With both Halloween and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre receiving newfangled releases, Synapse lobs another title into the release schedule: 1980’s Canadian tax-shelter slasher Prom Night.
A whodunit surrounding a batch of high school kids who are stalked by a hooded killer determined to make them pay for a prank gone wrong many years ago, Prom Night is lots of fun but by no means a good movie. It’s full of ridiculous red herrings, obvious horror tropes and an unfortunate, stern performance by Leslie Nielsen, which isn’t dissimilar enough to his Sgt. Drebbin role to evoke anything but bad laughs.
Jamie Lee Curtis, however, shines in a role that exemplifies how she keenly used the horror genre to spotlight her strong emotional range, revealing true distinction and genuine talent.
Prom Night’s reputation is mostly kept alive due to the nostalgia of it being one of the first of the slasher films to make it to network television. This release boasts a beautiful transfer and a mountain of extras, including the footage included in the network cut, serving as fine a monument to the film that both it and its fans deserve.
