Directed by Nelson McCormick and starring Brittany Snow and
Idris Elba, Prom Night is a remake of the thriller from 1980 which follows the
story of Donna (Snow) on the day of her senior prom, though a sadistic killer
from her past has other plans for her night.
The horror genre is possibly the hardest genre to get right, however there is simply no excuse or this monstrosity of a film. This film offers nothing new, no new concepts, no new characters, no original screenplay, NOTHING! This film offers NOTHING! It did however supply plenty of negatives.
The first of which comes from the story. This film glides along a bed of clichés,
offering nothing new, which means that every step of the story can be easily
predicted from the opening minutes of the film! All the classic clichés are on
display, most prominently being the 'killer in the mirror' which is just
murdered throughout the film, as it's used way too frequently. However my favourite
of the clichés has to come from the chase scene, where the victim is being
chased and decides it would be a great idea to wonder down the maintenance
corridor instead of going down into the bustling lobby! This coincidentally
provides for one of the most boring films I've ever seen, for its relatively
short 88 minute's running time, the film seems to drag and drag due to the
un-original characters and linear story-line. The film seemed to be following
almost a clear template of what was on the 'schedule': someone goes to their
bedroom, and see's the killer, someone goes looking for the previous person and
see's the killer, this goes on and on and just gets so repetitive. As well as
the obvious, horror story-line you've also got this underlying plot of prom
king and queen which never really comes to a conclusion and you never really
know why they included this aspect. It was like they were undecided on what
genre to go for, chick flick or horror slasher, in the end it just merged into
one gloppy mess, that completely failed to gel.
The second negative comes from the use of the cliché horror characters. The Jock, the scared protagonist, the trusty boyfriend, their all here for you to enjoy, however instead of playing these stereotypes off as a joke, which some films are trying to do, to achieve a comedic twist, Prom night decides that it wants to take these characters seriously. This creates some really awful and terribly predictable scenes in which you can literally guess what the persons going to say next!
The third of many problems in this film, lies within the screenplay department. This is somewhat inevitable as, what comes with a terrible story-line and clichéd characters is a truly laughable screenplay to match. Some lines in this film are appalling (and sticking the the theme) clichéd! It got to the point where the film was no longer funny, it literally annoyed me just how predictable it was, delivering the well-known lines like 'Has anyone seen Jason?' or 'Hello, is anyone here, this isn't funny anymore'..... Awful.
These are just 3 of the many faults that this film has; however there is one more minor fault that simply can't go unmentioned. As I said earlier in my review, the film couldn't decide whether it was a chick-flick or a horror slasher, the music in this film points out my problem perfectly. The film begins with a mix of low bass and 80's pop, I had to do a double take of the DVD cover to confirm that I was watching the right film; from then on the same problem occurs again throughout the film, theirs a scene of dark horror then a smooth transition to calming pop music!
The film is truly dire, conveying pretty much everything I hate about film all into 88 minutes, in a way is a weird achievement! The ONLY positive I can think of about this film, is that it's so bad it's actually laughable. If you’re looking for a laughably bad film to entertain you and your mates, this might suffice, however if you’re looking for a serious horror, that will keep you on the edge of your seat, stay well clear.
10%- An abomination of a film, predictable, boring and hilariously bad.
Calum . Russell
The horror genre is possibly the hardest genre to get right, however there is simply no excuse or this monstrosity of a film. This film offers nothing new, no new concepts, no new characters, no original screenplay, NOTHING! This film offers NOTHING! It did however supply plenty of negatives.
The first of which comes from the story. This film glides along a bed of clichés,
offering nothing new, which means that every step of the story can be easily
predicted from the opening minutes of the film! All the classic clichés are on
display, most prominently being the 'killer in the mirror' which is just
murdered throughout the film, as it's used way too frequently. However my favourite
of the clichés has to come from the chase scene, where the victim is being
chased and decides it would be a great idea to wonder down the maintenance
corridor instead of going down into the bustling lobby! This coincidentally
provides for one of the most boring films I've ever seen, for its relatively
short 88 minute's running time, the film seems to drag and drag due to the
un-original characters and linear story-line. The film seemed to be following
almost a clear template of what was on the 'schedule': someone goes to their
bedroom, and see's the killer, someone goes looking for the previous person and
see's the killer, this goes on and on and just gets so repetitive. As well as
the obvious, horror story-line you've also got this underlying plot of prom
king and queen which never really comes to a conclusion and you never really
know why they included this aspect. It was like they were undecided on what
genre to go for, chick flick or horror slasher, in the end it just merged into
one gloppy mess, that completely failed to gel.The second negative comes from the use of the cliché horror characters. The Jock, the scared protagonist, the trusty boyfriend, their all here for you to enjoy, however instead of playing these stereotypes off as a joke, which some films are trying to do, to achieve a comedic twist, Prom night decides that it wants to take these characters seriously. This creates some really awful and terribly predictable scenes in which you can literally guess what the persons going to say next!
The third of many problems in this film, lies within the screenplay department. This is somewhat inevitable as, what comes with a terrible story-line and clichéd characters is a truly laughable screenplay to match. Some lines in this film are appalling (and sticking the the theme) clichéd! It got to the point where the film was no longer funny, it literally annoyed me just how predictable it was, delivering the well-known lines like 'Has anyone seen Jason?' or 'Hello, is anyone here, this isn't funny anymore'..... Awful.
These are just 3 of the many faults that this film has; however there is one more minor fault that simply can't go unmentioned. As I said earlier in my review, the film couldn't decide whether it was a chick-flick or a horror slasher, the music in this film points out my problem perfectly. The film begins with a mix of low bass and 80's pop, I had to do a double take of the DVD cover to confirm that I was watching the right film; from then on the same problem occurs again throughout the film, theirs a scene of dark horror then a smooth transition to calming pop music!
The film is truly dire, conveying pretty much everything I hate about film all into 88 minutes, in a way is a weird achievement! The ONLY positive I can think of about this film, is that it's so bad it's actually laughable. If you’re looking for a laughably bad film to entertain you and your mates, this might suffice, however if you’re looking for a serious horror, that will keep you on the edge of your seat, stay well clear.
10%- An abomination of a film, predictable, boring and hilariously bad.
Calum . Russell
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