Review: "Prom Night" (2008)

Few times in my life have I been exposed to a mainstream theatrical release that was as poorly written, abysmally directed and completely devoid of any entertainment value as the film "Prom Night." Having said that-- seeing this film was not a totally worthless experience.

First off, the film had some truly hilarious, unintentionally funny scenes. Usually I find people who laugh at films that aren't comedies to be very rude. In this case, there was nothing to be done-- it was just too funny. And the sheer ignorance on the part of the director as to how to sustain suspense and create scary moments was truly flabbergasting. You would have to imagine that he actually watched the finished product before it was released, right? What's worse is that the director also outright stole elements from other horror films-- some of which were mediocre in their own right. Scenes from "Saw", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and even "I Know What You Did Last Summer" were pillaged like so many medieval villages. So much for originality.

Another unexpected positive was the boost that this film gave to my confidence as a screenwriter. It was almost as if the writer of this film had purposely broken every rule taught in screenwriting 101. And I don't mean he broke rules in a new and interesting way-- he just failed at effectively telling a story for the screen. (Having said that-- he's now the produced writer of a bona fide, Hollywood "hit", and I am writing this on a free blog-- so, what do I know.)

Anyhow, I took a load of shit from my wife and friends this past weekend for this film being my choice, and rightfully so. I cannot emphasize to what lengths you should go to avoid this film. I'll just say-- If you're on a plane and this is the in-flight movie, politely flag down a flight attendant and ask for a complimentary parachute.

Score: 0 out of 5