#21DaysofHalloween This is one I DID catch during those lazy, hazy teenage VHS years. The Prowler - or rather as it was known here, Rosemarys Killer. And, to tell you the truth, outside of the fond memories, I really havent given this one much thought since, and this is due to the fact that I rarely hear/see anyone talking/writing about it. What happened to it? I mean it came out right slap-bang in the middle of the slasher movie craze, when pretty much any Dead Teenager movie was released, got buzz and would forever be soliloquized by horror fans to this day. So yeah, I finally revisited it, full of the afore-mentioned positivity, so sure that it would live up to this rose-tinted, nostalgia-driven experience in my head. This, of course, is a mistake. You know this, I know this, or rather, I bloody well should have. Everything was still there though, present and accounted for. The killers costume. The vicious, gory Savini-created kills. The creepy atmosphere. The fresh, cool WWII inspired storyline and murder mystery. Well, as it turns out, not so much on the latter element. I remembered who the killer was, and his relation to the historical backdrop and 80s set drama, and whats more I had it in my head that the Rosemary angle was a key element to the movie itself, but it just wasnt. It left me a little cold and more than a little annoyed, seeing Lawrence Tierney, the titular girls father turning up for few brief moments as a weird, ogling, grasping pervert, rather than a much-needed story device that could - and should - have elevated those tedious house-wandering scenes, giving the movie some vital lifes blood. Alas, we get nothing, not even a crazed monologue at the end to elaborate on things. All The Prowler really adds up to is a bunch of inspired, excellent kill scenes, the occasional burst of creepy atmosphere, vaguely likeable leads and promise that was never realised. Is this asking for too much, though? Is it absolutely necessary to want anything more from a slasher movie than being presented with a slew of pretty teenage meatbags of varying stereotype, a likeable Final Girl, some cool stalking and even cooler kill scenes. I just thought, given the effort they went into establishing this pretty unique set-up, that it would actually amount to something more than some substance-free lip service - oh hey, a photo, in a drawer! This MUST be important, but nope, so much time is wasted on scenes that add up to nothing. And while were talking about nothing, WHY did they leave the killer loitering, conveniently, around Rosemarys dads house for the second half?? Not only does he leave the horny basement-dwelling couple alone, he doesnt kill anyone else! It had me forgetting that I was watching a slasher movie, which really isnt a good thing WHEN YOURE WATCHING A SLASHER MOVIE. Jesus. Anyway, happy Halloween everybody!
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 12:54:07 +0000