater boxset by VCI Entertainment, just to name a few. Flyweight and innocuous though this flick is, I guess it must have something going for it, since as of this writing, I’ve voluntarily watched it three times.