Writers Glenn Leopold and Neal Barbera, son of famous animator Joseph Barbera, got their start writing for Hanna-Barbera cartoons. After working on shows like Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear, and Shmoo, they decided to write something far more mature. Around the same time, Joseph Zito was an up-and-coming director who had already made 1975’s Abduction and 1978’s Bloodrage. He read Leopold and Barbera’s script and was drawn to it, saying “It had this strange, dreamlike mood in it.” With a budget of $1 million, the largest budget Zito had at that point, they shot in Cape May, NJ. Though the cast consisted mostly of young, unknown actors, they landed two veterans: Farley Granger and Lawrence Tierney. Tom Savini, who had just done the effects for Friday the 13th, was hired to create some truly gruesome kills. After a six-week shoot, The Prowler was released in the fall of 1981.
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Rating
Synopsis
In 1945, Rosemary (Joy Glaccum) and her boyfriend Roy (Timothy Wahrer) are killed by her ex-lover after returning from WWII. Since then, the town of Avalon Bay has not held a graduation dance for 35 years due to the murders. In 1980, college senior Pam MacDonald (Vicky Dawson) is working on starting up a new graduation dance. While visiting her boyfriend, Deputy Mark London (Christopher Goutman), Pam hears a report about a mysterious prowler on the loose. To make matters worse, Sheriff George Fraser (Farley Granger) is going out of town for a fishing trip. Soon enough, the prowler starts killing Pam and Mark’s friends one by one using a pitchfork and a bayonet. As the bodies keep piling up, our heroes discover that the prowler was Rosemary’s killer but was never caught. Will this masked killer be stopped, who will be the prowler’s next victims?
Review
Admittedly, The Prowler comes off somewhat formulaic compared to other slashers from around that time, but that isn’t necessarily bad. Though this borrows elements from other slashers like My Bloody Valentine, it also stands out in many ways. For one, the idea of the killer being a WWII veteran suffering from PTSD is pretty frightening. The psychological effects of war coupled with extensive military training make for a very unhinged and efficient killer. Not to mention, the green army fatigues add a uniquely terrifying quality to the killer that helps him stand out. On top of that, Zito’s direction is top-notch, as he gives the film a very dreamlike, ethereal quality. Of course, no good slasher would be complete without death scenes, which this movie delivers thanks to Tom Savini. He considers this to be his best work, and I’m honestly inclined to agree with him.
Unfortunately, what this movie has in solid direction and effects, it lacks when it comes to its characters. Granted, none of the actors are particularly bad, but none of them really stand out as being very memorable. This could be attributed to the script simply not giving the cast much to do aside from spewing exposition. While the presence of Hollywood veterans Granger and Tierney are nice, they don’t really do much aside from showing up. Even at roughly 90 minutes, there are still quite a few dead spots where the cast just wander aimlessly. Honestly, many of the cast just feel like cannon fodder, though this does lead to those memorably murderous moments. For all of my complaints, this is still a solid little slasher that deserves to be rediscovered and appreciated. Overall, The Prowler is a flawed but gruesome slasher that horror fans should see at least once.
Buy The Prowler on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xjZrFP
