Just what I expected

A different way of telling a story

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

One of the first dominoes to fall in a long line of slasher movies was the hit slasher, Prom Night. The film takes a typical approach when it comes to a slasher's timeline, starts off with a murder, exit frame, que "x" number of years to present time and build the tension to the final scenes. The premise of Prom Night and many of the slasher is taken right from Halloween's playbook. However, the lack of creative in the script is made up in other areas of the film. Jamie Lee Curtis performance is a stellar reminder when she is the top Scream Queen, it was a complete transformation from past characters while maintaining a likable, believable character. The surrounding cast were all unique characters too and didn't bring down the movie with poor performances. It's a slow burn up to the ending but it is eventually worth it, with a pretty good payoff that some may not expect coming.

Every year in October, I use the Halloween season to enable my horror movie addiction. I've seen so many in my life I'm starting to work my way into the B-level and forgotten horror movies. In my opinion, this one can stay forgotten. First, a bit of context. 1974's Texas Chainsaw Massacre and 1978's Halloween changed horror. Gone was the horror of Rosemarys Baby, The Omen and The Exorcsist. Now, it's about teenagers running around naked and getting chopped to bits. Slashers, when done right, can be a blast. A menacing killer, sometimes shrouded in mystery. Friday the 13th if the same year did this well, feeling like a Hitchcock or Argento Murder mystery. A memorable weapon is a plus, a la Nightmare on Elm Street. Good chases, or suspense are a must, as In Halloween. And then you have the t&a that permeates the slasher genre. The problem with this one, for me, is that it came too early to understand what makes a good slasher. The Killer is not interesting or supernatural, the weapon is forgettable. Scenes that could be seen as exploitation are boring. The acting, even from Curtis, is passable at best. Granted Acting isn't a high point in slashers, but blood guts and breasts tend to distract horror audiences enough. This didn't. The camera work, never a high point of slashes, is especially bad, with day time shooting seeming overexposed. The sound is an issue too. I shouldn't have to make myself deaf to hear the dialogue. The biggest problem for me is the pacing. The killing takes too long to happen, and the mystery that is supposed to hook you doesn't stick. Skip this. Want a good slasher? Watch Halloween, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare in Elm Street. This is not original or interesting enough to warrant sitting through.

Prom Night might seem like a generic slasher on the surface yet deep down the script goes beyond that and shows the dramatic effects on the survivors who are left behind after a tragedy. Leslie Nelson and Jamie Lee Curtis it up from the b movie reputation of bad acting into a respectable affair despite a few cheesy moments. The kills aren't going to please gore hounds looking for a blood bath, but they are creative and different from the standard knife cut or ax to the back common in many others. A few highlights are Slick's can plunging off a cliff, Wendy's Chase scene through the school and Lou's decapitation which keep you on the edge of your seat. The atmosphere is genuinely creepy, dark and feels like a storm is on the horizon.The ending is abrupt since Jamie doesn't experience a true showdown in the style of Halloween, but since the reveal is a conflict of interest it does open up a new later on if Alex was trying to kill his sister or keep her out of harm's way. Alex dying in her arms before the credits roll feel like it was missing the finale gotcha moment almost feeling like a Greek tragedy. My only complaint is Mr. Hammond disappears half way through and it was due to budget cuts yet a line or two could've cleared it up. Prom Night is a spectacular horror film that stands on it's own two feet and doesn't try to follow the trend making it true My exceptional. Pick up a copy today.

Little kids play hide-and-seek in an abandoned convent and cause the death of little Robin Hammond. Six years later, Kelly Lynch, Jude Cunningham, Wendy Richards and Nick McBride are in Alexander Hamilton Senior High School hiding the secret of that day. Mr. Hammond (Leslie Nielsen) principal of the school, his wife and their kids Kim (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Alex still mourn the lost. Some creep is calling the four kids and threatening their prom night. Nick is going with Kim to the prom. Meanwhile the police suspects sex offender Leonard Merch killed Robin and hounded him to a fiery crash. He turned catatonic but has just escaped from the mental hospital.This is a Canadian B-movie horror. It's not completely horrible as some other low budget productions of that genre. However one would be kidding to claim this to be a good movie. It does have Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen. That's the good part but everybody else is at least a step down. The police part is a waste of time. Overall, there isn't anything interesting. The other kids aren't compelling. The dialog is really clunky at times. It may be only my problem but I suffered through some bad lighting. There are whole sections of near total darkness. The disco is pretty cheesy. This is a generally inferior product.