Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil | Digital Retribution DVD Review

Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil (1991)
By: Michael Helms on August 31, 2005.

0 Comments

MRA (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 4:3. English DD 2.0. 93 minutes

The Movie

Cover Art

Credits

Director: Clay Borris
Starring: Nikki de Boer, Alden Kane, Joy Tanner, Alle Ghadban, James Carver
Screenplay: Richard Beattie
Music: Paul Zaza
Country: Canada

The third and so far last sequel in this enterprising example of Canadian industry, bombs itself back to basics as it dispenses with Mary Lou and produces only a loose link to a Prom night to create a body count. Instead, Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil mainly takes place in an old seminary come isolated holiday home where the requisite two couples (and one voyeuristic younger brother) are forced to deal with a maniacal possessed priest.

The flick starts at Hamilton High with a prologue set in 1957 as Prom night is in full swing, but the tone is already different with Gregorian chanting accompanying the aforementioned man of the cloths prayers that have him asking for help to save the sluts and whores from their unholy acts. A wayward couple immediately meet his wrath when the girl has her neck slashed and the guy is stabbed with a nicely sharpened iron crucifix. Next we're over at St. Basil's Seminary where the killer priest is indulging in some bloody self-flagellation before revealing his own stigmata and kissing one of his captors.

34 years later the Exorcist music kicks in as a young priest is diverted from what he thought was his life's work to be a missionary in Khartoum, instead ordered to take care of Father Jonas, the reverse collar maniac from the beginning. Except for a beard Father Jonas has not changed since 1957. Of course, the good priest stuffs up the medication and is strangled for his troubles allowing the bad priest to go on the run. A Cardinal steps in to order a cover up of the young priest's death. Meanwhile, two couples in a stretch limo give a toast to Jamie Lee Curtis as they drop by the prom to brown eye the crowd as they take off for their dirty weekend at the folks holiday home. The devil priest hitches a ride to the same location, his old stomping ground, and naturally deceases the redneck ute driver. Some sex, nudity and death occur as the priest arrives and begins to accelerate the body count and starts making phone calls from within the house.

Cross-dressing, head crushing fun also ensues along with a double burning crucifixion and a neat pain in the foot sequence as it all heads for a gut blowing finale in the woodshed.

Video

Somewhat murky (as in lack of lighting) but still eminently viewable.

Audio

Another fairly plain stereo soundtrack does get to show off some more Paul Zaza material if that's any source of attraction to anybody besides his Mum. This time he's possessed by the work of Mike Oldfield.

Extra Features

The only MRA release in the Prom Night series to have an extra is this one with it's own trailer.

The Verdict

Despite a few subtle in-jokes as mentioned above, Deliver Us From Evil is no Scream, in fact taking itself far more seriously than any of the other sequels. Creative death abounds without being over the top although some viewers may find some of the reasoning behind this flick just that and unable to squeeze any enjoyment from it. Whatever your perspective, the effects work of the physical kind in Prom Night IV are undeniably good, and look out for producer Ray Sager, the Wizard Of Gore, in a minor role.

The Rating