Synopsis
Though a largely undistinguished series the Prom Night hit something of a high watermark with Prom Night III: The Last Kiss (***). Advertized, on its initial release, as “ARomantic Comedy From Hell,” this sees the demonic prom queen Mary Lou Maloney escapingfrom Hell (where she was stuck in an infernal chorus line) to continue her depredations atHamilton High. There she falls in love with Alex, an average student whose life is suddenly notaverage at all now th…t he’s getting it on with a ghost. Everyone who even thinks ofinconveniencing Mary Lou’s new beau is done away with (and then Alex has to dispose of thebodies). Though the last act is a bit weak, there is plenty of really funny stuff in here. Think of itas forerunner to Ginger Snaps, which remains the definitive treatment of high school,comedy, and bloody death. Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil (**), by contrast, isvery much a by-the-numbers slasher flick, with four teenagers terrorized at a former-monastery-turned-summer-home by a mad priest. The action takes too long to get going, and the heroine isirritating. And can someone tell me why this particular prom night takes place with snow on theground?
Audio
The 2.0 sound on both films gets us by, but no more. The music has a pretty good, expansivefeel to it. There are very few sound effects given the surround treatment, however (even when anexsplosion happens). For the most, only the music is in surround. As well, some of the few soundeffects that do come out of the rear speakers are misplaced.
Video
Very grainy, soft video, hardly better than a VHS transfer, and in some instances worse: thepicture on the first film has a tendence to pulse in and out of focus. There picture also shakes abit. There is some edge enhancement visible, the blacks could be better, and to top it all off, theaspect is fullscreen.
Special Features
No extras, though this is double bill. The feature select menu is animated (but not scored, fora rather odd effect), but the other pages are basic.
Closing Thoughts
Artisan could learn a thing or two from MGM about how to package double bills. Still, twomovies for the price of one is still a bargain, and Prom Night III, at least, is certainlyworth seeing.
