The Prowler Review

MPAA Rating: NR
Released: 1981

The Prowler is a brutal early 80's slasher that was banned and/or severely edited in many countries due to its extremely violent death scenes, served up with panache by none other than horror maestro Tom Savini. If you're not a fan of horror flicks or slasher movies then you probably won't find much to like here, but if these types of guilty pleasures entertain you then be sure to check out the Feature Attraction.

The year is 1945, and America is still recoiling from the horrors of World War II. Unfortunately while our military fought fiercely on the war front, many of our soldiers faced cruel betrayals from their former girlfriends and wives in the form of the notorious "Dear John" letters that all too many servicemen receive.

Rosemary, an impatient and horny young vixen, decides to send one such letter to her significant other. As she states in her letter to him, she's young and just doesn't feel like waiting for him to return anymore. But while many soldiers would dream about keeping their traitorous partner away from new suitors, the Prowler is a true man of action and actually serves to unite her and her new lover during a college graduation dance… by means of a pitchfork!

35 years pass, and we quickly learn that the small town of Avalon Bay, New Jersey never sponsored a graduation dance after the horrors of the aforementioned murders. But this year the older town residents don't get their way – the graduating class is going to start up a party. The Prowler is not pleased to see this, so he suits up in his World War II combat fatigues once again to teach the celebrating youngsters a lesson they'll never forget.

The primary target is a cute blond by the name of Pam MacDonald (Vicky Dawson). She's your stereotypical horror heroine, which is a polite way to say she's a daft idiot that can have a change of clothing on the site of a previous murder without ever noticing her impaled best friend in the bathroom or the blood staining the bed sheets and floor.

Every bimbo needs a male equivalent, and Deputy Mark London (Christopher Goutman) is more than happy to fulfill that role. Together they constantly tempt fate by trying to track down the killer instead of doing something intelligent like say… oohhh… staying safe in the dance hall with all the other partygoers!

The Prowler is your typical 80's slasher flick, so you can pretty much figure how the rest of the film goes. Fans of the genre realize that plot isn't terribly important, nor is acting quality – which is a good thing since the "actors" in this film are laughable! The two hallmarks by which slashers are judged are tension and violent kill scenes, so let's take a closer look at these aspects.

Director Joseph Vito (who created some of the 80's better guilty pleasures, including Chuck Norris' Invasion U.S.A.) did a great job setting the tone of the film early on, and for the most part he succeeds in keeping the happenings tense throughout. The momentum faltered a little when the twosome roamed around the killer's house (it just dragged on a bit too long), but for the most part the pacing is well done.

Horror hounds will instantly recognize Tom Savini, a special effects artist that can be considered one of horror's best gurus of gore. Savini was on the top of his game when he created the effects for The Prowler – the killings are unflinching and brutal. You'll see the killer ram a bayonet through the skull of one victim (which was a cool scene); impale a naked gal with a pitchfork; and much more. The camera does not flinch or jump away from the executions as so often happens in these films, making the scenes likely to be too much for those with weaker constitutions.

The bottom line is The Prowler is an average 80's slasher flick that does things by the book (i.e., idiotic characters, nudity, jump scares, etc.) and excels in the gore department, so if horror just isn’t your thing then you'll want to give this obscure film a pass. Otherwise give The Prowler a shot – it's one of the cooler underground gems.

Note: The unrated version of The Prowler was used for the purposes of this review. This film was also released with an R-rating, which was of course edited.

Movie rating: 7 stars

If you enjoyed The Prowler you may also find the following films to be of interest:

Enjoy the Prowler experience in the comfort of your own home with these products!

DVD

Other Resources:

The Prowler IMDb Page

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