Review: 'Prom Night' is a real dud

By Linda Cook | Tuesday, May 13, 2008

If you’re thinking this is a remake of the original (and arguably classic) “Prom Night,” you’ll find this date is a dud.

It’s not just the absence of Jamie Lee Curtis that makes this a lame effort. It’s the fact the movie is a watered-down version of a stalk ‘n’ slash flick, a genre which should be rated “R.” This is rated PG-13 to draw in the younger viewers. That tactic may work, but it certainly doesn’t add to the quality of the screenplay or the film itself.

The show opens with a flashback in which high school freshman Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow, “Hairspray”) comes back from a movie to find her father and brother have been murdered. She hides and watches in horror as the killer snuffs out the life of her mother, too.

There’s no mystery to the killer’s identity: He’s a teacher who had a crush on Donna and wanted to be the only person she loved. Of course, he is dispatched to a facility for the criminally insane. Donna ends up on medication, but she begins to recover under the loving care of her aunt and uncle, with whom she lives after her terrible loss.

Now, Donna is getting ready for an important night: her senior prom. She realizes this is an evening full of beginnings as well as goodbyes, and she has a sentimental conversation with her boyfriend, Bobby (Scott Porter, “Music and Lyrics”).

Wouldn’t you know it? The determined former instructor escapes and shows up at the hotel where the big event is being held. Detective Winn (Idris Elba, “American Gangster”) finds out what has happened just as the prom gets into full swing. He puts other officers on alert and contacts Donna’s aunt and uncle, and then goes to the event himself to watch over Donna.

It isn’t too hard to guess who’s going to get it, or even in what order. It’s not very suspenseful, and it offers only a couple of decent startles. The troupe of nice-looking younger performers certainly delivers, but they don’t have much to say once the slaying begins, and there’s only a hint of character development.

If you absolutely must see this, I guess that you could be satisfied that you won’t see the gore and violence from the R-rated “Prom Night.” But this is so watered-down that it’s really not worth getting all dressed up and going out for.

Linda Cook reviews movies for GO! and KWQC-TV6. Contact her at (563) 383-2400 or lcook@qctimes.com.

PROM NIGHT

Rating: 1 star

Running time: One hour and 30 minutes

Rated: PG-13 for violence, foul language and sexual situations

Stars: Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jessica Stroup, Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, Kelly Blatz, Idris Elba and Johnathon Schaech

Director: Nelson McCormick

Screenwriter: J.S. Cardone