Rating: 
Summary: Not bad....
Review: ...not great either.
A fairly decent 'slasher' flick from the 80's, back when major studios actually backed such projects with big budgets and extensive advertising campaigns.The film is quite predictible if you've seen a number of these flicks, but the QUALITY of the film (the production, the attention to period-detail, etc) is quite above-the-norm in my opinion. Yes, the special effects are quite well-done, but over-all the film is quite draggy, especially in the middle-section-- almost frustratingly so. It's decent, but not essential.
Rating:
Summary: Savini's effects are the only highlight of slasher classic.
Review: 30 years ago a retuning G.I. received a 'Dear John' letter. Enraged, the soldier brutually killed his former love and her new beau. The dance the couple had been attending has not been held since. Now, after 30 years, that is changing and a killer stalks the teens gathering to restart the traditional dance. Low budget director Joseph Zito (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Missing in Action) delivers a modest effort here. The movie is solid, but lacks anything approaching a strong or memorable story and lacks visual style. The special effects make-up of soon to be superstar Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Maniac, Friday the 13th, et al) is the only real stand out here. If you are nostalgic for the slasher films of the late seventies and early eighties, you certainly could do a lot worse than this, but I can only recommend The Prowler to the hardcore fans.
Rating: 
Summary: The most creative death scenes to date...
Review: As a long time fan of slasher films, I have been disappointed with the Friday the 13th series and the Nightmare on Elm street series and not to mention the Halloween series. The more sequels there are, the more outragous the storylines. Its a insult to the viewers intelligence. The Prowler, is straight and to the point...to the point of a large pitchfork that is. This movie is what a true fan of horror/slasher films is looking for. The murder scenes are very elaborate and very creative. With special effects by the master Tom Savini (creepshow, Friday the 13th) its a rollercoaster ride of who done its.
Rating:
Summary: Tom Savini's Exploding Head Series
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: FINALLY! A graduation Party!
Review: I am near speechless that this is coming out on DVD!!! Finally I can throw away that VHS. But I must say the extras sound GREAT TOO! Widescreen and trailers is all I ask for. All else is icing on the cake. And how much ICING are we getting, WOOO WHOOOO!
I first saw this movie whenI was a kid. Back then Savini meant nothing to me,a nd horror movies were picked based on the VHS cover at at the video store. My cousins and I stumbled upon this gem, and the effects are GREAT!! Savini really shines here. You have the pitch fork impailing, the sward through the skull, and a WHOLE bunch of other great scenes. The story is about a Veteran of WWII, who's heart was broken while he was in teh war by Rose Mary. She broke it off with him. He ends up killing her and her new BEAU on the night of their graduation dance. Well some 40 years go by with no Graduation dances, until now. And of course the killer comes back. You know it's typical slasher film plot, with great special effects by the master Savini. No looking ro remake Gone With The Wind here. It's just a great romp of a slasher film. If you like teh 80's stuff, and the great effects like they just don't make them, then you will love this. Give it a whirl, you won't be dissapointed...thanks to WILLIAM LUSTIG for starting up this new label BLUE UNDERGROUND, and making this movie available to the FANS!...Anywaho, get this DVD and support this new DVD lable. I am...
Rating: 
Summary: Plain awful; everything that HALLOWEEN wasn't
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good slasher flick
Review: I had high expectations for this one. I envisioned a mix of Maniac and Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter. I was not disappointed overall by the movie, but I think it should have had more gore scenes. The ones it did have were great, but it should've had more. Most of the movie was the cop dude and the annoying chick trying to track down the killer and having no luck. It did have some great gore from the hands of Tom Savini, the greatest special effects guy ever. It's kinda like Halloween with alot of gore, which isn't too bad, but it's definitely not the best slasher movie I've seen. It should've had more senseless violence. Then, and only then, would we have had something to call cinematic greatness. Still, not a bad movie to check out if you're a slasher fan like me.
Rating:
Summary: typical slasher
Review: i heard this was one of the better slashers, but in reality it doesn't stand out. my big problem was the fact that i knew who the killer was in the first 2 min. of the movie, just listen to the clever dialogue, and also the first half dragged. before i get this i'd get another one first, like sleepaway camp, where you find out the killer is the girl, but she's a BOY!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: childish waste of money B-movie
Review: I like slasher-movies very much, and I thought I was in for a treat with this one, since the director is Joseph Zito. He directed Friday the 13th part 4 (in my opninion the best of the series); but this I think is a stupid, boring, predictable, amateur B-movie. Lots of scenes are too dark, sometimes I just can't see a thing, even when I adjust the brightness of my TV and lay my eyes ON the screen, I can't see nothing several times. Bad movie, if you're curious, rent it, but don't waste your money buying it.
Rating:
Summary: Nice to see this again¿But!!
Review: I was pleased to see this old slasher movie finally out on DVD, and was really looking forward to seeing it. When I finally did, I was a little disappointed. I remembered a tension filled, gory and exciting film, but my memory obviously added a rosy tint to this movie because...it makes no sense!!! There is no explanation given for the killing spree, not to mention all the red herrings along the way. And the surprise twist ending is just plain daft...nothing more than a "Carrie" .... But in the movie's defence, it's well acted (especially Vicky Dawson as the plucky female lead), and Tom Savini's notorious gore effects are presented fully uncut, and they look , in places, quite disgusting... which means a hit in my book! But here's a serious gripe - and it's getting to be something of a worrying trend in DVD releases of old films: This version may call itself "widescreen", but all they have done is matted (blacked out) portions of the top and bottom of the picture to make it a thinner shape. It's a real con, and it actually impacts on some of the gore effects because you can't see what is happening at the top and bottom of the frame. If you still have the old video, like I do, run them side by side and see for yourself. So big points off for that. But I guess it's either this or nothing., and the picture qualityn is very clear. There is also a great mini feature of behind-the-scenes footage of the gore effects.
Great to see it again, but sadly "The Prowler" will have to end up as an also-ran in the 80's slasher movie history book.
|
