I loved this trashy Canadian horror flick when I first saw it on Bravo years ago and was dying to see it on DVD, so I bought the region 1 import and to my disgust found that not only was the transfer a disgusting copy from an old VHS, but the film was slow as hell too.
Goddess on legs, Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Kim in this tale of an axe wielding killer out for revenge on a group of high school seniors on the night of their prom.
The film starst out with quite an eerie vibe, which is continued into the stalking by telephone sequences which occur 6 years later. The film then stumbles around trying to weave in a random sub-plot complete with red herring to cover the killers tracks and bitchy high school rivalry before it goes anywhere.
I was honestly shocked to learn that the film was on for an hour before any of the main cast were killed off (this is an 80’s slasher for crying out loud!!) and then they all died in around about 20 minutes.
Despite being way too slow for it’s own good there are some redeeming features, namely the creepy synth score by Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer, composers of choice for creepy Canadian carnage flicks, and an extended chase sequence with bitchy Wendy (Eddie Benton) which makes her wish she hadn’t bothered to ask the killer for a shot of some mascara, and the obvious highlight which is that disco number that sees Jamie Lee and Casey Stevens do the boogie woogie to a belter of a track called ‘Prom Night’.
OVERALL SUMMARY
There’s definitely something nostalgic about ‘Prom Night’ and I still prefer it over ‘Terror Train’ but it just goes to show you that you maybe shouldn’t watch those old movies you caught on cable late at night, as you may end up being sorely disappointed by the results. Surprisingly, if anyone remembers anything about the film besides that disco number it’s the dialogue. One line in particular has become a part of pop culture; that of the retort echoed by Wendy to Kim during a mild confrontation; Kim Hammond: You seem a little anxious, Wendy. By the way, who are going with tonight? Wendy Richards: It’s not who you go with, honey. It’s who takes you home. You can take a copy of the region 2 DVD home with you when it hits stores on July 11th complete with original theatrical trailer. Let’s hope it’s a bit better than the terrible region 1 edition.
