I’m going to try out something new here and I want some feedback on it. I want to do a new quick review and see how it plays out. I’m getting behind on my movie reviews and more often than not, people don’t want to read a long ass review. So… Welcome to the new format of Tatlock’s Quick ‘n Dirty Review! First up, is Prom Night, the 1980 slasher, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and in a surprising change of role, Leslie Nielsen playing it straight up, without any comedy. Is Prom Night the be all end all of slasher films, or should it be lumped up against all the other fodder that copied Halloween and Friday the 13th? Read on to quickly find out!Release: Jul 18th, 1980
Rating: R
Run time: 98 min
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Nielsen
Director: Paul Lynch
Short nitty-gritty plot description from IMDb is as follows: A masked killer stalks four teenagers, responsible for the accidental death of a little girl six years earlier, at their high school’s senior prom.
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| Photo Credit: Synapse Films Facebook Page |
Tatlock’s Quick ‘n Dirty Review: Not too long after Jamie Lee Curtis finished Halloween, she went on to do a couple of slasher films, one being Terror Train and another being the film in review, Prom Night. It’s a movie that takes its time leading up to the slashing, building up to the inevitable carnage at prom night. Featuring a few ingenious kills (minus any extreme blood and gore), plus a wonderful extended chase sequence with an axe, Prom Night is a slightly higher class of slasher but still has a few problems.
There are several red herrings in place and most don’t go anywhere come the time the killer is revealed. For most of the movie, I was guessing who was doing the slaying, but near the end, I started to figure it out and it made a few of those red herrings seem nonsensical. Surely, some of those red herrings weren’t needed, but oh well, it still works out.
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| Did you just call me Shirley? Photo Credit: Synapse Films Facebook Page |
Blu-ray Features:
– Brand-New 2K High-Definition Transfer from the Original 35mm Camera Negative
– 5.1 Surround Remix Specifically Created for This Release (Original 2.0 Mono Included)
– Audio Commentary with Director Paul Lynch and Screenwriter William Gray
– THE HORRORS OF HAMILTON HIGH: The Making of “Prom Night” – Featurette
– Collection of Additional Scenes Added for Television Broadcast
– Never-Before-Seen Outtakes from “Prom Night” [Exclusive to Blu-ray]
– Motion Still Gallery [Exclusive to Blu-ray]
– Original Theatrical Trailer & Television Spots
– English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
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| Photo Credit: Synapse Films Facebook Page |
Verdict: Prom Night has a bit of nudity, a mysterious slasher, a tiny, tiny bit of gore and wonderful dance number featuring Jamie Lee Curtis. A few unnecessary diversions weren’t really needed in the long run, but when you combine all the positives that I said before, with a wonderful Blu-ray transfer from Synapse, which screams high quality, with a plethora of features; you’ve got a killer release on your hands!
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