Welcome to our first semi-regular feature here at Drive In Terror, Maniac Mondays, where we'll be showcasing & reviewing lesser known slasher movies. The goal being to give the spotlight to the psycho killers out there living in the shadows of Jason, Freddy, & Michael...though they'll get their turns as well. So let's get this started, eh? Kicking off the first ever Maniac Mondays is a movie that I had been meaning to see for years, and last week was finally able to sit down and watch...
The Prowler (AKA Rosemary's Killer) is a virtually forgotten 1981 slasher film by low budget B-Movie guru Joe Zito (Of Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter and Missing In Action fame) and with special effects by the legend himself, Tom Savini. So far so good. Onto the plot ...
The movie begins in 1945, just as WW2 ends. After being treated to some newsreel style stock footage, we cut to a letter being read off by Rosemary, addressed to her G.I. boyfriend...scratch that...ex-boyfriend. Ya see, Rosemary just couldn't wait around anymore for that silly lil' war overseas to end, so she decided to dump his ass with a "Dear John" letter and proceed to tell him that's she found somebody else. Perfectly understandable. I know that if I was fighting for my life, dodging bullets and mortar shells day in and day out, with the only thing to look forward to being letters from my girlfriend, I'd be more then a little steamed.
Jump to the night of the college graduation dance. The band's swinging, the crowd's having a good time, and everyone's there...including Rosemary and her brand new beau. They sneak away from the dance for some "alone" time, choosing an isolated gazebo for some late night necking. Unbeknownst to the horny couple however, Rose's jilted and unstable ex is watching from the shadows, decked out in full army gear complete with a camo hood obscuring his face. What happens next is one of the film's most memorable kills as the masked maniac lunges from the dark and violently shiskabob's the two with a pitchfork.Youch!
The Prowler leaves behind his calling card which we'll see a few time throughout the movie, a red rose placed inside the palm of his female victim's hand. Flash forward thirty-five quiet years later, and the town of Avalon is throwing another graduation party....the first since the tragedy years prior....you see where this is heading right? In anycase we meet our two heroes, Deputy Mark Landon (Who has to be the worst deputy I've ever seen.) and his not girlfriend Pam MacDonald, who seems to be one of the driving forces behind the dance. Other characters include the creepy redneck shop keeper, his creepy redneck sidekick, creepy Major Chatham (Rose's elderly ,silent, will chair bound father) and a bunch of young adults ripe for the slaughter. It's not too long after that the carnage begins.
And honestly....that's pretty much all there is to the story. What more do you need? The Prowler is a decent enough movie, if not very original. It's a Friday the 13th clone, but that's not a bad thing. (Hell....the majority of the movies showcased here are either trying to emulate Friday or Halloween.) Its strength lies in the menacing killer and the special effects employed within. Tom Savini's gone on record to say that this movie contains some of his best work, and I wholeheartedly agree. The gore is realistic and brutal, and very mean spirited. The Prowler is dark...very dark, and the kills reflect the mood. From the bayonet to the skull pictured above, to a very slow throat slashing to a midnight swimmer, the kills are some of the best I've seen come from the genre.
The titular psycho himself is one creepy S.O.B. as well. Dressed head to toe in military fatigues, an army helmet, and a combat hood, the prowler cuts a threatening picture. His tools of the trade are equally fear inspiring, his favorites being a bayonet and a pitchfork....and he even wields a sawn off shotgun at one point! That's right kiddies...a slasher that doesn't follow the rules! I give props for them going with some originality weapon wise.
Unfortunately, the movie has it share of faults. As I mentioned above, there really isn't a whole lot to the story...nor is there much coherence. Outside of the prologue setting up Rose's murder, it's never really expanded upon why the prowler is killing once again. Sure, it's a safe bet it's because of the return of the dance...but virtually nothing about the killer or his motive is explained. The movie also suffers from maaaaaany, maaaaaany, plot holes and quite a few "WTF?!" moments. Here's an example...The character Major Chatham is setup from the beginning to be a red herring. There's a scene early on where he latches onto the heroine as she flees from the killer and refuse to let go, scaring her half to death. Later on, the prowler is seen lurking inside of the Major's mansion as Mark and Pam investigate it....while the Major is upstairs in his room. And finally we see the Major once more creepily spying on a young couple having sex in the basement of the school.....and then that's it. No more Mr. Chatham. No explanation of what the hell his problem is, or if he's in league with the killer, or what. No nothing! That's just the tip of the iceberg...there's quite a few more scenes like that sprinkled throughout.The movie tends to drag as well. The scene's between the killings can go by as slow as molasses, making you pray for the prowler to pop up and impale someone soon. Alright....so it's not that bad...but it's still pretty damn slow.To be fair though, it does have some pretty tense moments, the final chase being pretty exciting....too bad the music score sucks. The biggest crime of all that The Prowler suffers from? It's ridiculously easy to guess the killer's identity. When the big reveal comes at the end, you will not be surprised one bit.
Don't let the cons overshadow the pros. I highly recommend The Prowler, at least to see it once. I don't regret adding it to my collection at all. It may not be all that special or as memorable as other slasher movies released during that year, but it's a fun ride full of gory kills and one bad ass slasher, with moments of greatness that momentarily raise it up above it's usual averageness. Sitting through the lull's and general weirdness of the story is all worth it for the end results.
I give it 3 out of 5 Bayonet's to the skull.
Don't let the cons overshadow the pros. I highly recommend The Prowler, at least to see it once. I don't regret adding it to my collection at all. It may not be all that special or as memorable as other slasher movies released during that year, but it's a fun ride full of gory kills and one bad ass slasher, with moments of greatness that momentarily raise it up above it's usual averageness. Sitting through the lull's and general weirdness of the story is all worth it for the end results.
I give it 3 out of 5 Bayonet's to the skull.
