Slumber Party Massacre interview with director Danishka Esterhazy

Slumber Party Massacre premieres tonight on SYFY, and we couldn’t be more excited! The new film is a fresh take on the 1982 cult classic film and brings the franchise into the modern era with a new voice helmed by Danisha Esterhazy.

1428 Elm was lucky enough to participate in a conference call with Danishka and ask a few questions regarding her work on the film and the potential for a new franchise.

1428 Elm chats with Slumber Party Massacre director Danishka Esterhazy

1428 ELM: Why do you think right now is the right time for this remake?

DANISHKA ESTERHAZY: It’s such an amazing time in horror. There are so many incredibly talented horror filmmakers making great films with wonderful stories. The world of horror has really cracked open. The diversity of these stories, the writers and directors don’t all look alike anymore. We have men and women from age and every race from all over the world telling their horror stories. And that, I think, made it an amazing time to look back at Slumber Party Massacre.

I’ve read and watched a lot of interviews with Amy Holden Jones. She talked about making the original film and how hard it was for her to break into the industry as a woman filmmaker, and how difficult it was for her to get that first opportunity to direct a feature. I went through that as well, and every woman director goes through that. We know how hard it is.

To be able to point to horror history and re-examine those original stories she told, but to be able to say so much more, to not have the same restrictions that she had in terms of the stories she could tell—delivering a franchise starring women, made by women, but really a franchise that was aimed at men. She didn’t get to explore all of the themes she wanted to explore in terms of women in horror. I feel that my movie is just a continuation of that dialogue.

1428 ELM: Do you feel like this could be a launchpad for additional films and spinoffs the way the original film was?

DANISHKA: I think that would be amazing. I think there is still so much rich material to play with, so many tropes to explore, and so many horror stories that could be re-examined, really dissected but in a way that allows us to enjoy the process. I would love to see more Slumber Party movies made, but there are a lot of other great horror IPs out there that I’d love to see people take a fresh voice to.

Slumber Party Massacre premieres tonight at 9/8c on SYFY.