Michael Villella Dies: ‘The Slumber Party Massacre’ Actor Was 84

Michael Villella, the actor known for playing killer Russ Thorn in The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), has died. He was 84.

The actor’s daughter Chloe Villella announced her father’s death Saturday on Facebook. “May you rest in peace daddy,” she wrote with a photo of her dad displayed next to a burning candle.

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Michael died of multiple organ failure following more than a month in the hospital, according to TMZ.

Playing power drill-weilding killer Russ Thorn, Michael made his onscreen debut in co-writer/director Amy Holden Jones’ Slumber Party Massacre, which was conceived by co-writer and feminist activist Rita Mae Brown as a slasher parody but was ultimately filmed as a straightforward horror. The movie has inspired a cult following, as well as multiple sequels and spin-offs over the years.

Michael has also appeared in such films as Love Letters (1983), Gotham (1988) and Wild Orchid (1989), as well as episodes of Amazing Stories and Getting Away with Murder.

The actor is survived by his daughter and ex-wife.

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