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Three things come to mind when I think about Paul Lynch's Prom Night; firstly the dawn of a decade spawning a select category of shocking and controversial films
which came to be known as 'slasher' movies, of which it is easy to overlook certain titles; secondly a techincally very well made 'slasher' flick; and thirdly, Leslie Nielson like we have never seen him before!
Prom Night (1980) has an intriguing opening scene set in an abandoned school building with a handful of young children [around the age of 10 years or so] playing a 'killer'
version of 'hide and seek'. Although this opening scene could be labelled as over dramatic to say the least, with the manner of which the children are acting, it can be passed off
as children just being children. None the less, it could have been played down a little - the same goes for other parts of the picture, but don't get me wrong this 'cheese factor' IS the minority in this movie.
To get back on track, the children are
playing their game of hide and seek and little Robin Anne Hammond feels compelled to join in the fun while her brother Alex decides against that action. The kids all decide to chase Robin after discovering she has joined in on their game, chanting, "killer's gonna get ya"
until she backs up against a window - unaware - and falls through that window. Tragically falling to her death. The children involved, full or fear of the consiquences of their actions and their role in Robin's untimely death all swear an oath of silence regarding the incident and make a getaway on their bikes.
Little do they know that an unseen individual witnessed their actions on that day during the year of 1974 and would seek revenge years later to that day on the night of their school prom...
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis [as Kim, the sibling to little Robin Hammond who dies in the opening scene], Leslie Nielson as her principle teacher and father [Mr. Hammond], Casey Stevens [as Nick] and Michael Tough [as Kim's brother Alex] as well as a whole slew of other actors playing
predominant characters and roles in Prom Night. This techincally well made little gem puts scream queen Jamie Lee in another role as a petrified teenager [Halloween] with a crazed homicidal stalker on the loose and once again she pulls off a good performance. Other memoriable characters include 'Slick' the sleazy dope smoking, little hippy and
remarkably apt womanizer aswell as Lou, 'the ashtray' - the apparent under villain in the movie who we all know will get his come uppance from the real villain in good time as the film roles on. From the beginning of the movie an intense and complex plot is systematically built upon as we, as the viewers, are introduced to a possible suspect.
More interest is commanded as obscene phone calls are made to all those present on the day of Robin's death from the apparent witness of their actions that fateful day and everything begins to unravel for us as we realise what is up for the finale of Prom Night. Interesting narration from the local police detective and a satisfactory musical score - excluding the prom disco scene! - all compliment this motion picture.
We learn that things are not as they seem and the finale is truly harrowing and unlike many 'slasher' flicks, actually believable in that the plot is a good one especially from the killer's point of view; the characters are good ones with some going past the two dimensioal cardboard cut outs many people associate all too quickly with slasher flicks; Prom Night is a good one...
The huge and imposing shard or glass the killer uses to murder the first couple of victims is symbolic to the way in which Robin Hammond died in 1974 - through the window and further maimed by falling glass after the devasting fall. It is the little things like this which in large tally make this such a good film to watch. A certain hopelessness looms in this film, in that we know it isn't going to end well [obviously] - not at all, but we aren't quite sure why it will be so hopeless and shocking
until the final stages. And it is a hard pill to swallow too...
Not only does Prom Night pull it off in style with the plot and motives and red herrings and certain character development, but it is full of intense chase scenes which have you on the edge of your seat and pulling for the victims who at the beginning of the movie, you were doing the exact opposite for. And once everything is finished with, that sympathy for the victims
is once again forgotten when their actions of 1974 are remembered by us, the viewers. Ingenius script writing, directing and plot development as well as gripping chase scenes and murder sequences all make Prom Night a classic 'slasher' flick which is all too often over looked as, 'one of those movies'...a must see for any horror fan.
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