Prom Night

Maybe the reason "Prom Night" doesn't have brilliant scores on IMDb is because it's supposed to be a horror movie, but it isn't. It is more of a thriller mixed with a teen movie. A good and entertaining teen movie at that. It has interesting and likable characters, some gloriously cheesy (even hilarious) scenes and nice disco music. Performances of the actors are decent and there is even a pretty good chase scene which looks like something that inspired Craven's chase scenes in Scream! Objectively, this movie is a good piece of fun featuring Jamie Lee Curtis in her prime and Leslie Nielsen (it's really weird to see him trying to be serious and you are just waiting to drop some jokes) and if you like a comfy teen movie with a little slasher thrown in the mix, you will have a good time. If you on the other hand want just horror like "Halloween" was, well, you are in for a disappointment. 7.5/10! I recommend it to both veterans and casuals alike!

A pretty mediocre slasher - one of the duller and more forgettable entries in the genre. Paul Lynch's 'Prom Night' has too many characters and doesn't bother to develop any of them other than with a few rushed clichés here and there. You end up with shallow characters you don't care about. The buildup takes too long while the killings are really artificial and lacking suspense. None of the acting is worth mentioning. Not even Jamie Lee Curtis is good here.

I saw Prom Night when it was released back in 1980. So in honor of my 16 year old son's prom this past week, I decided to re-visit this clunky classic and see if I can re-capture my youth. And you know what? I think I enjoyed Prom Night better the second time around. There was actually a pretty good red-herring or two thrown in the mix to "confuse" the viewer into thinking who the killer really was. As a matter of fact since it's been so long, I forgot who the really turned out to be (I was after only 16 myself when I saw this movie 30 years ago!) and was actually surprised at the reveal.

Although there were and still are certain things that ruin the movie for me (like the fact that most of the actors look to be well in their 30s and that disco had already made a quick exit), it's kinda fun to see how campy the film really is. I recommend watching it at least once and enjoy it for what it really is: a time capsule to those lost years of the early slasher movies.

In truth, this is standard fair for a slasher. Only slightly above the level of many other slasher outings at the time. The killer only gets active during the last half hour of the movie, his identity easily guessed in the end (naturally revolving around a trauma from his past). The red herring is also very obvious. Lots of disco-dancing too in this one. At the time, I imagine it became mildly notorious because of one decapitation scene and gained a little recognition because of scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis starring in it. If you're a slasher fan, this is one you ought to see, even if it's not the most exciting watch you'll ever have.

All of these characters look too old to be in high school, and it is a bit distracting. Jamie Lee Curtis looks too old for the part, even though she's just 21. She is rather ho-hum in Act I, but comes alive in Act III and especially the finale.

There's an effective, if rather by the book, setup to the movie, and that really is its saving grace, aside from a good score and willing cast. A little suspense, a decent mystery, and it is an alright slasher flick. Nothing overly special, but it is rather decent. I watch it maybe twice a year.

Decent enough, and if you are a slasher fan, it is a must own.

Semi-classic