Prom Night | |
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Created by | Robert Guza Jr. (story) |
Original work | Prom Night (1980) |
Owners |
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Prom Night is a Canadian slasher film franchise that comprises a total of five feature films, the first four of which are centered around events at the fictional Hamilton High School. The first film, Prom Night (1980), was a slasher film directed by Paul Lynch and produced by Peter R. Simpson, focusing on teenagers being stalked and murdered by a masked killer at their prom. The film was a box-office success, grossing nearly $15 million. The following sequel, Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987), was envisioned as a standalone film, but producer Simpson and his company, Simcom, refitted it as a sequel to the original Prom Night. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, a supernatural-themed slasher film, introduced the character of Mary Lou Maloney, a vengeful young woman who died on her prom night in 1957; its only connection to the first film was that both films take place in the same high school. [1]
In 1990, a second sequel featuring Mary Lou Maloney, Prom Night III: The Last Kiss , was released. The fourth film, Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil (1992), featured an entirely new plot, following a group of teenagers tormented by a possessed Catholic priest on their prom night. In 2008, Screen Gems released a reboot mainly based on the original film, also titled Prom Night .
Film | Release date | Director | Screenplay | Producer(s) | Distributor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Original films | |||||
Prom Night | July 18, 1980 | Paul Lynch | William Gray | Peter R. Simpson | Embassy Pictures |
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II | October 16, 1987 | Bruce Pittman | Ron Oliver | The Samuel Goldwyn Company | |
Prom Night III: The Last Kiss | March 13, 1990 | Ron Oliver | Ilana Frank, Roy Sager | Norstar Releasing | |
Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil | May 13, 1992 | Clay Borris | Richard Beattie | Roy Sager | |
Reboot film | |||||
Prom Night | April 11, 2008 | Nelson McCormick | J. S. Cardone | Neal H. Moritz , Toby Jaffe | Screen Gems |
In the original Prom Night , a group of children–Wendy, Jude, Kelly, and Nick—inadvertently kill a young girl named Robin during a game. They make a vow of silence, and a sex offender is ultimately blamed for her death. Six years later, Robin's elder sister, Kim (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her fraternal twin brother, Alex, are planning to attend her senior prom at Hamilton High School. The prom falls on the sixth anniversary of Robin's death. Kim's father, the school principal (Leslie Nielsen) grows frightened when the sex offender escapes from a psychiatric facility the day before the school prom. Wendy, Jude, Kelly, and Nick receive obscene phone calls the day of the prom, and Jude, Kelly, and Wendy are dispatched in various violent manners during the dance by a killer dressed in a ski mask. Meanwhile, Kim and Nick are crowned prom queen and king. While waiting backstage before the reveal, Lou, a bully, takes Nick's crown from him. The killer, mistaking Lou for Nick, decapitates him, and his head rolls across the stage. A panic ensues among the promgoers, and Nick and Kim battle with the killer on the dance floor. Kim hits him in the side of the head with the blunt edge of the axe, and the killer stumbles outside. Kim follows him, unmasking him as he collapses outside, only to see that it is her brother, Alex—Alex had witnessed Robin's death, and sought vengeance against those responsible. Alex dies in her arms.
In the film's sequel, Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II , a teenage girl, Vicki Carpenter (Wendy Lyon), is preparing to attend the 1987 senior prom at Hamilton High. While searching for a dress in the school's costume room, she discovers a trunk full of mementos and clothing that belonged to Mary Lou Maloney, a teenage student who was burned to death during a prank while being crowned prom queen in 1957. Vicki decides to wear the dress, inadvertently unleashing Mary Lou's vengeful spirit. Mary Lou possesses Vicki, and manipulates those around her, killing several of Vicki's friends along the way. She seduces Vicki's father before killing her mother. At the prom, Vicki attends with her boyfriend, Craig (Louis Ferreira), whose father, Bill (Michael Ironside)—the school principal—was Mary Lou's boyfriend who was responsible for the prank that killed her. As Vicki is crowned prom queen, Bill shoots her, after which her body morphs into the burned corpse of Mary Lou. Mary Lou wreaks havoc, but is placated when Bill places the crown on her head; she kisses him, and disappears. Vicki and Craig leave the prom with Bill, only to realize in his car that he is now possessed by Mary Lou.
Mary Lou returns in Prom Night III: The Last Kiss , seducing Alex (Tim Conlon), a handsome high school senior who, though an average student, aspires to go to medical school. She initially benefits him greatly, manipulating his grades at school and helping him become a football star. However, his relationship with the ghostly Mary Lou begins to take its toll on his relationship with real-life girlfriend, Sarah (Cynthia Preston). Meanwhile, Mary Lou indiscriminately kills anyone who comes in her way, eventually killing Alex's friend Shane. Alex is blamed for Shane's gruesome murder. Alex promises to go to Hell with Mary Lou if she promises to stop her reign of terror; she agrees, and he descends to hell with her, followed by Sarah. Sarah fights Mary Lou, and she and Alex appear to escape from hell, but Mary Lou reemerges and kills Sarah, leaving Alex in a time warp in the 1950s, where nobody can see or hear him.
Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil diverges from the Mary Lou Maloney storyline, instead focusing on a group of teenagers who plan to forgo their prom and party at an abandoned seminary. Among them are Meagan (Nicole de Boer) and Mark (J. H. Wyman). Their party is crashed by Father Jonas, a Roman Catholic priest who murdered two students at the 1957 Hamilton High prom before being sequestered away by the church, apparently possessed by a demonic spirit. After Father Jonas kills most of Meagan's friends, she and Mark attempt to fight him, but Jonas stabs Mark to death with a crucifix. Meagan ultimately beats Jonas before leaving him to burn to death in a shed, though he awakens while being transported to the morgue.
In the 2008 reboot of Prom Night, high school student Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow) is traumatized after Richard Fenton (Jonathan Schaech) becomes obsessed with her and murders her family. At her high school prom, held in a grand hotel, Fenton arrives and stalks her, disguised as a stranger, having escaped from incarceration. He murders several of Donna's friends before cornering her in the upstairs of the hotel. A chase ensues, but she is ultimately saved by Detective Winn (Idris Elba), who shoots Fenton to death.
The 1994 film The Club had initially been planned by producer Peter Simpson to be released as the fifth entry in the Prom Night film series but decided against it after believing the Prom Night name was waning in drawing power. [2]
† | Denotes a direct-to-video release |
Title | Release date | Budget (CAD) | Box office (USD) | Ref. | |||
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United States | Canada | United States | International | Worldwide | |||
Prom Night (1980) | July 18, 1980 | September 12, 1980 | $1.5 million | $14.7 million | $14.7 million | [3] | |
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II | October 16, 1987 | October 9, 1987 [4] | $2.5 million | $2.7 million | $2.7 million | [5] | |
Prom Night III: The Last Kiss | June 28, 1990 † | April 13, 1990 [6] | $1.5 million | [7] | |||
Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil | May 13, 1992 † [8] | [9] | |||||
Prom Night (2008) | April 11, 2008 | $20 million | $43.9 million | $13.3 million | $57.2 million | [10] |
List indicator(s)
- This table shows the principal characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced.
- A C indicates a cameo appearance.
- A P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs only.
- A A indicates an appearance in archival footage only.
- A V indicates a voice-only role.
- A Y indicates a younger version of the role.
Character | Original films | Reboot film | ||||||
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Prom Night | Hello Mary Lou Prom Night II | Prom Night III The Last Kiss | Prom Night IV Deliver Us from Evil | Prom Night | ||||
1980 | 1987 | 1990 | 1992 | 2008 | ||||
Main cast | ||||||||
Mary Lou Maloney | Mentioned | Lisa Schrage Lorretta Bailey (creature) | Courtney Taylor | Mentioned | ||||
Mr. Hammond | Leslie Nielsen | |||||||
Kimberly "Kim" Hammond | Jamie Lee Curtis Debbie Greenfield Y | |||||||
Alex Hammond | Michael Tough Dean Bosacki Y | |||||||
Nick McBride | Casey Stevens Brock Simpson Y | |||||||
Wendy Richards | Eddie Benton Leslie Scott Y | |||||||
Kelly Lynch | Mary Beth Rubens Joyce Kite Y | |||||||
Jude Cunningham | Joy Thompson Karen Forbes Y | |||||||
Lou Farmer | David Mucci | |||||||
Drew Shinnick | Jeff Wincott | |||||||
Dr. Fairchild | David Gardner | |||||||
Mrs. Hammond | Antoinette Bower | |||||||
Vicki Carpenter | Pita Oliver | Wendy Lyon | ||||||
Principal Bill "Billy" Nordham | Michael Ironside Steve Atkinson Y | |||||||
Craig Nordham | Justin Louis | |||||||
Father Buddy Cooper | Richard Monette Robert Lewis Y | |||||||
Kelly Hennelotter | Terri Hawkes | |||||||
Walt Carpenter | Wendell Smith | |||||||
Virginia Carpenter | Judy Mahbey | |||||||
Monica Waters | Beverley Hendry | |||||||
Robert Jones | Glen Gretzky | |||||||
Alexander "Alex" Grey | Tim Conlon | |||||||
Sarah Monroe | Cynthia Preston | |||||||
Shane Taylor | David Stratton | |||||||
Andrew Douglas | Dylan Neal | |||||||
Leonard Welsh | Jeremy Ratchford | |||||||
Principal Weatherall | Roger Dunn | |||||||
Mr. Walker | George Chuvalo | |||||||
Ms. Richards | Lesley Kelly | |||||||
Jack Roswell | Terry Doyle | |||||||
Meagan | Nicole de Boer | |||||||
Mark | J.H. Wyman | |||||||
Laura | Joy Tanner | |||||||
Jeff | Alle Ghadban | |||||||
Jaeger | Kenneth McGregor | |||||||
Lisa | Krista Bulmer | |||||||
Jonas | James Carver | |||||||
Father Colin | Brock Simpson | |||||||
Donna Keppel | Brittany Snow | |||||||
Detective Winn | Idris Elba | |||||||
Richard Fenton | Johnathon Schaech | |||||||
Lisa Hines | Dana Davis | |||||||
Bobby Jones | Scott Porter | |||||||
Detective Nash | James Ransone | |||||||
Claire Davis | Jessica Stroup | |||||||
Ronnie Heflin | Collins Pennie | |||||||
Michael Allen | Kelly Blatz | |||||||
Karen Turner | Jessalyn Gilsig | |||||||
Jack Turner | Linden Ashby | |||||||
The official soundtrack for Prom Night, released in Japan in 1980, was composed by Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer, with additional writing by Bill Crutchfield and James Powell. [11] Prom Night was released on VHS in 1981 by MCA Universal in North America, at the beginnings of home video popularity, licensed directly from then-production company SimCom, who had licensed theatrical distribution to Avco-Embassy. [12] A VHS was issued by New Line Home Entertainment, [13] followed by both VHS and DVD editions from Anchor Bay Entertainment in 1997 and 1998, respectively. [14] A restored edition of the film was released on Blu-ray and DVD by Synapse Films in 2014. [15]
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II had a VHS edition released by Virgin Vision in May 1988. [16] A DVD was released in 2008 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. [17] In 2003, Artisan Entertainment released a double-feature DVD of Prom Night III: The Last Kiss and Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil; this edition features a censored cut of The Last Kiss, which removes violence, language and nudity. [18] LIVE Entertainment had previously released VHS editions of both films. [19] [20] Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the 2008 Prom Night on DVD and Blu-ray in August 2008. [21]
American Psycho 2 is a 2002 American slasher film directed by Morgan J. Freeman from a screenplay by Alex Sanger and Karen Craig. Starring Mila Kunis and William Shatner, it is a stand-alone sequel to the film American Psycho. Kunis portrays a criminology student who seeks to advance her career by murdering her classmates.
Puppet Master is a 1989 American horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller. The film stars Paul Le Mat, Irene Miracle, Matt Roe and Kathryn O'Reilly as psychics who are plotted against by a former colleague, using puppets animated by an Egyptian spell.
Fright Night Part 2 is a 1988 American supernatural horror film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, the sequel to the 1985 film Fright Night. Roddy McDowall and William Ragsdale reprise their roles as Charley Brewster and Peter Vincent, alongside new cast members Traci Lind, Julie Carmen and Jon Gries. Composer Brad Fiedel also returned with another distinct synthesizer score.
Prom Night is a 1980 slasher film directed by Paul Lynch and written by William Gray. Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen star. The film's plot follows a group of high school seniors who are targeted at their prom by a masked killer, seeking vengeance for the accidental death of a young girl six years earlier. The film features supporting performances from Casey Stevens, Eddie Benton, Mary Beth Rubens and Michael Tough.
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is a 1987 American slasher film edited, co-written with Joseph H. Earle, and directed by Lee Harry. It is the sequel to 1984's Silent Night, Deadly Night, and was followed by Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! in 1989. Its plot focuses on Ricky Caldwell, the brother of Billy Chapman, and his own trauma regarding his parents' Christmas Eve murders, which triggers his own killing spree. The film relies heavily on flashbacks, utilizing approximately 30 minutes of stock footage from the original film.
Whatever It Takes is a 2000 American teen comedy film directed by David Raynr and starring Shane West, Marla Sokoloff, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, and James Franco. It was released in the United States on March 24, 2000. The film's story is a modern update of the 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand.
Sailor Moon R: The Movie is a 1993 Japanese animated superhero fantasy film directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara and written by Sukehiro Tomita based on the Sailor Moon manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. Produced by Toei Animation, it takes its name from the second season of the anime series, as Toei Company distributed it around the same time. It centers on the arrival of an alien named Fiore on Earth, who has a past with Mamoru and wishes to reunite with him, but is being controlled by an evil flower called Xenian Flower, forcing the Sailor Guardians to save Mamoru and the Earth from Fiore's destruction. The film stars Kotono Mitsuishi as the voice of Sailor Moon, alongside Aya Hisakawa, Michie Tomizawa, Emi Shinohara, Rika Fukami, Tōru Furuya and Hikaru Midorikawa. It was released in Japan on December 5, 1993, alongside a 15-minute short recap episode titled Make Up! Sailor Soldier.
Camp Blood is a 1999 American direct-to-video slasher film, written and directed by Brad Sykes. It was followed by seven official sequels, one official spin-off entitled "Ghost of Camp Blood" and one unofficial film entitled Within the Woods. Camp Blood stars Jennifer Ritchkoff as a young woman who travels to a deserted camp with her friends, only to find themselves at the mercies of a killer clown. The film had a home video release on April 4, 2000, and was released to DVD in 2002.
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II is a 1987 Canadian supernatural slasher film directed by Bruce Pittman, and starring Michael Ironside, Wendy Lyon, Louis Ferreira, and Lisa Schrage. It follows a high school student who becomes possessed by Mary Lou Maloney, a student who died at her high school prom in 1957. A sequel to the slasher film Prom Night (1980), it was originally intended to be a standalone film titled The Haunting of Hamilton High, but was retitled in order to capitalize on the success of the original Prom Night. The only story connection between the two films is that they are set at the same high school. However, both films were executive produced by Peter R. Simpson.
Prom Night III: The Last Kiss is a 1989 Canadian black comedy slasher film and the third in the Prom Night film series, continuing the storyline involving the murderous female ghost named Mary Lou Maloney. This is the only entry to depart from the horror genre, and is instead a spoof of the previous films.
Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil is a 1991 Canadian slasher film directed by Clay Borris and starring Nicole de Boer and J.H. Wyman. The film follows a deranged Catholic priest who targets four teenagers on their prom night. It is the fourth film in the original Prom Night film series. Like the previous film, it was released briefly in theaters before later being released to video. The Club was intended to serve as the fifth installment of the original series, but after the producers decided the Prom Night name was waning in drawing power it was decided to release it as a standalone film without the Prom Night name.
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever is a 2009 American comedy horror film directed by Ti West. It is a sequel to the 2002 film Cabin Fever and the second installment in the Cabin Fever franchise. The film stars Noah Segan, Rusty Kelley, Alexi Wasser, Marc Senter, Rider Strong and Giuseppe Andrews, with Strong and Andrews reprising their roles from the first film. The film is about a high school prom that descends into chaos when a deadly flesh-eating bacteria spreads via a popular brand of bottled water.
To All a Goodnight is a 1980 American slasher film directed by David Hess and starring Jennifer Runyon and Forrest Swanson. Its plot follows a group of female finishing school students and their boyfriends being murdered during a Christmas party by a psychopath dressed as Santa Claus.
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Lisa Schrage is a retired Canadian film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Mary Lou Maloney in the 1987 Canadian horror film Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II.
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A Night to Dismember is a 1983 American slasher horror film, produced and directed by Doris Wishman. The film stars pornographic actress Samantha Fox as a psychotic young woman, recently released from a psychiatric institution, who is driven to kill by an ancestral curse. It was the first and only foray into the horror genre for Wishman, who mainly directed and produced sexploitation films.
All Hallows' Eve is a 2013 American horror anthology film written, directed and edited by Damien Leone, in his feature film directorial debut. The film is presented as a series of shorts that two children and their babysitter discover on an unmarked videotape on Halloween night, all of which feature a homicidal clown named Art the Clown. The film stars Katie Maguire, Catherine Callahan, Marie Maser, and Kayla Lian, with Mike Giannelli as Art the Clown. It incorporates footage from the 2008 short film The 9th Circle, as well as the 2011 short film Terrifier, both of which were also directed by Leone and featured Art the Clown.
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