DVD Review: Prom Night: Unrated Version
You might have rented the original film with Jamie Lee Curtis as a high schooler stalked at her prom. The re-make, which really just takes the name and very basic plot, stars Brittany Snow with still hot Jonathan Schaech as the killer. Story goes: A mentally-unbalanced teacher is obsessed with Donna (Snow) and kills her family (her mother before her eyes as she hides under the bed) but is finally caught and sent to a prison for nutcase murderers. Three years later, a still shaky Donna is off to her senior prom at a posh hotel only to learn that the wacko killer has escaped still bent on making her his own while her boyfriend and BFFs fall to his knife one by one.
Video/Audio: The high quality transfer on this DVD is very crisp with no drop out or dust. Colors and night shots are very watchable. Sound, including ambient noises, comes through really well.
Special Features: The DVD is pretty packed but none of the extras is remarkable. The "Alternate Ending" is a freeze frame with the killer's voice saying he'll be with Donna forever. Well, we already know his memory will. "Bridgeport High Vikings Video Yearbook" is a bunch of footage at a real high school mixed with a few shots of the cast. It ran at the prom behind the action in the movie so we've already seen some of it. Not needed.
"A Night to Remember: The Making of Prom Night" is the usual behind-the-scenes featurette but okay. Cast members are interviewed and talk about how this isn't a remake and is a psychological thriller. You get a few cute shots of the cast on set goofing off, complaining about the late hours etc. Okay.
The "Profile of a Killer" featurette has Jonathan Schaech talking about the origins of wacko killers and how he studied Ted Bundy and John Hinkley etc, to play the role. More attempts to convince us this is a thriller and not a horror film.
"Gothic Spaces: Creating the Pacific Grand Hotel" is one of the most interesting extras since it shows how the filmmakers took a hotel and redressed and photographed it to look more spooky and creepy. One floor of the actual hotel was under a re-construction and they used that in the film to good advantage for one of the killings. Better than the other featurettes.
"Prom Night Photo Album: Real Prom Stories From the Cast" is just the prom memories of each cast member; some didn't exactly go to their proms, etc,. Kinda lame but watchable.
There are five "Deleted Scenes" that are mostly longer versions of existing scenes or extra story stuff that you can see why they left out.
The "Commentary" with the director, Brittany and other cast members is kinda funny in spots, kinda dead in others.
The "Gag Reel" is pretty short but cute as it contains the usual line flubs and Brittany walking down the stairs to her date for the prom throwing out her own line "Let's get hammered!"
Wrapping Up: This film, even in this "unrated" version, isn't a graphic splatter gorefest. It's more PG-13 like it was in theaters. Still frightening, it does include a ton of cliche horror staples like the stalked girl going back after something she forgot, cops not protecting the intended victims properly, etc. It's still a fun rent and watch for your sleepover party, especially if you are a younger teen or your parents will flip if you watch R-rated gore.
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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.
