‘Prom Night’

Starring: Brittany Snow, Johnathon Schaech

Directed by: Nelson McCormick

Rating: 1 star

Do not see ‘Prom Night.’

Seriously, don’t see it.

This 90-minute ‘movie’ centers around high school senior Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow), and surprisingly enough, her prom.

But wait! There’s a catch.

It turns out three years ago Donna witnessed her mother murdered by an insane, obsessed teacher (Johnathon Schaech as Richard Fenton) who was after Donna. He also killed the rest of her family, but she didn’t seem to mind that as much.

The movie is predictable horror/slasher tripe. The ‘mirror trick’ is overused (you know, the helpless female lead closes her cabinet mirror and the killer is suddenly there), and by overused, I mean more than five times. ‘Prom Night’ goes for tons of cheap scares, using lamps, shower curtains and shadows to scare the pubescent main characters, but it doesn’t work on the audience.

The audience reactions to the spooks did come in surround sound – not good when the main responses are laughs.

Volumes could be written about the magnitude of the film’s awfulness. But it’s possible to sum up in a sentence the depth of its dreadfulness: The movie was so predictable that the 8-year-old sitting next to me was shouting out what would happen next.

It’s scary movie 101: if you see a bed, someone is under it. If you see detectives, they’re incompetent, and if you see a mirror or a closet, guess what happens next?

The detectives were possibly the worst travesty in ‘Prom Night.’ It took them days to alert Donna’s aunt and uncle to the murderer’s escape from the insane asylum, and when charged with watching after Donna (the one person the killer really wants) the junior detective goes in the opposite direction.

All of the danger in this movie could have been avoided if Donna and her family were immediately informed of Fenton’s escape. As a result, they could’ve kept her under police watch until the murderer was found. Instead, her uncle lets her attend prom – even after he finds out the killer’s out there.

Now, bad horror movies have their place, and they can be damn enjoyable (the remakes of ‘The Haunting’ and ‘House on Haunted Hill’), but ‘Prom Night’ does these movies a disservice.

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Best prom scenes through movie history

‘Never Been Kissed’

1999

Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) confesses to a tulle-filled ballroom that she is not a high-school student, but an aspiring Chicago journalist doing her first big story. During a dance scene with hockey-loving English teacher Sam Coulson (Michael Vartan), Josie has to prevent the popular girls from pouring dog food on loyal nerd Aldys Margin (Leelee Sobieski). The night ends in a quick escape, but a few weeks later, Josie gets her kiss – and a front-page story.

’10 Things I Hate About You’

1999

Tensions runneth over at the prom in this adaptation of ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’ Quasi-rebel Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) takes outcast Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to the prom with secret hopes that their bickering, sexual-tension filled friendship will become something more at the prom, only to find out that Patrick has been getting paid to take her out on dates. Kat leaves in tears, while Patrick realizes his true feelings for Kat and eventually wins her over with a sweet new Fender guitar.

‘Carrie’

1976

In this classic horror movie and example of mega teen-angst, Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is asked to the prom by Tommy (William Katt), the hottest boy in school. But his friends, including a young John Travolta, don’t want the loner girl with telekinetic powers disturbing the social equilibrium, so they decide to play one gross prank. Prom night ends in a slightly irritated drenched in pig blood Carrie burning down her high school.

‘Not Another Teen Movie’

2001

This kinda-funny parody attempts to send up every angst-ridden teen high-school film. And naturally, the film ends with a prom scene – where the hip jock must show off his once-dorky, now-beautiful date in order to win a bet (with the catch being he’s fallen in love with her. Oh snap!). Every stereotype imaginable shows up at the big dance, from the slutty foreign exchange student, to the cocky, preppy guy, to the really, really crappy band – Good Charlotte. It’s a semi-hilarious night to remember.

‘Prom Night’ doesn’t know how bad it is. And that makes it even worse.

ajchavar@syr.edu

Published on April 10, 2008 at 12:00 pm