April 11, 2008 Prom Night
Studio: Screen Gems Rating: PG-13 for violence and terror, some sexual material, underage drinking and language.
An 80s slasher flick is re-imagined, but this new "Prom Night" may not be worth making a date for.
The story begins with Donna (Brittany Snow) surviving a horrible tragedy. Three years ago her family was brutally murdered by an obsessed teacher named Richard Fenton (Johnathon Schaech.) But he's soon captured by the authorities and sent away. Donna picks up the shattered pieces of her life and tries to move on.
Despite recurring nightmares about the tragedy, the years roll by. With high school drawing to a close Donna decides to enjoy Bridgeport High School's prom with all of her friends. But on the eve of the big dance Fenton escapes and has his sights set on finishing what he started.
With the prom taking place in a hotel and dozens of victims to choose from, the murderous teacher can strike from hiding and methodically work his way toward Donna. A deadly game of cat and mouse takes place, with anyone between the Fenton and his ultimate prize meeting a grisly end.
Back in 1980, Jamie Lee Curtis starred in the original version of "Prom Night." Some say it marked the beginning of a decades' worth of teen slasher movies.
It had violence, gore and a bit of suspense. This new version does away with most of the mystery and concentrates mainly on jumping out of the closet and yelling "boo."
The characters are generic, the villain is bland and there are too many plot holes to forgive or ignore. The police stage what may be the worst investigation in history, even by horror movie standards. And Donna doesn't help much. She spends most of the movie running and screaming, doing very little to save herself in the process. Instead of a spunky heroine we get a quivering victim.
"Prom Night" offers some scattered scary moments but not much else. And you can figure out where the story is going long before it ever gets there.
On my rating scale, "Prom Night" earns a Single.
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