PROM NIGHT
Years active: 1980 - 1991; plus remake in 2008.
About the franchise:
It began as a simple minded slasher flick. Not just a rip-off of HALLOWEEN, it actually managed to snag that film's heroine Jamie Lee Curtis. A hit at the box office, it seems odd that the sequel didn't appear until 7 years later, had nothing to do with the original film, and in fact was shot as an entirely different film - THE HAUNTING OF HAMILTON HIGH - with supernatural elements. However, this film also proved a minor success at the box office and a huge hit on video, therefore spawning another sequel that at least tried to remain connected to its predecessor. However, by the fourth and final installment the producers returned to the slasher formula but little of the previous storylines. The awful 2008 remake had literally no connection to the original series in storyline, characters, or enjoyability.
As such, Part I is a stand alone film. Parts II and III are connected by the villian Mary Lou Maloney. Part IV is a stand alone film.
Other connecting factors:1. The central high school in all four films is Hamilton High.
2. Actor Brock Simpson appears in all four films, but always as a different character.
3. Composer Paul Zaza did the music for all four films and and inputs a repetitive riff in each film, (sort of a "ba ba ba barump" - a significant beat recognizable to fans just as the "chi chi chi ma ma ma" is familiar to FRIDAY THE 13TH fans).
4. Parts II, III and IV all begin at/are a result of the same prom night in 1957.
Famous / Successful Actors from this series:1. Jamie Lee Curtis - Part I: Became the most popular scream queen of the later half of the 20th Century
2. Nicole De Boer - Part IV: Went on to star in a number of popular sci-fi films (CUBE) and TV shows (The Dead Zone, Star Trek: Deep Space 9)
PROM NIGHT (1980)
A group of junior high kids unintentionally murder a classmate during a twisted game of hide and seek. Fearing they'll go to jail, they cover up the death and keep the group's secret. 6 years later, however, it becomes apparent someone was a witness and methodically murders each of the kids at their senior prom.
I think so. It is cut from the slasher cloth... in fact, it very much expanded upon the "10 Little Indians" concept of "who's doing it?" that was then stolen by most other slasher films of the early 1980s. There remains a good deal of suspense, the characters are very enjoyable (you don't want to see them die), the gore FX are still believable, and the reveal of the guilty party is still somewhat of a surprise. The film as a whole maintains a creepy atmosphere throughout, and although the finale isn't nearly as long as it should have been (the final chase is less than 5 minutes long), there are some genuinely suspenseful and even frightening moments. A drawn out disco (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER) sequence is the only thing which dates the film. The only glaring plot hole is why the witness to the accidental murder didn't just come forward immediately to tell the cops what had happened.
HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II (1987)
After she accidentally burned to death on stage just before being crowned prom queen in 1957, super slutty and wicked Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) returns 30 years later and possesses prom queen hopeful Vicki Carpenter. As the nice girl becomes nastier and bumps off anyone who stands in the way of her crown, her boyfriend tries to convince everyone of her possession and save her soul.
Eh. It didn't really hold up when it came out. But it's one of those cheesy 80s camp horror combos that seems to hold some certain power over people willing to watch it more than once. (Think SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE II - you know it sucks, but you love regardless.) PROM NIGHT II essentially rips off the two biggest horror films: CARRIE (1976) and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984), but somehow it does work in a weird sort of way. Lead Vicki (Wendy Lyon) is an enjoyable and yet unusual heroine with waist-long strawberry blonde hair which in 1987 wasn't very hip AND she completely naked (the carpet indeed matches the drapes) which was unheard of for "the final girl" - something which still doesn't happen today too often. The FX are sometimes awesome, sometimes awful and plastic looking. And anything involving electricity is clearly a computer effect. Still, the characters are all unique and mostly likable and the acting serviceable. The cast and script even manage a few moments of genuine drama and feeling, particularly when one of the teens reveals she's pregnant (a much bigger deal in 1987 than today). The only true downfall to PROM NIGHT II is that it's not really a true sequel to PROM NIGHT- or a sequel in any way other than taking place at a high school of the same name. This, of course, will only matter to purists who prefer their franchises are continuing stories with continuing characters. Over all, though, PROM NIGHT II does have a genuine energy and 80s weirdness that was presented seriously in 1987 - but has somehow transformed into fun loving camp 25 years later.
PROM NIGHT III: THE LAST KISS (1990)
A few years after the events of PROM NIGHT II (1987), Mary Lou Maloney (now played by smokin' hot Courtney Taylor) returns to the halls of Hamilton High to claim the love of a loser boy. To gain his affections, helps raise his grade and improve his sportsmanship - bumping off anybody who questions his true abilities or stands in his way. However, her biggest challenge is getting rid of his current girlfriend with whom he's truly in love.
Does it hold up today?PROM NIGHT IV: DELIVER US FROM EVIL (1991)
Four teens skip their senior prom in lieu of a weekend away at one of their parent's swanky "summer getaway" mansion (in the middle of winter). The are completely unaware, however, that a possessed priest has escaped from a nearby church and is intent on returning to the home (guess where it is) where he was molested as a boy and decides to "punish" any horned up teen he can find.
Does it hold up today?Yes it does - and it's scary to boot. Don't let the synopsis deter you. While the plot is rather redundant, PROM NIGHT IV actually attempts - successfully - to return to its scary slasher film roots while still honoring those who loved the supernatural aspects of PROM NIGHT II and PROM NIGHT III. The only connection to those films is an opening sequence in which 1957 teens are slaughtered just outside the prom just as - presumably - Mary Lou would be burning inside, and then in 1991 at the brief glimpse of Hamilton High (we only see classmates about to enter the high school, but never go into the actual prom). There is also a wink to Jamie Lee Curtis. The four lead kids are plucky, standing out from the average slasher body pile. And the film boasts not just a series of really good scares and some well-drawn suspense, but an element of intelligence among the characters to #1 - call the police when they should, and #2 when they find a gun, they use it. The most glaring plot hole is how the killer priest - responsible for the 1957 murders manages to not age a single day in his nearly 35 years of captivity (he's actually hotter 3 decades later and his body is in perfect condition even though he's been in a coma). Somehow, however, you seem to let it go simply because the scares and the truly creative cinematography keep the action interesting.
Sadly, this would have been perfect as the final chapter, but a lame "final moment" promises a PROM NIGHT V which was never to be... though 1994's THE CLUB was clearly designed as a PROM NIGHT sequel that had a title change, likely after the poor 1992 box office and home video performance of PROM NIGHT IV. Instead we got a dreadful remake.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I still love this franchise. Probably because I'm a horror kid of the 1980s. But it is among the more inconsistent franchises of the era, serious and scary, then supernatural and odd, then not scary all all and funny instead, then back to serious and scary. Parts II and III are their own franchise kind of book ended by an unrelated franchise. Still, the movies are never dull and definitely earned their place in the hearts of horror fans.
