Did you ever partake in spooky nights, watching horror movies with friends? Horror movies are standard slumber party fare—which is ironic if you scare yourselves so much that no one sleeps! While scary movies like Scream, The Lost Boys, or Gremlins are typical sleepover horror movies, we will be talking about a handful of horror movies with slumber-party scenes. Keep reading to find out how many of these sleepover horror movies you have seen!
Before we get going, we'd like to mention that while these horror movies feature slumber parties, they may not all be appropriate for young viewers. This blog will focus specifically on sleepovers in horror movies. Therefore, no camping, school dorms, or hotel/cabin vacation movies. Now that we have that cleared up, let's begin!
1. The Horror of Party Beach (1964)
[Source: Twentieth-Century Fox/IMDb]
What do you get when you combine beach parties, slumber parties, motorcycle gangs, radioactive waste monsters, and rock and roll? The answer: The Horror of Party Beach, one of the worst horror movies of all time. This movie was so bad that it was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. However, it has one of the most-attended sleepover scenes in a horror movie. (That has to account for something, right?) The movie tried to promote itself as the first horror monster musical, but you could say that it also failed in this respect. Unlike most musicals where characters inexplicably break into songs, most of the tunes in the movie were background songs played by a band or simply part of the soundtrack. While off to a rough start, we'll get to some better slumber-party movies!
2. I Saw What You Did (1965)
[Source: Universal Pictures/IMDb]
As anyone who has ever been to a slumber party will know, shenanigans such as phone-calling pranks are pretty common. I Saw What You Did uses phone-calling pranks as its premise, although in true horror fashion, the hijinks take an unexpectedly dark turn. Friends Libby and Kit prank call people by saying, "I saw what you did, and I know who you are". While they only mean to cause mischief, they unwittingly call Steve Marak, a man who had just murdered his wife and disposed of her body. Naturally, he tries to figure out who called him while the girls slowly discover what they have actually done.
3. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
[Source: Santa Fe Productions/IMDb]
Writing a blog about slumber party horror movies would be impossible without the famous The Slumber Party Massacre. The film focuses on Trish, a high school senior, and her friends. While Trish's parents are away, they all sleep over at Trish's house. Unfortunately, a recently-escaped mass murderer is on the loose. The girls arm themselves with items found around the house and eventually defeat the murderer after a night filled with carnage. The Slumber Party Massacre spawned several sequels and even a remake, making it the most iconic entry on our list!
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
[Source: New Line Cinema/Media Home Entertainment/Smart Egg Pictures/IMDb]
Did you ever stay over at a friend's house and try your best to watch TV, play video games, and otherwise attempt to stay up all night? You could say that A Nightmare on Elm Street falls into a similar sleepover category, although with much more nightmarish consequences for falling asleep. A group of teens realizes that they have all been sharing dreams featuring Freddy Krueger, who can kill them in their sleep. They try to help each other stay awake to find a way to defeat Freddy so they can sleep soundly.
5. April Fool's Day (1986)
[Source: Hometown Films/IMDb]
A group of college students gather at one of their cousins' island mansion for an epic spring break slumber party. Unbeknownst to everyone, Muffy has taken it upon herself to rig the house with various pranks. Everyday prank items like dribble glasses and whoopee cushions are found, but some hijinks are much more sinister. As time rolls along, members of their group keep disappearing, only to be discovered murdered later on. The night turns into a fight for survival, but is everything really as it seems?
6. The Gate (1987)
[Source: Alliance Entertainment/IMDb]
The Gate is peak 80s kid coming-of-age horror movie cheese! Glen and his friend Terry unknowingly open a gateway for demons in the backyard. Glen's parents are out of town and the two are being looked after by Glen's older sister. (Sleepovers and a babysitter? This movie has it all.) As it turns out, the backyard portal has allowed demons to cross over into their world, terrorizing the local area. After a terrible battle with the demons, the kids close the gateway but realize they have some explaining to do with the house left totally trashed.
7. The Craft (1996)
[Source: Douglas Wick/IMDb]
A group of teenage outcasts bond over their shared love for magic and the occult. When new girl Sarah joins the trio, they form a coven that unwittingly increases all of their powers due to Sarah's innate magic. At a sleepover party, they get Rochelle to levitate, and the spells only get bigger and bolder from there. They all selfishly start casting spells to improve their lots in life, from love spells to making the popular girl lose her hair. With Nancy as their leader, things get out of hand—including a few deaths. Eventually, Sarah overcomes Nancy, Rochelle, and Bonnie, binding Nancy's powers for good.
8. The Ring (2002)
[Source: Mac Donald/Parkes Productions/BenderSpink, Inc./Vertigo Entertainment/IMDb]
Slumber parties love a good urban legend, and The Ring gives us a scary new tale, starting with a sleepover gone wrong. In the movie's opening scene, Katie and Becca are flipping through the channels and swapping stories when one of them admits that she had watched the mysterious tape that supposedly kills you after seven days. After a few false alarms, the story is revealed to be horrifically true. You might want to turn your phone off during this movie, or you can be in for quite a scare!
9. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
[Source: New Line Cinema/Crystal Lake Entertainment/IMDb]
Are you surprised to see Freddy on our list again? You shouldn't be! The residents of Springwood have mostly forgotten about Freddy Krueger, which prevents him from entering their dreams—thus ending his reign of terror. However, Freddy manages to manipulate Jason Voorhees into going on a killing spree in town, bringing back fears about Freddy Krueger. Jason manages to upset a sleepover party during his rampage, and the carnage only increases with both Jason and Freddy in the area. The surviving teens from the sleepover fight back, overcoming the two killers.
10. Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005)
[Source: NPP Productions/IMDb]
How many sleepover parties have resulted in kids daring each other to say "Bloody Mary" to a mirror? We'd have to wager that there have been quite a few! So it's only natural that there would be a handful of horror movies based on the urban legend of Bloody Mary. In this direct-to-video film, a group of teenage girls unwittingly summon the ghost of Mary Banner, a local high school student who died 35 years ago. Her malevolent spirit creates havoc in town but is ultimately laid to rest upon discovering and burying her remains.
11. Lizzie Borden's Revenge (2013)
[Source: Summer Hill Films/TomCat Films/IMDb]
This low-budget horror movie takes Lizzie Borden from the annals of American history and brings her back as an undead slasher. At a sorority house sleepover, we find out that one of the attendees is Leslie Borden, a descendant of Lizzie Borden. A game of truth or dare leads to a seance where they summon the spirit of Lizzie Borden, who goes on a rampage in the sorority house. (Expect lots of fake blood and college girls in various states of undress.) Definitely check this one out if you're a big fan of low-budget cheese!
12. The Crooked Man (2016)
[Source: Hybrid/Lionsgate/Syfy/IMDb]
If you show The Crooked Man at a sleepover party, you'll have a case of horror movie-watching deja vu! (Although this movie is not one of the better ones on this list.) The film begins with girls watching horror movies at a sleepover party. However, things go sideways when they sing "The Crooked Man" song as mentioned on a strange website. They accidentally summon the Crooked Man, and he kills one of the girls, ending up with Olivia going to a psychiatric hospital because she was blamed for her friend's death. Inexplicably, he stops haunting the girls until Olivia gets out six years later, reuniting them once again for a new wave of terror.
13. Bones and All (2022)
Romance and horror are about as far apart as possible, but Bones and All pulls off the combination flawlessly. Teenager Maren has always had uncontrollable urges to eat people, which her father has managed to cover up. However, when she gets snacky at a sleepover party, her father abandons the 18-year-old. Maren discovers she is an eater and falls in love with another eater (and drifter), Lee. This disturbing movie is a good watch, but not for the faint of heart.
Did you watch horror movies at slumber parties as a kid or teen? How many of the films on this list have you seen? Are there any other sleepover horror movies that we missed? We'd love to hear from you in the comments! Don't forget to check out your favorite horror movie costumes so you can make your own scares!
