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The Prowler

prowlerIn the world of horror, slasher flicks are a lot like cheeseburgers–you know what you’re getting when you order one. Slasher flicks (or body count movies, or splatter movies, or whatever you want to call them) are devoid of surprises. Let’s face it, we’re horror film fans, right? And as horror film fans we’ve all, respectfully, seen our fair share of slashers; we know when someone is gonna bite it, we know what the changes in the sound track signify, we know who the killer is after the first fifteen minutes. Yet watching slasher flicks (just like eating cheeseburgers) is still a means of sustenance–even if they do make you feel a bit guilty afterwards.

Joseph Zito’s (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) 1981 slasher, The Prowler, is an excellent reminder for why we love dumb movies about knife-wielding (or in this case, bayonet-wielding) maniacs. While falling short of being a quarter pound of Grade A beef cooked on an open grill, The Prowler is much better than I anticipated–to continue with this cheeseburger metaphor, The Prowler is an awful lot like a seven-dollar, gourmet burger from a mid-level restaurant. It’s just right.

The Prowler’s story is, in the least, an attempt at originality: In 1945, right after the American troops return from World War II, a small school in Avalon Bay throws a graduation dance for its students. However, things turn sour when two students wind up gorged by a pitchfork. The motivation for the killing (or so the locals think) was a jilted lover–his girlfriend couldn’t wait for him to get back from the war, so he did what soldiers do best… kill people.

How refreshing! Words cannot express how happy I was to be watching a film that strayed from the beaten path. Let’s face it, most slasher flicks either start or end with a child witnessing an act of grotesque violence. This act of violence warps the child’s mind and turns them into a homicidal maniac. In the case of The Prowler, this plotting device would be too easy. Instead, writers Glenn Leopold and Neal F. Barbera opted to script a movie that makes a point–that going to war, and losing contact with loved ones, can drive a man crazy.

Alright already, I’ll get to the killings. Basically, they’re top-notch. All the make-up and gore effects were done by Tom Savini, so you know they’re going to be incredibly realistic and creative. Top honor definitely goes to one of the best throat-slittings I’ve ever seen.

I mentioned earlier that as horror film fans, we always know who the killer is after the first fifteen minutes of a slasher movie. The Prowler doesn’t necessarily make any great strides in the anticipation department, however the writers do throw in more than their fair share of entertaining red herrings (seriously, what’s the deal with the guy in the wheelchair?)

This film is definitely recommended to fans of the slasher genre, as well as anyone interested in seeing some of Tom Savini’s lesser-known work. I’d recommend it for everyone if the story made a little bit more sense–honestly, I’m still not really sure why the killer was doing what he was doing. I think I know, but I’m just not sure. Oh well, though. I don’t always know what’s in the patty of my cheeseburger, but that doesn’t make it taste any less delicious.

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