Prom Night (1980)
By: Michael Helms on July 8. 2005.
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| MRA (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 2.0. 89 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Paul Lynch
Starring: Leslie Nielson,
Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Stevens, Eddie Benton,
Antionette Bower, Michael Tough, Robert Silverman,
Jeff Wincott
Screenplay:William
Gray, Robert Guza Jr., (uncredited: John Hunter)
Music:Carl Zittrer,
Paul Zaza
Tagline: If You're Not
Back By Midnight...You Won't Be Coming Home!
Country: Canada |
By 1979 the slasher boom was in full swing
and when expatriate British graphic artist/filmmaker
Paul Lynch, who had been residing in Canada, couldn't
attract the financing for his film about a killer
gynaecolgist, he just peered out his hotel window
one night on a trip to L.A and copped a billboard
advertising suit hire for Prom Night and a franchise
was born.
Several primary school age children are playing
chasey in an abandoned building having a great
time running around chanting, "the killers are
coming." They're joined by another girl whose
two siblings apparently walk off. The gang of
four eventually chase their new play pal off the
top floor of the building and she lands on her
back on another window frame and dies. The four
friends, three girls and a boy, make a vow not
to tell anyone about their involvement in the
death. Someone's shadow passes over the girl's
body and Leslie Nielson, the local high school
principal, appears in an upstairs window mumbling
about the girl being a victim of sexual molestation.
Fast forward six years and after a quick shot
of the grave site we cut to Jamie Lee Curtis hassling
her brother about getting a date for the prom.
Later at school, Leslie Nielson, her dad, informs
Jamie Lee that the new school gardener has checked
out okay. A mystery phone caller starts harassing
the friends. Meanwhile, Leonard Murch, the man
who had been jailed for the death in the prologue,
a disfigured, catatonic (?), schizophrenic who
had been institutionalized, has escaped. One cop
describes him as, "Bad". More phone calls from
the mysterious male caller are received. A doctor
visits the police and advises them not to freak
out over Leonard. A body is discovered. Jamie
Lee checks out the school's dance floor. Her jealous
rival catches her out and gets catty. "It's not
who you go with, it's who takes you home". Someone
is tearing out pictures from the school year book.
A guy in a balaclava hassles Jamie in the school
cafeteria. Two guys end up in Leslie Nielson's
office. Lou who conspires with Jamie Lee's rich
blonde rival is suspended while Alex who is Leslie
Nielson's son gets off. A cop is earnestly working
on the new murder case. Alex and Jamie Lee chill
out by the beach. Back at school a girl flashes
her butt at the gardener just before a shower
scene. A two-way mirror is discovered in the locker
room. Pictures from the yearbook start turning
up in lockers. Rehearsal for the prom mainly means
Jamie Lee dancing with Leslie Nielson. At the
prom Jamie Lee burns up the dance floor with her
partner Nick in an overly long dance sequence.
By the end of the first hour the body count is
two with one death occurring off-screen.
Behind the scenes at the prom things are happening
in the ladies room. When Kelly can't get it on
with her date in the cloakroom though he leaves
and she's grabbed from behind and has her neck
slashed in a non-graphic manner. Outside in a
transit van a couple dick around before the killer
attacks, garroting her and causing the guy to
crash his wheels and go up in flames. Meanwhile,
it's lights out in the ladies room as the killer
grabs an axe. A girl in red gets a shock before
getting the chop. The diligent cop gets information
that the escaped psycho has just been picked up
50 miles away. The gardener turns up drunk. Backstage
at the prom just before Jamie and Nick are crowned
King and Queen, the axe makes an appearance. At
the crowning moment the suspended Lou loses his
head as it rolls down the walkway. The masked
killer trips over some cables before struggling
with Jamie as they stagger down the same walkway.
The crowd has dispersed but the music and light
show plays on. Jamie finally swings the final
axe blow after recognising the killer who we all
do when the balaclava is removed. |
| Video |
| Except for a few kooky camera angles and the use
of reflective surfaces there's not too much going
on with Prom Night to make it look exceptional.
In fact, if anything the transfer of this hardly
pristine print gives it a dull sheen that could've
been tweaked to far greater effect but hasn't. |
| Audio |
| The stereo reproduction of the second rate disco
music soundtrack is far from exceptional too. Even
those of you who hanker for the throb of sounds
that used to pack out plastic dance floors lit from
below, are sure to be disappointed. By the time
we get round to the soulful ballad, "Fade To Black,"
with admittedly bizarre lyrics that plays under
the end credits, and which is sung by Gordene Simpson
(who was probably a relation of the producer), you
will have forgotten what you've just heard. The
more traditional horror and sub-Halloween tinklings of Carl Zittrer are what makes Prom
Night sound good. |
| Extra Features |
| None. |
| The Verdict |
| Prom Night which really just
grafts a Carrie scenario (minus
the telekinesis) onto a poor excuse for a revenge
drama, was relatively anemic before at least a minute
went missing for the initial Australian release.
Now, with up to three minutes gone, you might wonder
what's the point and that'd be a pertinent question.
It's adherents cite innovation and characterisation
but I for one find it hard to find any elements
that might raise this film out of the mire that
most body count epics dwell in. Prom Night takes way too long getting around to any action,
instead crafting a series of pointless sub-plots
that lead nowhere. It's also hard getting around
the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis, in only her third
role, has one of the oldest teenage faces to ever
grace any sort of screen. It wasn't until the first
sequel seven years later that the producers were
forced to try anything out of the ordinary, a factor
which conversely makes the sequels better than the
title that spawned them. |
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