Le bal de l'horreur 2: Hello Mary Lou

Hello Mary Lou isn't the most entertaining horror I've seen but it's fairly decent and something always seems to be happening. There's no gore at all but there's plenty of silliness. There seems to be a weird religious edge to it as well, as the girl possessed by Mary Lou asks the priest: "Will you pray for me?...Will you f**k me?" There's a hilarious line from the priest during a funeral, when he comments that the death should remind everyone of violence seen every day in life, on TV, and in films. Other funny scenes include a girl being pulped in between two lockers, Mary Lou's corpse bursting out of Vicki's body, and an exploding grave. These are not as cool as they sound, but will still bring a smile to your face.

I would give this a watch if you enjoy 80's horror films. It's not the best, but it's got enough wholesome cheesiness to pass the time.

The film centers around the ghost of one Mary Lou Maloney, a girl who was accidentally killed during her prom queen crowning in the 50s. Her spirit is accidentally released by a girl named Vicki when she finds her supposed prom queen regalia in the school's prop room. Mary Lou possesses her, and sets out to get revenge on those responsible for her death and become the prom queen once more.

I usually prefer Hammer horror films or 80's horror with light gore and an emphasis on atmosphere and story and this 1987 sequel has plenty of atmosphere, moments that make you jump, builds progressively to the climax and the gore isn't too heavy - it's more special effect-laden like the Nightmare on Elm street series. Has some inventive effects and the characterisation is good, though it gets a little longwinded and tedious towards the end. The interesting aspect is that the would-be victim or the one vulnerable is the male - usually in horror film it's the female who is either the final girl or in the dangerous situation.

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.

Your attitude going into Prom Night II will determine how much joy you take away from the film. If you're expecting a horror masterpiece, look elsewhere. If you like campy movies that are rather fun to watch unfold, you'll like this. Lisa Schrage has the time of her life playing an over the top Mary Lou and Wendy Loyd channels Schrage's rage perfectly during her time "possessed".

Not classic cinema but a fun way to kill a couple of hours with a wicked ending.

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.