★★★ out of ★★★★★
Supernatural doo wop revenge — telekinesis style!
Thirty years after her accidental death at her 1957 senior prom, the tortured spirit of prom queen Mary Lou Maloney returns to seek revenge. Sounds simple right? Well, it’s complicated. This little slice of 1980s goodness doesn’t disappoint, but for that matter it doesn’t really do too much to break out of formulaic doldrums of 1980s horror. And that’s a good thing.
This film appeared on the scene a scant seven years after its progenitor, Prom Night, with the great Jamie Lee Curtis, the greater Leslie Neilson, and the greatest of all — a climax featuring a kung-fu slasher disco medley! Prom Night II goes back a few years and swaps out the funky get down with melodic doo wop.
I’m ready for that crown!Much in the same way that It Follows is a cautionary tale of teen excess, sexual awakening, and moral determination, Prom Night II covers many of the same themes. At her 1957 prom Mary Lou shacks up with one of the local lotharios, there’s a little he said/she said love triangle, and in a Carrie-esque prom queen coronation, Mary Lou’s dress catches fire. Poof! A supernatural prom queen is born.
Thirty years later the freaky ghost of prom queens past begins to haunt a local Canadian gal, Vicki, who slowly evolves in to…Mary Lou! Along the way there’s some crucifix stabbings, some crushing, some sexy stuff, some hallucinations, and a little telekinesis thrown in for good measure.
And, and, and…the great Michael Ironside (Visiting Hours, Scanners, Total Recall). While not as cool as Leslie Neilson, Michael Ironside, plays the part of the local principal, who, you guessed it was part of the aforementioned he said/she said love triangle 30 years earlier.
We won’t spoil the ending here, but rest assured there’s a weird time/space portal and a rip in time that exposes the underworld! Prom Night II is a really fun throwback to a time in horror void of melodrama and melancholy.
Prom Night II provides some nice jump scares, lots of pull-focus dreamy hallucinations, and well, just 1980s stabby fun. You can watch Prom Night II independent of the first Prom Night, but it wouldn’t kill you to watch these two back-to-back — or would it?