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That is how this 1981 early slasher opens, with a sorrowful contemplation of the effects of war on veterans, called "psychological victims", for which recovery will be "a long road back". But that's about the extent to which this film delves into, well, the psychological effects of war. At the end of the day, it is all background for what can be said now is a conventional slasher, but one that certainly helped to pave the way of that sub-genre.
The Prowler opens in 1945 with a soldier being dumped via a "Dear John" letter by her girlfriend. This leads to someone, presumably her boyfriend, murdering her and her new boyfriend during the graduation dance three months later. Fast forward to 1981 and, for some reason, the "prowler" is back again targeting young women during the graduation dance, the first to be held since 1945.
The plot revolves around Pam (Vicky Dawson), a senior that is trying to figure out what's happening, along with her boyfriend, Deputy Mark London (Christopher Goutman). The Prowler features most of the typical tropes of the sub-genre, which is why some might dismiss it as "just another slasher", but one can give it some leeway considering it's one of the first to try the formula. Another thing that kinda sets it apart is that the characters don't feel inherently "dumb", or at least not as much as the genre would lean to in other films that followed.
The issues I have with the film are mostly two. First, there are a bunch of subplots that are hinted but end up leading nowhere. I could understand some of them being thrown out there as "red herrings" (the drunk store owner? the old mayor?) but there are a couple that take up 15-20 minutes and are eventually useless (the nerdy couple in the basement? the old, peeping teacher?). The former I don't think were executed properly anyway, and the latter was completely useless.
My second issue, even though the film teases a more complex reasoning for these killings (PTSD?) it doesn't really do anything with it, nor with the character that ends up being the killer. Even though it opens with this notion of veterans coming home psychologically scarred and damaged, there's nothing drawn out of that to the point that the opening it's not even necessary. Ultimately, the reveal is pretty much a Scooby-Doo moment that gets more of a shrug than an "Aha!"
But those issues aside, the film does work to some extent. The main girl is competent and well used, the chases are well staged, and the kills are pretty raw, thanks to Tom Savini's "killer" effects which look pretty seamless. So even though the film suffers from many of the issues of the slasher subgenre, those traits manage to kinda separate the film from the bunch a bit, but not by far.
Grade:
THE PROWLER
(1981, Zito)
A horror film
(1981, Zito)
A horror film
"For others - the G.I.s of the 'Dear John' letters - it means starting over, replacing what they have lost. They faced one challenge and won. They can win this one too."
That is how this 1981 early slasher opens, with a sorrowful contemplation of the effects of war on veterans, called "psychological victims", for which recovery will be "a long road back". But that's about the extent to which this film delves into, well, the psychological effects of war. At the end of the day, it is all background for what can be said now is a conventional slasher, but one that certainly helped to pave the way of that sub-genre.
The Prowler opens in 1945 with a soldier being dumped via a "Dear John" letter by her girlfriend. This leads to someone, presumably her boyfriend, murdering her and her new boyfriend during the graduation dance three months later. Fast forward to 1981 and, for some reason, the "prowler" is back again targeting young women during the graduation dance, the first to be held since 1945.
The plot revolves around Pam (Vicky Dawson), a senior that is trying to figure out what's happening, along with her boyfriend, Deputy Mark London (Christopher Goutman). The Prowler features most of the typical tropes of the sub-genre, which is why some might dismiss it as "just another slasher", but one can give it some leeway considering it's one of the first to try the formula. Another thing that kinda sets it apart is that the characters don't feel inherently "dumb", or at least not as much as the genre would lean to in other films that followed.
The issues I have with the film are mostly two. First, there are a bunch of subplots that are hinted but end up leading nowhere. I could understand some of them being thrown out there as "red herrings" (the drunk store owner? the old mayor?) but there are a couple that take up 15-20 minutes and are eventually useless (the nerdy couple in the basement? the old, peeping teacher?). The former I don't think were executed properly anyway, and the latter was completely useless.
My second issue, even though the film teases a more complex reasoning for these killings (PTSD?) it doesn't really do anything with it, nor with the character that ends up being the killer. Even though it opens with this notion of veterans coming home psychologically scarred and damaged, there's nothing drawn out of that to the point that the opening it's not even necessary. Ultimately, the reveal is pretty much a Scooby-Doo moment that gets more of a shrug than an "Aha!"
But those issues aside, the film does work to some extent. The main girl is competent and well used, the chases are well staged, and the kills are pretty raw, thanks to Tom Savini's "killer" effects which look pretty seamless. So even though the film suffers from many of the issues of the slasher subgenre, those traits manage to kinda separate the film from the bunch a bit, but not by far.
Grade: