Prom Night (1980)
Whilst out playing and causing general mayhem, four kids cause the death of a friend through bullying. Years later an axe wielding, black masked killer turns up on high school prom night to wreak revenge.
I'm starting to like Prom Night a lot more than i used to. That initial hour barely registers as a horror film and fits in nicely with high school movies such as Dazed and Confused Rock n' Roll High School or American Graffiti as we get to know the characters, chiefly Jamie Lee Curtis, who is probably at her most fun here. All it needs is a thumping rock soundtrack from the era and we'd be laughing. I must admit the Prom Night disco song isn't bad but it's not Rock n' Roll All Night or School's Out class.
There are some absurdities. Starting with the films timeline following the kids prank gone wrong in the prologue. Things then turn to the present day or six years later as the screen caption states. This is kind of strange as the kids who all appeared to be around eight or nine have all become fully fledged drinking, driving and f*cking adults and in Jamie Lee's case 22 years old.
It does come to life as a slasher film in it's final third which has a tense stalking sequence through the dimly lit corridors of the school not to mention the head rolling down the stage murder which is a highlight of not just this film but slasher cinema in general.
The afore mentioned Curtis is once again in 'final girl' mode as she was in 78's Halloween and also Terror Train from 1980. Where Prom Night differs is *SPOILER ALERT* despite being the final girl she's never actually in any danger as the killer turns out to be her loving brother. But of course we don't know this until the final reveal.
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