Pluskylang Great Film overall

Micransix Crappy film

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Sam Panico Director Joseph Zito really cranked 'em out in the 1980's, with films like Invasion U.S.A., Red Scorpion, the original Missing in Action and 1984's Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. This one's an interesting tweak to the slasher formula, plus it has what all gory movies need most: the imaginative grand guignol artistry of Tom Savini.June 28, 1945: World War 2 may be coming to an end, but Rosemary Chatham is also ending her relationship with her boyfriend. The war's gone on too long and she can't wait for him any longer. As she attends the Avalon Bay graduation dance with her new boyfriend, they decide to slip out and make out at the point. Mid-tryst, a man in an army uniform impales them both, leaving behind a rose.June 28, 1980: Pam McDonald has finally convinced the town to have a graduation dance, the first since Rosemary was murdered. Her boyfriend, Mark London (Christopher Goutman, who went on to be a soap opera director) is the town's deputy and in charge as his boss, Sheriff Fraser(Farley Granger, Strangers on a Train, What Have They Done to Your Daughters?, Amuck!) is heading to his cabin for the weekend.Pam has some help - or well, she did - in Lisa, Sherry and Carl. The latter two are killed by The Prowler from the opening - Carl with a bayonet through his brain and Sherry by pitchfork. The blood is copious in both murders and the murderer leaves behind a rose.At the dance, Pam gets upset when Lisa dances with her boyfriend and she gets a drink on her dress. Back at her dorm, the Prowler chases her, but at the last minute, she runs into Major Chatham (noted Hollywood crazy person rulebreaker Lawrence Tierney, who was arrested a dozen times in seven years and claimed he "threw away about seven careers through drink." You may know him as the boss of the Reservoir Dogs and as Elaine's dad on Seinfeld. During the shooting of that episode, he stole a butcher knife from the set and when Jerry Seinfeld asked him about it, he made threatening motions toward him while claiming he was just imitating Psycho. I could - and can and will and do - go on about Lawrence Tierney), a war veteran who grabs at her.That's when Pam realizes that the major's daughter was Rosemary, the girl killed 35 years ago. Right around then, Lisa and Paul argue and he gets arrested for public drunkenness. Lisa decides to go swimming and gets her throat cut by The Prowler. Another girl, Allison, tries to find her and is killed as well.Mark tries to call the Sheriff, but can't get through. A shopkeeper tells the deputy that there are some kids up in the graveyard and when he investigates, Lisa's body is in an open grave. They go to the major's house to investigate and Mark is attacked and left for dead. Pam is chased through the house, learning that none other than the Sheriff is the Prowler. She is able to turn his gun on him and blow his head his shoulders.After its all over, Pam returns to her dorm and discovers the bodies of Sherry and Carl. Carl comes to life and grabs her, but she's just in the end of the movie hallucination shock scene that we all know and maybe love from Carrie.The Prowler is mostly worth it for the extended gore sequences. It came out in the middle of the slasher cycle, so it has plenty of the hallmarks (maybe that's not the right word) of the genre.

Anonymous Andy (Minus_The_Beer) An often overlooked entry in the early 1980s slasher genre, "The Prowler" (otherwise known as "Rosemary's Killer" in other territories) benefits a great deal from the unrelenting gore and inventive death scenes delivered by special effects maestro Tom Savini (Dawn Of The Dead, Friday The 13th) and in the surprisingly solid direction of Joseph Zito, who would later go on to deliver one of the most memorable (and bloody) installments in the Friday The 13th franchise, "The Final Chapter."The film opens up with a solider being informed via Dear John letter that his lover is breaking up with him. Unsurprisingly, said lover ends up being sliced and diced along with her new beau at a small town graduation dance. It is then, 35 years later, that the action picks up again. Pam Dawson (the lovely Vicky Dawson) has staged the first graduation dance held in her town since that fateful night. Unfortunately, a mysterious man in combat gear brandishing a rather large knife sets out to crash the good time and, as one can predict, mayhem ensues.Unlike most slashers that came in its wake, "The Prowler" is rather humorless and goes about its business in a cold and calculated manner. The death scenes are at times cruel and often prolonged, which even today might be hard for the average viewer to stomach. The cast is full of mostly unknowns (save for Lawrence Tierney in a throwaway role) so it's up to Savini and his glorious special effects to deliver, and boy do they. Almost 35 years later, his effects still hold up and cut right to the bone. Zito directs with just the right amount of tension and frames everything just right so that you truly get the feeling that The Prowler could be hiding in any corner of the screen. Things are kept mostly lean and mean, making "The Prowler" a movie that you truly won't be able to shake for days, even if you think you've seen it all already.

Bonehead-XL The slasher is probably the most derided of any horror type. People criticize the films are formulaic, gore-for-gore's sake, mindless, or even misogynistic. These things are sometimes, true, yes. Which isn't to say that a satisfying, suspenseful, well made film can't be made within those outlines. "The Prowler" is one of the best examples of the subgenre.How much does "The Prowler" fit the traditional outlines of a slasher? It opens with a crime in the past. After his girlfriend breaks up with him via a Dear John letter, a just-returned World War II veteran murders the girl and her new lover with a pitchfork. On what night did the deaths take place? The night of the big graduation party. Thirty five years later, the New Jersey town of Avalon Bay is having a graduation party for the first time since that night. Naturally, this event inflames the still-living killer's rage, forcing him to kill again. Just to go down the list, that's a crime in the past, a special holiday event, an anniversary of a crime, and a killer in both a mask and with not one, but two!, trademark weapons. On the surface, "The Prowler" is about as typical as it gets.The story is not what makes "The Prowler" special. Instead of shot in some dark forest or other, uninteresting isolated location, "The Prowler" was lensed in New Jersey's historical district. This gives the film a unique look, the old Victorian buildings adding a certain gravitas to the proceedings. Joseph Zito's direction is equally handsome. The nights are made up of contrasting blues and blacks. Zito frequently employs less then typical shots, like a long sequence reflected in a mirror. My favorite bit is when the girls getting ready for the dance are intercut with and contrasted against the killer preparing his weapons and outfits. "The Prowler" might just be the prettiest slasher ever made. It's certainly far more polished then must of the output of the time.The film is also, perhaps, the goriest film of the first wave of American slashers. This is primarily the reason why the film ranks so highly among the fandom. Tom Savini declared it his best work. It very well might be. Pitchforks are dug into backs, a large puddle of blood oozing from the victims. An eighteen inch long bayonet is shoved all the way through a victim's head, his eyes rolling back until they're completely white. "The Prowler" one-ups "Psycho" by the having the naked, bathing beauty nailed to the wall with a pitchfork. Savini marches out his trademark of exploding a fake head with a real shotgun fantastically. The bayonet is, earlier, shoved directly into a woman's jugular, blood spurting from the wound, her shoes painted red. All of these are fantastic. Yet no kill is more impressive then the girl with the slit throat in the swimming pool. Sorry, did I say "slit?" "Embedded" is more likely. The villain saws her neck open until he hits bone. The latex stretches and tears, torrent after torrent of corn syrup flooding the pool. It's extended, brutal, and borderline pornographic. I love it.Buckets load of blood and gore are fine and dandy. However, "The Prowler" backs it up by generating actual suspense. A scene where the heroine is delayed by the creepy old man works well. The girl being unaware of the killer in the same room is another potential cliché enlivened by excellent execution here. The sudden surprise of a corpse in a fireplace or discovery of a fresh body in a casket jolts audiences nicely. Most slashers have a long chase scene between final girl and killer. The one presented here stands above the rest. Final girl Pam enters a room of old furniture covered with white clothes. Hiding under a table, she watches helplessly as the killer tears the room apart, flipping tables and smashing things. Even when a big ass rat crawls through her hair, she remains silent. The same year's "Friday the 13th Part II" featured a similar sequence but this one is far more effective. This is how you do it, kids.About the only thing that doesn't work about "The Prowler" is its cast. The film earns points for not featuring the typical horny teenagers. Instead, the hero is a deputy police officer, his girlfriend spunky and strong. The middle chapter of the film is composed of them sleuthing out the mystery, investigating graveyards and old homes. Scenes like the boyfriend trying to convince the girl to stay behind add some character. Also among the cast: Horny college students. Most of the victims are just random by-standers. I suppose it's fair to develop the central duo while filling the body count out with minor characters. Vicky Dawson is likable enough as the final girl but Christopher Goutman, looking all the world like a young William Fichtner, is too blandly heroic to register. The film also makes the mistake of wasting Lawrence Tierney, sticking him in a speechless, undefined "creepy old man" part and not even giving him the dignity of a death scene.The killer's military garb gives him a distinctive look. His habit of leaving roses with his victims gives him personality. I enjoy the bizarre comic relief scene involving a lazy hotel clerk. The last jump scare is totally bogus but effective all the same. "The Prowler" is one of my top slasher picks, fantastically gory, beautifully shot, well structured and paced. I'd rank it above "The Burning" but just below "My Bloody Valentine."

Horror Banana-nanza The slasher genre was an explosion in the early 80's, with such hits as "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street". A lot of films were overlooked or thought of as copycats, including the vastly unknown "The Dorm That Dripped Blood." However, of all the brutal teen slashers during that time, one sticks out to me, purely from an entertainment standpoint.Joe Zito, who worked on "Friday the 13th IV : The Final Friday" brings his direction along with outstanding special effects work by the master, Tom Savini. The story is pretty simple. After World War II, there's a dance, and someone is killed. This someone just told her lover she couldn't wait anymore. So...guess we know who the killer is already, huh?Like all great slasher villains, this guy's got a unique look to him, dressed in soldier clothes, including a gas mask. Man alive, the guy's creepy to watch. The plot doesn't really deviate from the usual stuff. The killer killed the girl during a dance, so for a few decades, they don't have one. Then as soon as they do, he's killing again, this time with a pitchfork, a bayonet, and other awesome utensils. The best kill in the movie, (yes, that's how these movies are judged) is the woman in the shower being ran through with a pitchfork. Fantastic effects.So we eventually are down to our two heroes, a guy and a girl who's names I frankly don't remember, and they face off against the killer. One line that the heroine utters will stick with me forever. As the two approach the house the killer is in, the man says "I'm going to go in there. You stay here." And like every single person in the audience, her response is dead on."That doesn't make any sense."Talk about an understatement.I love this movie. I don't really know how to explain why I do. It doesn't really have that zany element "The Burning" has, or the over the top nudity that any of the "Friday the 13th" films have, but there's just something about this movie that keeps me coming back. And that's what a movie should do.I recommend it, especially if you're a fan of the genre. If not, well, you probably don't want to see it anyway. _____________________For all the Horror Banana's reviews, visit http://morozov924.hubpages.com/