Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Nielsen
Director: Paul Lynch
Welcome to the 80’s! These are my formative years of horror film viewing. In a few years I will spend a lot of time going through the video rental aisles to find new and weird films to watch. I spent so much time in the video store that it was no surprise to anyone when I was hired to work there at 17. By that time, I almost knew the store and its stock better than the employees. Weekends and holidays were spent going through the aisles and finding anything new or maybe something I missed during my previous trips.
This is also the point where there will be more than one review for most years. There are so many horror offerings during the decade that is the 1980’s that it is much harder to narrow it down to one movie. I will also tell you that there will be films that others would include on their list that I will not. This is a subjective list of films, not objective. Just because I can recognize that a film is well-made or influential does not mean I have to like it.
Which brings me to The Shining. I acknowledge that it is a well-shot film and has some striking imagery, but this has never been a film I like to watch. My biggest issue with the film has always been Jack Nicholson. There is no nuance or character arc to his performance. He starts off crazy and ends crazy. Given his obvious instability, there is no reason in this world why Wendy would agree to be at an isolated location with this madman, especially after he had already broken their son’s arm. One look in his eyes and it is apparent that alcohol only made his insanity worse and was not the cause of it. We will discuss what I consider the better film when we get Mike Flanigan’s Dr. Sleep in the 2000’s.
1980 was the year of Jamie Lee Curtis. She would appear in three horror films this year. Prom Night is, in my humble opinion, the best of the three.
Brief synopsis:
A group of children named Nick, Wendy, Jude, and Kelly are playing a weird hide and seek game called “Killers are Coming” in an abandoned building. Wanting to be a part of the fun, young Robin tries to join them. The older bullies taunt the 10-year old girl and she accidentally falls out a second story window to her death. A local pedophile is blamed for the murder and ends up in a psychiatric asylum after a horrific car crash.
Six years later it’s prom night and everything is alright! Well, except for Robin’s family who are still mourning her death. Mom is sad that, even though older daughter Kim (Curtis) is Prom Queen, Robin is missing the dance. Dad, played by a pre-Airplane Leslie Nielsen, is the principal and trying to keep peace in the school while also being happy for his daughter. Robin’s twin, Alex, is the DJ for the dance and protective of his older twin.
But Robin’s family isn’t the only one having issues with the date. Kim’s boyfriend and Prom King, Nick, is actually one of the kids who was involved in Robin’s death. He is feeling guilty and wants to confess what happened but can’t seem to find the words. Jude and Kelly have become friends with Kim and apparently have no guilt over their part in her sister’s death. Queen bee and ex-girlfriend of Nick, Wendy, is just pissed that he dumped her and is going to the Prom with Kim. In shades of Carrie, she plans a prank with local hooligan Lou at the dance to humiliate. It's too bad these four don’t talk about Robin’s death or anything else. Maybe they would realize that they are all getting mysterious phone calls that just happen to coincide with the dreadful anniversary…
Spoilers below (you have been warned):
It’s a slasher, people die. Just kidding, we have some effective stalk and kill scenes along with a fun dance scene with Jamie Lee Curtis at the prom. Jude and her date are killed after having sex in a van. Kelly is killed after refusing sex with her boyfriend, and Wendy gets a prolonged chase and kill scene. It culminates with the announcement of King and Queen. Lou knocks out Nick to take his place next to Kim. The killer decapitates Lou and his head rolls out onto the runway. In the chaos, Kim finds Nick and helps him fight off the ski masked killer. She manages to land a blow to the killer’s head only to recognize his eyes. She follows the killer outside and cradles him as he collapses. She takes off the mask and reveals Alex, her and Robin’s brother. He had witnessed the accident and wanted to make them pay for his sister’s death. Alex dies in his sister’s arms.
My thoughts (with spoilers):
Is Prom Night a great film? No, absolutely not. Is it a fun film? Heck yeah. This film was made when Canada was giving tax breaks to anyone making a film in their country and it led to a bunch of cheap horror films being made there to save even more money. Prom Night was one of the first. But it takes that low budget and uses it very well.
Jamie Lee Curtis was nearing the end of her scream queen phase and used the films to build up her bank account. But she respected her fans too much to phone in the performance. Indeed, without her, this film would not be even half as good. The pain and horror in her eyes as she realizes that her brother is the killer is devastating and far better than a slasher flick like this deserves. Her conflict between being happy about being voted Prom Queen versus her sadness of the anniversary of her sister’s death is palpable and real. And she has some great dance moves despite the horribly frumpy dress they put her in.
The rest of the cast does a good job but no one really stands out. The only actor I recognized is Eddie Benson, aka Anne-Marie Martin, and that is because she was on Days of Our Lives and Sledgehammer. She was married to Michael Crichton and co-wrote Twister with him before their divorce. Everyone else is good and work for the film they are in. As a fan of Forbidden Planet from the 1950’s, I knew that Leslie Nielsen was more than the spoof king he would become but he doesn’t even really try here. It is a rote performance for a basic role of principal/father. Nothing special but he and Curtis have good father/daughter chemistry.
This is a horror film that has stakes and ends up being a tragedy. Kim loses her sister at an early age and then ends up accidentally killing her brother at the end of the film. This family is destroyed. The mother was already lost in her grief for the loss of her daughter and you can only imagine that she will be destroyed by the loss of her son. It won’t matter that he was a killer, all that will matter is Kim killed her son. An actual sequel to the film could have explored that but instead we got in-name only sequels which are varying degrees of quality and a generic if fun remake. One thing the remake did get right was the decision to end it as a tragedy too, with our heroine destroyed by what she has lost.
The soundtrack is also a blast. This was filmed at the end of the disco era and the scenes were filmed using the greatest hits of the day, hits that the budget wouldn’t allow them to actually use in the film. Instead, the music department had to create new songs that were similar. They were sued after the film came out and had to settle with the record companies for their plagiarism. Doesn’t matter, these songs will get stuck in your head and get you chair dancing at the very least.
While the chase scenes may go on a little too long at times and there are too many red herrings, this is still a fun little film and may be more fun than your actual prom night.
Other films from 1980 to check out:
The Fog – Atmospheric ghost film from John Carpenter that stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Adrienne Barbeau. It is good, not one of Carpenter's best, but the images of the ghosts coming out of fog to attack is truly horrifying.
Terror Train – The third of the Jamie Lee Curtis films made in 1980. A prank in freshman year leaves a geeky student permanently scarred, physically and psychologically. A New Year’s Eve costume graduation train party becomes the setting for his revenge. The use of a moving train with no phones or way of escape makes an interesting place for the stalk and kill.
9 to 5 – Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda in the classic working woman comedy. Still sadly relevant after all these years but, just like these lovely ladies, I also refuse to kowtow to a “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot”.
Airplane – The film that changed how we viewed Leslie Nielsen. An over-the-top laugh fest with too many jokes to count about a flight where everyone gets food poisoning, including the pilots, and a soldier with PTSD is forced to find the courage to land the plane and win back his lady love. A little dated and I can see references to things like Hari Krishna being missed by younger generations but still hits at least 80% of the time.