Movie Review: Prom Night (1980)

Genre: Slasher Horror  

Director: Paul Lynch  

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Nielsen  

Running Time: 93 minutes  

Synopsis: In the prologue, kids playing a cruel game of hide-and-seek in an abandoned covenant cause the death of ten year-old Robin. Six years later in the present, the now teen-aged kids are getting ready for high school graduation. Robin's sister Kim (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her brother Alex are part of the school community, and their father Mr. Hammond (Leslie Nielsen) is the principal. An escaped convict is stalking the town, an outcast student threatens violence, and Kim's nemesis Wendy has disruptive intentions. Eventually a mask-wearing assailant unleashes mayhem.

What Works Well: The opening prologue promises a level of gargoylian horror that the rest of the film never comes close to matching, but one late-in-the-day shot featuring a disembodied head deserves credit.

What Does Not Work As Well: This Canadian production is best known for featuring Jamie Lee Curtis in her prime scream queen era, but offers nothing else. The stiff actors all appear a good ten years older than their roles, the writing is lazy, and the high school environment is a tired re-hash of stereotypes. The horror scenes, when they finally arrive, are tension-free, filmed in murky darkness, and edited into a mess. Instead of delivering impact, every intended highlight is extended into boredom. Worst of all is an incessant fixation on disco dancing and bad disco music. Maybe the hidden message was all about the horror of disco's final days?

Key Quote:

Kim: You seem a little anxious, Wendy. By the way, who are going with tonight?

Wendy: It's not who you go with, honey. It's who takes you home.

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