BLU-RAY P PROWLER, THE

PROWLER, THE

Written by TroyAnderson Jul 12th 2010 Hits: 272 Favorites

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THE PLOT THUS FAR

A masked killer, wearing World War II U.S. Army fatigues, stalks a small New Jersey town bent on reliving a 35-year-old double murder by focusing on a group of college kids holding an annual Spring Dance.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Preparing for a lavish party, Pam McDonald, (Vicky Dawson) and her friends Lisa, (Cindy Weintraub) Sherry, (Lisa Dunsheath) Carl, (David Sederholm) Ben, (Thom Bray) Sally, (Diane Rode) and Paul, (Bryan Englund) decide to hold it at a local dance hall. As the residents are none to happy with the festivities, Deputy Mark London, (Christopher Goutman) is forced to choose sides, as his girlfriend at the party wants him there while he has to enforce the law. As they go on into the night, the attendees suddenly begin to go missing, making them suddenly suspicious of what's going on. They suddenly stumble upon a collection of murdered bodies, making them realize that a killer is on the loose, and is seeking revenge among them for a wrong that was committed back at the end of World War II.

Anyone with half a brain will be able to figure out early who the killer is, especially if you are even remotely decent at doing the math. It's been 35 years since there's been a graduation dance in the town(the last one being in 1945 when Rosemary was murdered) and obviously the killer is going to return and just randomly start hacking. So, while all the kids are at the graduation dance, the sheriff's gone a-fishin', leaving the deputy in charge of the little Mayberry. In fact, this town seems so small, that after the dance starts, the only people that seem to be inhabiting the place are the main characters, the teens and chaperones, and 3 or 4 other people. So, old Prowler starts lurking, and gives a mighty fine pitch-perfect pitchfork performance to a girl in the shower. It's a highlight of the film, not just to see some nudie time, but because it's a good set of effects thanks to Savini. However, many reviewers have questioned why someone dressed as a soldier would decide to utilize a pitchfork as his weapon of choice. He also has a bayonet, which is a much cooler weapon and dispatches a few pretties by the pool. And lastly, he's packing heat. A sawed-off shotgun is quite an unusual implement for a masked stalker to lug around, and he will eventually wish he left it at home.

Everyone talks about Tom Savini's magnificently creative gruesome FX work, and deservedly so. But other than the potently bloody gore, and overall nastiness of some memorable deaths. What really drags this one down is how it gets bogged down with a scratchy story, and inconsistent script which led the film to plod along. Director Zito does his best to in-store some life, but while effectively demonstrating a grim, cruel atmospheric wound. In between the death sequences is little in the way of suspense, or even interest since there are too many vaguely ambiguous and padded distractions that cement themselves in the second half and only go on to annoy. Figuring out whose behind that ominous masked solider in uniform figure, doesn't take much.

The Blu-Ray comes with the audio commentary from the DVD. It's a fun track that allows director Joseph Zito and Tom Savini to discuss the film. I can't get over how humble Zito was about some of the iffy props and camerawork. There's also a trailer and a look at the special effects. Tom Savini breaks down the shots and how he had to shoot a fake head with a shotgun to create that just right head blast. The A/V Quality is pretty sharp for a film of this age, however it'll put off Home Theater enthusiasts. The grain and age of an early 80s horror flick is on full display. There's no DNR, but there's no real contrast and definition. If you're a fan of vintage horror, I'd still recommend a purchase.