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The iconic slasher film Sorority House Massacre is getting a reboot as a television series with Norman Reedus producing. Directed by Carol Frank, the 1986 original movie follows an innocent sorority sister who becomes an escaped mental patient’s target. Sorority House Massacre’s reception was negative at its release because it drew too many similarities to Halloween. Even with the mixed response, the horror movie spawned two sequels Sorority House Massacre II and Sorority House Massacre III: Hard to Die. Today, the film has found a new home as a cult classic for fans of the slasher genre.

Producer Norman Reedus is best known for his role as Daryl Dixon on AMC’s The Walking Dead. However, The Walking Dead is not Reedus’s first experience with the horror genre. Reedus has starred in a medley of horror films, including Blade 2 and Pandorum. Arguably, his best performance in the genre was his lead role in John Carpenter’s Cigarette Burns, part of the Masters of Horror anthology series. In Cigarette Burns, Reedus played Kirby Sweetman, who is on a hunt for an evil film made by Satan.

Deadline announced that Robert Schwartzman’s Utopia Originals has teamed up with Norman Reedus’ production banner, bigbaldhead, and Shout! Studios for the TV adaptation of the cult classic, Sorority House Massacre. Additionally, Stephen Trask, who created the Tony-winning Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, is partnered for the series development. Reedus expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Utopia for this project:

“Their taste and creative vision are inspiring, and exactly in line with the kind of content that bigbaldhead set out to develop. We are thrilled to revisit this cult classic and create something truly unique.”
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For quite a while, the horror genre has been suffering from a pattern of making awful sequels. Although the market is currently over-saturated with questionable remakes, the talented team behind the adaptation of Sorority House Massacre appears to be a promising endeavor. As seen with the long-term success of The Walking Dead, Reedus has experience in making horror television shows that continue to entertain, and there’s no question he will bring that experience to Sorority House Massacre.

Compared to narrative films limited to a few hours, television is an extended narrative medium that often allows for comprehensive, more intricate narratives. With his role in Death Stranding, Reedus has made it clear he is interested in innovation. Reedus’s passion connects with the director of the original Carol Frank, one of the slasher genre’s founding directors and whose films are only recently getting the recognition they deserve. Hopefully, the reboot of Sorority House Massacre will finally bring Frank the admiration she deserves and pays homage to her contributions to the slasher genre.