The Prowler

Not to be confused with Joseph Losey’s 50s noir masterpiece of the same name (check out the DVD, the James Ellroy commentary is gold), Joseph Zito’s The Prowler benefits from the work of gore makeup guru Tom Savini, who provided the sliced arteries, gaping wounds, and sanguine floods that mark the film’s half-dozen set pieces (I.e.,good kills). Having made his name with William Lustig's Maniac and the first Friday the 13th, not to mention George A. Romero’s brilliant Martin (bluray! Please!), Savini was riding a wave of when he matched with Zito, a director who was then only known for Abduction, the infamous take on the Patty Hearst kidnapping. (Based on the quickie pulp paperback, The Black Abductors), a roughie/exploitation flick matched only by The X-rated, Patty, with Jamie Gillis. Indeed, Zito's Abduction can be found on X tube sites.The efficient and surprisingly well-shot slasher flick that Savini and Zito produced may not have reached its level of horror fandom it deserves—it is, not unfairly, considered a standard-bearer for the slasher genre—if not for the MPAA’s patently ridiculous damning of the film by leaving it unrated.What gives? One can only speculate that the difference between Prom Night, which was released a year earlier with an R rating, and The Prowler was the general viciousness of the deaths in Zito’s work. Indeed, no fun-lovin’ teens in Prom Night ended up with a fatigues-clad psychopath pushing a blade through the top of their skull and down through the bottom of their chin. Barring instances of such heinous brutality (for the ‘80s, anyway), however, The Prowler and Prom Night share a very similar prime narrative, one that volleys between various comingling at a school dance and the dark fates that await those who stray from this wholesome gathering. The young cast is appealing; the actress who plays Pam is a dead finger for Laura Dern. Farley Granger(!) and Lawrence Tierny(!) also star.But like Prom Night’s prelude (featuring the mysterious death of a young girl due, partially, to a group of her supposed friends), The Prowler discerns its thematic and stylistic arc early on, 35 years before the current-day slaughter. The film opens with a newsreel heralding the return of our fighting men and women from stomping out the Axis Powers and ensuring our safety, even as they nurse their own psychological wounds. They deserve a good home-cooked meal, a hot shower, the comfort of their own bed, and, perhaps most importantly, the embrace of a loved one. But one nameless veteran is greeted only with a “Dear John” letter, signed by his sweetheart, Rosemary, and takes out his rage by kebabing a pair of lovers with a pitchfork. It isn’t until 1980 that the dance is revived and the absence of the town sheriff allows for a new string of grisly murders.Halloween, the original Black Christmas, Don't Answer the Phone, My Bloody Valentine and the aforementioned Maniac are a few examples of major works in the 'slasher' genre, and I doubt there are more than fifty that qualify as 'great cinema.' These films remain popular due mostly to the films that are made proficiently as far as gore theatrics, tone, and mood are concerned, and in these terms The Prowler is certainly deserving of its fan base. Joseph Zito went on to do higher budgeted films such as Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and a few Dolph Lundgren/ Chuck Norris actioneers with Cannon Films - most notably, Invasion U.S.A. What the film lacks in narrative drive, coherence, and performance, it makes up with thoughtful lighting, strong cinematography from the legendary João Fernandes, (more on him later) and, of course, Savini’s lovingly overblown and impossible splatter effects. These might seem like minor facets in this sort of genre exercise, but they are scarce in the current incarnation of the slasher picture. If the recent ripoff/ reboot(s) of classic slashers are any indication, the most an audience can expect from these films is ringing ears since every (generally bloodless) death is accompanied by an orchestral shriek. After such monotony, one will find nostalgia wading in the crimson gush that The Prowler so gleefully dishes out.A note/digression on the cinematography: this was photographed by the legendary João Fernandes - whose storied career is jaw-dropping. Fernandes shot such "golden age" adult films such as The Devil in Miss Jones, Deep Throat , Memories Within Miss Aggie. The still shocking Doris Wishman sickie, Let Me Die a Woman. The sleazy Penelope Spheris (Wayne's World, The Decline of the Western Civilization trilogy) L.A. sleaze classic, Hollywood Vice Squad (bluray, please!). Dozens of horror/exploitation classics, too numerous to list. A boatload of action films, again, too numerous to list. He dipped his toe in 90s indie film (Sprung), mainstream horror (Children of the Corn) and made-for-TV movies and episodic fare. There's a documentary waiting to be made about this guy!Image/Sound:For a low-budget slasher film, going on 30 years since its original release, Blue Underground has done a commendable job on this 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer of The Prowler. Despite inescapable graininess and a general lack of detailing, the transfer adequately cleans up Blue Underground’s previous DVD release of Zito’s film. Black levels are negligibly flawed but rarely disrupt the image overall; clarity has been enhanced to about as good as it'll get. (Given that this takes place at night and still looks amazingly clear is quite an accomplishment.) Likewise, the DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack is not a showy affair but it serves its purpose, bringing the dialogue and orchestral cues into crisp clarity and doing justice to a rather simplistic audio design.Extras:Knowledgeable of the film’s strengths (and weaknesses) Blue Underground Head Honcho, Bill Lustig has packaged The Prowler simply with a funny and totally enjoyable commentary by Joseph Zito and the maestro himself, Tom Savini. There’s also a short featurette on Savini’s work on the gore effects that would fit nicely into a doc on Savini, but does little here. The theatrical trailer is also included. No Three-disc extravaganza along the lines of New York Ripper, Maniac. William Lustig's take on the above is my own assumption.

Another slasher movie from 1981, I know what you're thinking "*groan* Another film about a masked killer & a scantily clad female heroine." However, this film is classy, brutal, kinda "run of the mill", but a few twists, & what not. Here is, "The Prowler"...Plot: At the end of WW2 a trooper receives a letter from his beloved, Rosemary. Rosemary couldn't wait for him, so she's moved on. June 28th, 1945, the night of the graduation dance; Rosemary & her lover, are killed by said trooper. He's gone mad due to his love for Rosemary. From then & there on, no graduation dances were held. 35 years later, 1980, the town is holding a graduation dance. The prowler has returned, the body count is rising, & it's up to Mark & Pam, to solve the mystery, & kill the killer...If "The Prowler" sounds familiar, then it's because it borrows a similar plot from "My Bloody Valentine" (1981). In My Bloody Valentine, several miners become trapped, due to the leaving of two supervisors. Te 7 miners are found 2-3 weeks later, 6 of which are dead, as Harry Warden (the only survivor) ate his coworkers for survival. Deemed unstable, Harry is locked away in an institution, 1 year later he returned, killed the 2 supervisors. Harry sent a letter, basically, never have another Valentine's Day dance or else kill, kill, death, death. However in My Bloody Valentine the killer was suspected to be Harry Warden, but it turned out it wasn't him. As for The Prowler the killer becomes obvious half way through, leaving the mystery solving scenes of our characters to be rather dull. One other issue is the actress who played Pam, at times gives a very bland performance. Everyone else gives a good performance. The prowler, dressed in army fatigues, & rather killing very brutally, is creepy, & disturbing. Strangely the audience garners a little sympathy for the killer, as clearly the dance evoked the horrible memory, which caused our titular killer, to well, kill. The film does have genuine suspense, creepy, & atmospheric scenes, particularly a scene in a graveyard is the most atmospheric. The film also has Joseph Zito (Friday the 13th the final chapter) helming the film, with Tom Savini doing effects work. Savini regards it as his best work (which it is good, but I think Day o the Dead (1985) is his best work). You have you're usual stabbings, & carvings, but here they're done very savagely, the killer, even kicks one of his victims back down, & then sneaks up, & kills them. What makes the killer believable is that he was in the army, giving him the knowledge of the body's weakest points. Speaking of which, The Prowler is what you'd get if you would've taken First Blood & spliced it with My Bloody Valentine. The score is also great, & has its own atmospheric quality. My one true issue with the film, is the "shock" ending, which isn't our killer returning mind you. It (obviously) occurs right before the end credits, & feels tacked on. Although it has its faults (it drags a little here & there), I still find The Prowler, an enjoyable slasher flick. Some of which may ave to do with nostalgia. As the first time I saw it, I was at my friends house with he, & his mother. The 3 of us sat & watched, The Prowler, which I enjoyed then. The only thing I could recall about it however was the chase between Pam & the prowler. More specifically the scene with the room which had furniture covered with white sheets.Fun Facts: Alternate titles- Rosemary's Killer, & The Pitchfork of Death. The Prowler was released as Rosemary's Killer in Australia and Europe, and is missing almost a minute of Tom Savini's gore effects. The German version omits all of the gore scenes (including the revelation of the killer's identity) and replaced the soundtrack with bird sounds for daytime scenes, cricket sounds for the night scenes, and Richard Einhorn's score with synthesizer music by an uncredited musician. This version goes by the title Die Forke des Todes (The Pitchfork of Death).Movie Rating-3.9/5 stars Disc/DVD Rating-5/5Disc Content:Main FeatureAudio CommentaryBehind the ScenesPoster/still GalleryTrailer