Prom Night II: il ritorno

The Prom Night series probably takes the cake as one of horror's more negligible series due to its lack of continuity, trite plots, and severe emphasis on Christianity. However, I think Mary Lou is probably the best installment in this series. Vicki Carpenter is the quintessential goody two shoes who's raised by strict and deeply religious parents who've done a fine job at making her feel guilty for having "sinful" thoughts about her boyfriend and using the Lord's name in vain. But with her interest in the prom queen who died thirty years earlier, it's obvious that she's torn between a her own world and one that can be considered more sinful. The spirit of Mary Lou does a helluva job at corrupting this little Miss Perfect by exposing her to violence, revenge, lust, and even homosexuality that she's pondered for years. While the film bears no major relevance to its predecessor much like the subsequent two films, it provides a reflection of what teenagers have been going through for years while they were trying break free from the parents who drove them crazy, discover more about themselves, or just try, by any means necessary, to be the most popular person in their school. After all, weren't those the elements that John Hughes filled his 80s teen movies with?

Though this movie often gets skewered on the message boards it is a delight for those who appreciate the high school horror films of the 80's. The acting is stale, the story is one we've all heard before but this film had some memorable touches. The locker room scene is one of my all-time favorite death scenes and this film used the art class paper cutter as a weapon way before Josh Hartnett wielded one in "The Faculty". The "living rocking horse" is definitely something viewers wont easily forget and that scene reminds me of horrors historical roots in cinema: that scene screams German Expressionism as much as the title sequence in "Nightmare on Elm Street". If you don't like camp, this movie will be hard to swallow, but if you're a fan of the B movies you rented as a kid just because the cover art looked creepy: bon apetit.

A hedonistic prom queen is accidentally killed on stage in 1957. When her spirit is inadvertently released thirty years later, she wreaks havoc on prom night seeking to be queen again, not to mention obtaining revenge. Michael Ironside plays the principal of the school, the man responsible for the girl's death decades earlier.

Sometimes subtitled "Hello Mary Lou," "Prom Night II" (1987) is disconnected from the original 1980 film with Jamie Lee Curtis, although there are some trivial links. This one discards the disco dancing while upping the ante with the "Carrie" (1976) elements and mixing in components from the first two "A Nightmare on Elm Street" flicks (1984/1985), like the illusions and possession.

The original was more of a coming-of-age drama/whodunit with a masked assailant appearing in the last act whereas this sequel is actually a little better in that it adds creative horror pizazz, which some might say makes it "cheesy." In any case, Wendy Lyon stands out as the winsome protagonist who's shown totally nude on a few occasions in the second half which ties-in with the possession angle.

If you favor any of those other horror films noted above, "Prom Night II" is arguably on par, although I suppose "Carrie" is superior on a technical level.

The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes and was shot in Edmonton, Alberta, with other stuff (post-production) done in Toronto.

GRADE: B

Clever, inventive, and funny totally non-related sequel to Prom Night takes various elements from just about every horror film and blends them together with successful results. The story deals with a murdered prom queen possessing a young girl thirty years later to avenge her death. Lisa Schrage is funny, scary, and sexy as Mary Lou. Pretty good effects for the most part too. Rated R; Nudity, Sexual Situations, Graphic Violence, and Profanity.

If there was ever a vote for THE prototypical 80s horror film, I'd be hard pressed to vote for anything other than this. The look, style, pace and vibe of Bruce Pittman's delirious non-sequel to the routine slasher PROM NIGHT are the very epitome of the period. For this reason, those touched by nostalgia will find it hard not to like but HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II has a little more in it's locker (literally as it happens!) to enjoy than just an appreciation of it's era.

Right from the opening scene, there is a wonderfully odd vibe throughout that propels the movie along nicely and although it openly borrows from CARRIE, ELM STREET and THE EXORCIST, it makes no apologies for this and goes about the task with real zest and energy. Much credit belongs to veteran Canadian composer Paul Zaza, whose queasy score here adds immeasurably to the off kilter mood that works so much in this movie's favour.

The cast have fun and are game for the ride with the ever-reliable Michael Ironside thrown into the mix. As for Lisa Schrage.........given her limited screen time (her character spends most of the movie in the guise of a possessed Wendy Lyon), I thought she was mesmerizing as Mary Lou, giving us a truly memorable and delightfully twisted character whose beauty can't be ignored and whose evil can't be escaped!

Mary Lou is a vengeful 50s Prom Queen back from the grave with a score to settle. Most of all, she wants back the crown she was cruelly denied and will stop at nothing to get it.

As the possessed Vicky, she kills and toys with victims - sometimes on a warped sexual level........at one point coming onto her Dad(!), her headmaster (in his office!) and even her best friend in a shower.........the latter in a sequence culminating in a protracted and utterly unexpected full-frontal nude scene, stalking her prey around the changing room with a payoff kill that's not easily forgotten.

Well staged and imaginative dream sequences and hallucinations abound such as the liquid blackboard and a possessed rocking horse that comes off very creepy and not nearly as silly as it could have been. With little to boast of in budget, the SPFX here are all the more ballsy and impressive.

Sharp, quirky and with a wicked sense of humour, there's not a dull moment here!