The trend of remaking old horror films continues. Much to the dismay of fans everywhere who would prefer new, original material, Hollywood's still at it and it doesn't look like it'll be ending anytime soon. Especially since they did “Halloween”, which means that now all the classics are fair game. Thankfully, the new version of “Prom Night” has a couple things going for it that actually make it a pretty decent film to watch.
For one thing, the remake actually tells a completely different story with new characters, rather than just simply retell the original version with updated details. Made in 1980 and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen (in a surprisingly serious role), the original “Prom Night” was a “revenge” slasher story in the same manner of “Friday the 13th and “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. It began with four kids accidentally killing a girl while picking on her, then swearing to keep it a secret unaware someone else had been there and saw the whole thing. Years later at prom, those same kids are now being targeted in retaliation, with the killer possibly being an escaped mental patient. It was one of the many films that capitalized on the success of “Halloween”, and had a surprising twist ending that made it a very good film.
In the new “Prom Night”, high schooler Donna (played by Brittany Snow) comes home one night to find her family murdered by her teacher, Richard Fenton (Johnathon Schaech), who has an obsession with her. Three years later, Donna is getting ready for prom and move on with her life, unaware that Fenton has escaped from the mental hospital and is coming for her so they can be together. Rather than killing for revenge, Fenton's victims are either out of necessity (like a man whose car and identity he steals) or to get rid of those he feels is keeping Donna from him, such as her friends. The “obsessed stalker” idea is nothing new to slasher films, but this new story helps make this remake seem somewhat original and keep things fresh.
The other thing “Prom Night” has going for it is the fact that it's “old school” horror, relying on suspense and scare tactics for the horror rather than excessive blood and gore. The film makes great use of camera tricks, tense moments and music to build suspense and scares, and there are plenty of moments where what you think is going to happen doesn't, not only throwing you off but then truly surprising you when it does happen. There are some violent moments in the film, particularly when Fenton attacks someone, but much of it happens off camera and the blood is kept to a minimum. Some horror fans, particularly those who have been getting their fix with films like “Saw” and “Hostel”, may protest this, but as an “old school” fan, I feel it helps to build the tension and make things seem more scary.
Speaking of Fenton, he's another “old school” example is how his character is played out. In this age where something is usually given to make us sympathetic towards a villain, Fenton is not such a case. He's played as a classic psychopath, showing absolutely no remorse in actions and having an obsession with Donna that's frightening. There is nothing to make us like this character, and that's good, because that make us root for the good guys to catch him. You don't get a lot of villains like that anymore, and that's something to enjoy about this movie.
Naturally, there are some things to groan about. Given the setting, a lot of this does play out like a teen drama series. Donna and her friends gripe and bitch about rich girl Crissy, who herself is the traditional “mean girl” of their class, eager to stay on top and become prom queen rather than Donna's friend Lisa (a fresh surprise, Donna is NOT one of the contenders for prom queen, when under a different writer and/or director she would have been). There are also relationship problems, talks about moving on and going away to school, stuff a lot of us probably experienced in high school ourselves or saw on TV recently. The good thing about it is that it helps break the tension of the main story and make the characters more human, but it's probably going to draw out more than a few snorts.
My other gripe is the police's pursuit of Fenton. Surprisingly, they're actually portrayed as seriously doing their jobs in trying to catch the bad guy, rather than just being stereotypical idiots like in most horror movies. Even they groan about the fact that it took several days for the news about Fenton's escape to reach them. My complaint, though, is that when asking about Fenton, they use his old mugshot, where he has long hair and a beard, when now he has a buzz-cut and is clean shaven. You would think that the police would have a more recent photo to pass around, but then again, that would make things a little too easy.
Other than that, the film plays out rather well. A good story, plenty of suspense and some decent characters. This new version of “Prom Night” is definitely worth watching, though most might want to catch it on DVD. At the very least, it'll make for a good rent on Halloween.
Directed by: Nelson McCormick
Rating: PG-13
Score: 7 out of 10
