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'Prom Night' - boring for a thriller flick s
Rating: *
Movie audiences will forgive movies with even the most worn out plot
lines, if they can be presented in a different and interesting way.
The horror genre is even more restricted and if it strays from the formula
too much, it just might fail.
"Prom Night" tries its best to stick to the formula and covers
some very familiar terrain, but it is just too safe and boring.
Like most horror movies, "Prom Night" revolves around teens
and this time it is the American teen rite of passage - the prom night
- that serves as the premise.
Donna (Brittany Snow) had to witness her family killed by a teacher
obsessed with her. She moves on with her life, now living with her uncle
and aunt. It's prom night and she hopes to make it the best night of
her life with her friends. But the murderer Richard Fenton (Jonathan
Schaech) has just escaped three days ago and he wants to find Donna
because he believes he is meant to be with her.
From the moment prom night begins, the movie turns limp. The characters
exchange some pleasantries and there is no dread of the horror we know
is coming. The movie also requires audiences to really stretch their
imagination in believing that the killer can just walk around unnoticed,
book himself into a hotel even though he's escaped jail three days earlier.
The movie also suffers from a lack of background. There is no history
presented as to why the teacher is obsessed with Donna. Most of the
characters are presented to clearly fit out the requisite ingredients
for a horror movie.
Even hardcore horror fans will be disappointed with the lack of gore.
It is far too safe. There could have been a better build up of suspense
if we were presented more of the methods of the killer. He inadvertently
pops up at the scene just in time.
It would have been more fulfilling to be in awe of the killer's skill
and we could truly fear him. We are not allowed to form any kind of
impression of the killer and simply have to believe that he is a very
bad man.
Though inferior, the movie does not outright embarrass itself. The
production is slick and the camerawork in some scenes is commendable.
The score manages to build up some sort of suspense and it is not intrusive.
There are no big names here and it clearly shows. The actors try their
best to fill out the cardboard thin characters the script presents them
with. The most decent acting job in the movie is Idris Elba playing
Detective Winn.
Of all the actors, he looks the most likely to shine in the future
if given better roles.
This is not a movie anyone should hurry to go and see. But for horror
fans looking for something more fleetingly entertaining, "Prom
Night" might be a pleasant surprise.
