Also Known As:
Nighty Nightmare II, Tower Of Terror
Tagline:
None per se, though the box cover prominently includes Joe Bob Briggs' quote, "It's the female version of Die Hard!"
Plot:
Any similarity to Die Hard pretty much begins and ends with the title. Hard To Die is actually a semi-sequel to Sorority House Massacre II, as the spirit of the killer from the SHM series infects a new, otherwise innocent body. The fresh killer terrorizes a group of sexy temps who are spending a sweaty day and a stormy night doing inventory at a lingerie company. Late in the evening, they each take advantage of the office shower and the overstock of panties and bustiers, just in time to start running (in high heels) from the slasher. Meanwhile, in another part of the city, a professor played by Forrest J. Ackerman explains that the Sorority House Massacre villain died "on the verge of splitting his soul into three parts... an unheard-of practice!" One of those parts may be inside creepy, portly janitor Peter Spellos—or so the underwear-clad temps assume as they each take turns trying to kill off the stubborn bastard.
Key scenes:
Early on, Spellos frightens the ladies when he reaches into his pants and says, "You girls are going to be needing... this." He then pulls out a key to the storeroom. Later, the action shifts to a movie set, where an actress complains about being asked to do a sex scene in high heels—a self-referential Wynorski touch.
Can easily be distinguished by:
The minimal gore and the maximal toplessness. The temps seem to think that the answer to all their problems is a nice hot shower.
Sign that it was made in 1990:
The actress' underpants expose as much of their butts as possible, but aren't thongs.
Timeless message:
"Any hot water left?"
Memorable quotes:
A policeman dismisses Ackerman's supernatural explanation for the killing spree by saying, "As much as I like ol' Ed, you got to take some of his theories with a grain of salt. After all, he did undergo 30 days of continued shelling at Khe Sanh." To which his partner replies, "My god. The horror."
Available on DVD from New Concorde.
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