The Prowler
2/4
Starring: Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Bryan Englund, Farley Granger, Lawrence Tierney
Not Rated (probable R for Strong Violence/Gore, Sexuality and Nudity, and for Some Language)
"The Prowler" is an 80's slasher movie, and that is probably all that needs to be said. Anyone familiar with the horror genre knows what that entails: a bunch of stupid characters doing stupid things, a masked killer sending people into the netherworld in the most gruesome way possible, a virginal heroine, her hunky boyfriend...you get the idea. "The Prowler" sticks to the genre in every sense of the word. For better and for worse.
At the first graduation dance after the end of World War II, two cuddling co-eds were found brutally murdered. The dead girl's father, Major Chatham (Tierney), has eliminated graduation dances ever since. Now in 1980, they are back. Outgoing student Pam (Dawson) is getting ready to attend, although she is disappointed that her boyfriend Mark (Goutman) has to work since the sheriff (Granger) is going fishing. Little does she know that a maniac in combat gear is stalking the night outside and intends to send everyone to the grave.
The appeal of a movie like "The Prowler" is purely visceral. Intelligence goes bye-bye at the opening credits, and plot complexity is largely unnecessary. That's fine for a certain kind of movie, but it places an enormous weight on the technical aspects of the film. Unfortunately "The Prowler" comes up short in this regard. The film has its share of visceral shocks and creepy moments, but the pacing is so poor that the film feels padded at a skinny 89 minutes. Complexity isn't something that is warranted or wanted in a movie like this, but the audience needs something to grab onto if they are going to stay awake through the end credits. But the characters are boring and they spend far too much time wandering around waiting to get attacked.
Vicky Dawson and Christopher Goutman are typical heroes for an 80s slasher flick. Which is to say, they run around looking for clues and avoiding being gutted by the killer. That would be easy if they were smart, but no, they're just as boring and stupid as every other doofus in a movie like this. Vicky Dawson is as bland as any slasher movie heroine not named Laurie Strode or Sidney Prescott. Christopher Goutman, looking very much like an 80s version of Peter Greene or Cillian Murphy, has to be the dumbest cop in movie history. Even by slasher movie standards. Legitimate actors Farley Granger and Lawrence Tierney appear in small roles, but neither has much to do.
This movie is what it is. It is no better than it absolutely has to be. It's plain, it's mindless, it's forgettable, but for undemanding, gory entertainment, it's at least passable. In this genre, that's almost a compliment.
Starring: Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Bryan Englund, Farley Granger, Lawrence Tierney
Not Rated (probable R for Strong Violence/Gore, Sexuality and Nudity, and for Some Language)
"The Prowler" is an 80's slasher movie, and that is probably all that needs to be said. Anyone familiar with the horror genre knows what that entails: a bunch of stupid characters doing stupid things, a masked killer sending people into the netherworld in the most gruesome way possible, a virginal heroine, her hunky boyfriend...you get the idea. "The Prowler" sticks to the genre in every sense of the word. For better and for worse.
At the first graduation dance after the end of World War II, two cuddling co-eds were found brutally murdered. The dead girl's father, Major Chatham (Tierney), has eliminated graduation dances ever since. Now in 1980, they are back. Outgoing student Pam (Dawson) is getting ready to attend, although she is disappointed that her boyfriend Mark (Goutman) has to work since the sheriff (Granger) is going fishing. Little does she know that a maniac in combat gear is stalking the night outside and intends to send everyone to the grave.
The appeal of a movie like "The Prowler" is purely visceral. Intelligence goes bye-bye at the opening credits, and plot complexity is largely unnecessary. That's fine for a certain kind of movie, but it places an enormous weight on the technical aspects of the film. Unfortunately "The Prowler" comes up short in this regard. The film has its share of visceral shocks and creepy moments, but the pacing is so poor that the film feels padded at a skinny 89 minutes. Complexity isn't something that is warranted or wanted in a movie like this, but the audience needs something to grab onto if they are going to stay awake through the end credits. But the characters are boring and they spend far too much time wandering around waiting to get attacked.
Vicky Dawson and Christopher Goutman are typical heroes for an 80s slasher flick. Which is to say, they run around looking for clues and avoiding being gutted by the killer. That would be easy if they were smart, but no, they're just as boring and stupid as every other doofus in a movie like this. Vicky Dawson is as bland as any slasher movie heroine not named Laurie Strode or Sidney Prescott. Christopher Goutman, looking very much like an 80s version of Peter Greene or Cillian Murphy, has to be the dumbest cop in movie history. Even by slasher movie standards. Legitimate actors Farley Granger and Lawrence Tierney appear in small roles, but neither has much to do.
This movie is what it is. It is no better than it absolutely has to be. It's plain, it's mindless, it's forgettable, but for undemanding, gory entertainment, it's at least passable. In this genre, that's almost a compliment.
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