The Prowler
|
List Price: Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Prowler
Movie Review: A Formulaic Slasher, constucted better than most
Summary: 3 Stars
People who actually enjoy slasher movie's will probably want to see this. They may not think it's great, but they'll probably find it sufficiently entertaining. Those who don't like slasher movies... well, duh. Still, this is an above average slasher movie, with less grating performances than usual, well done gore, reasonably well designed stalking scenes and some slight suspense at times.
Alright, the plot's like this: there's a killer who's killing on the anniversary of his previous killings, and there are a bunch of faceless young adults for him to kill. I can't remember a single characters name in this film, and there is virtually no characterization.(Which, I might add, is not a flaw in this particular kind of film) Well, let's think, there's the inexperienced deputy guy, the blonde chick, the crazy fat balding guy, the sheriff, the surly clerk dude. Those are perhaps more specifics than I could usually come up with after watching a slasher film, but that ain't a whole lot. There's a certain amount of investigation into the killer's identity, but it is of no particular interest. I already knew the killer's identity before watching the film, but most people say that there's absolutely no difficulty guessing who it is, and I don't doubt them. Obviously, the afrorementioned aspects of the film aren't very important at all. All that matters are the killing and the stalking, and it's all pretty well done.
The killer is a veteran, and thus he does his slashing in his old infantry garb. I think this is a pretty effective outfit for him, though he has no particular characteristics beyond this, other than that he tends to use a bayonet and a pitchfork.
This is a fairly early slasher film, so it's got a relatively low body count, and actively tries to generate suspense a bit more than some other films. Some of the stalking scenes go on for ever and ever, initially being a bit suspenseful, sometimes, but eventually becoming kind of dull. I will give the movie credit- there was a false scare in the film that I initally believed would be a real scare, and a sudden murder that I wasn't actually expecting. Still, even if most of the stalking scenes really aren't surprising or all that suspenseful, it's still fun to watch, even before the killing starts. Why this is a couldn't really say, but it's still interesting enough.
The gore in this film was done by Tom Savini, and it holds up very well.(Most of the work holds up better than what he did in the more famous/infamous Maniac) This film is unrated, so you don't get sudden, jarring cutaways, which is nice. The film takes the violence a lot more seriously than lots of other slasher movies, not really emphasizing creative methods of murder, and also trying to make the deaths more genuinely horrific. The film is not extremely gory, but it is unflinching in the face of the violence, and it makes killing people look a lot more difficult than many other films.(Exemplified by the effort and surprising amount of time it takes for the prowler to impale someone on his pitchfork, and how long it takes the bayonet-through-the-brain victim to die. The throat-slashing in the pool is quite nasty as well) There's also a shotgun-head explosion. It's not Savini's best, or as good as the Scanners exploding head, but an exploding head is always amusing.
Yeah this movie's pretty cool.(Don't let the 3 star rating fool you: As much as I enjoy them, I can't think of a single out and out slasher movie that I'd give 5 stars. So, this is reasonably high up on the slasher-meter)
Movie Review: Often Overlooked, But Once Seen...Not Forgotten
Summary: 4 Stars
There was always something about "The Prowler" that made it stand out among the other 80's slashers. It's a fun and scary movie that features some of F/X maestro Tom Savini's most gruesome work. The small town setting, the sprawling mansion and dorm, the innovative backstory all create a great atmosphere. The actual menacing figure of the Prowler himself is just down right creepy, and the unique kills involving a pitchfork, a bayonette and other sharp instruments will keep horror fans happy. The DVD treatment is fantastic, and I really enjoyed Tom Savini's behind the scenes look at some of the great effects. If you are a fan of the horror genre then this movie is a must see. The only two drawbacks to the film; the Prowler looks menacing, but he doesn't instill that sense of dread Jason or Michael posess. And the musical score is kind of flat, not really helping to build suspense, just a trilling violin that kind of gets in the way. But those two minor complaints shouldn't keep you from enjoying a great old-school slasher. And by the way....why do so many people who have reviewed this movie feel the need to give away the entire story? I mean if you are not sure what "The Prowler" is about...just look at the DVD cover art....there aren't too many folks out there that will think this is a romantic comedy!! If you aren't familiar with this movie, don't read further reviews some of which contain quite a few spoilers!Movie Review: Tom Savini's Exploding Head Series
Summary: 4 Stars
Here's another reverent DVD treatment for a horror film, this time courtesy of Blue Underground. The Prowler is not a half-bad slasher in that esteemed genre. It's got Tom Savini's gory effects going for it, and a pretty classic slasher story, plus a convoluted and obvious whodunit, plenty of embarassing hair, several dumb characters, and another exploding head that Savini added to his resume of Dawn of the Dead and Maniac.
Seems that some years ago a returning GI was dumped by the gal who swore she'd wait for him. He comes home from the hells of war and proceeds to pitchfork some folks.
Thirty five years later, another ball is on, or something like that, and the murders start up again. Gotta love it. This time, the killer dresses in WWII soldier's garb, including an all-covering rain hood and a helment, and he employs the pitchfork to further effect. Also notable is a grisly Savini stabbed-through-head-and-out-chin effect, quite macabre.
The ending is a bit Carrie-inspired, but appropriately demented. The auteur is one Joseph Zito, who would helm other landmarks like Friday the 13 Part IV.
The disc looks and sounds good--a nice job on a hard-to-find flick. There is commentary by Zito and Savini, yukking it up as they think back to the good old days of slasherdom. They sound like they're having a good laugh. Another bonus is the Tom Savini behind-the-scenes gore reel, where we get to see how some of the icky effects were done. Includes the pool-side boot to the head and subsequent neck-sawing, plus the ubiquitous hand pump to move the corn syrup blood along. Thank heavens for latex. Good gore overall in this one.
The Prowler is a good job on a sought-after genre flick. The movie is pretty good of its kind, whatever you think of it's 'kind'. Funny how some of these movies get some of the better DVD treatments. Gotta satisfy fans. Recommended for genre addicts, otherwise, it's more a late-night cable movie.
Movie Review: Not just your typical 80s Slasher
Summary: 5 Stars
The Prowler has become one my favorite films. There is some bashing of this one, but I really don't get it. I love everything about this movie. The storyline, how the killer looks, the weaponry of his choice. It was like nothing I'd seen before. Also, a great showcase of the incredible talents of legendary FX artist Tom Savini. Contrary to popular belief, There is an explanation for the killings, like most slashers have some vague motive... the Prowler's motive was to get revenge on Rosemary for leaving him. Simple as that. I really dont think that many people who watch horror films religiously worry about plot and details too much anyways. The film definetly delivers in the violence department. If you're looking for a different kind of slasher, go ahead and pick this up. I think Prowler and Frank Zito could have been best friends.Movie Review: Plain awful; everything that HALLOWEEN wasn't
Summary: 1 Stars
I don't think even Tom Savini's impressively gory make-up effects (seen uncut on this DVD edition, which for some I imagine is a plus) saved this movie. At least FRIDAY THE 13TH had a decent sense of atmosphere; THE PROWLER is just plain boring. Obviously it seems director Joseph Zito (who directed the fourth FRIDAY THE 13TH film, which was only marginally better) is more interested in the next bloody killing than he is in creating genuine atmosphere or suspense---a common (and definitely serious) problem with many post-HALLOWEEN slasher flicks. For those who don't demand graphic gore in their horror movies, HALLOWEEN is clearly the way to go if you're looking for a well-made, stylish, suspenseful slasher flick. THE PROWLER, even with Tom Savini's perverse imagination at work, is absolutely negligible in any genre.