Michael Villella, best known for his role as the driller killer in “Slumber Party Massacre,” has died at the age of 84…
Michael Villella — best known for his role as Russ Thorn aka the driller killer in the 1982 classic slasher “Slumber Party Massacre” — has died at the age of 84.
News of his passing was passed along via his Facebook page on Saturday.
“Michael Pasquale Villella has left this world, may he rest in peace. May God welcome Michael with open arms and bring him into heaven.”
Villella made his on-screen debut in the 1982 cult classic directed and co-written by Amy Holden Jones that actually started out as a spoof on the slasher genre but ended up playing just as a straight up horror film.
While reviews for the film were mixed, “Slumber Party Massacre” ended up earning $3.6 million at the box office on a small $220,000 budget.
In the film, Villella played the wild-eyed serial killer who brandishes a power drill, and goes after a group of unassuming teen girls during a sleepover.
He went onto make sporadic appearances in other films such as “Love Letters,” “Wild Orchid,” and “Wild Orchid II: Shades of Blue.” He also made appearances at horror conventions where he often met and took photos with fans who remained long time supporters of his role in “Slumber Party Massacre.”
While Villella only appeared in the original film, “Slumber Party Massacre” went onto spawn several sequels as well as a recent remake that aired on the SyFy network.
Listen to our review of “Slumber Party Massacre” from our early days in just the seventh episode of the podcast:
