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**SPOILER REVIEW** Let us review the plot of this generic horror film. First, in flashback, a horrific murder happens. Fast forward to the then present-day, and the reopening of a closed dance/school/prom night, etc., where the first murder took place. Throw in a few red herring suspects, like the school janitor in the basement, or the crazy old man who bags groceries at the supermarket. Introduce one virginal girl with boyfriend trouble, and her oversexed, horny friends. As horny friends get killed, have virgin and new boyfriend run from masked killer. Killer does not kill boyfriend, and town weirdo kills killer...or so we think. Have killer come back to life, then get killed by virgin. Put virgin in final scene as dead come back to life and grab her, then realize it was only a dream/hallucination. There, now you have "The Prowler."
While Tom Savini's makeup effects are on display here, this is still such a silly film even his big bag of gore cannot save a lousy script. I had the killer figured out as soon as he was introduced, so I had to sit back and watch the blood flow. Big deal, the killer uses a pitchfork. I guess a concealed weapons charge is out of the question, those are so hard to hide in your pocket.
"The Prowler" is lousy film making that only has a reputation because of Savini's makeup effects. Gore does not equal scares, and neither does "The Prowler."
Stats:
(1981) 89 min. (1/10)
-Directed by Joseph Zito
-Screenplay by Glenn Leopold and Neal Barbera, Additional Dialogue by Eric Lewald & Mark Edward Edens & Michael Edens
-Cast: Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Lawrence Tierney, Farley Granger, Cindy Weintraub, Lisa Dunsheath, David Sederholm, Bill Nunnery, Thom Bray, Diane Rode, Bryan Englund, Donna Davis, Carleton Carpenter
-(R)
-Media Viewed: VHS
