Shudder Saturday: Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)

MOST slasher movies don't have sequels. Yes, you have the few that are based around modern horror icons (Michael, Jason, Freddy, etc) but the percentage is very low, especially when you consider just how many slasher films were churned out during that golden period. Even fewer slasher movies have sequels as removed from the tone of the first movie as Prom Night. Because if you're expecting this to be a rehash of the first film then you'd better think again.

Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) is a fun-loving young woman. We see this from the very first scenes. This upsets her boyfriend, especially when he finds Mary Lou kissing some other guy at prom. One thing leads to another, a prank goes wrong (one of the most common slasher movie tropes), and Mary Lou ends up burning to death in front of everyone at the prom. Many years later, a young woman (Vicki, played by Wendy Lyon) is getting ready for her own prom. She finds a trunk that contains some items that belonged to Mary Lou. Taking them unleashes the vengeful spirit of Mary Lou, unbeknownst to Vicki, who starts have a number of disturbing hallucinations while becoming more and more like Mary Lou in her behaviour.

Written by Ron Oliver (who also did the next movie in the series, and is now quite a prolific director), Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II is the best kind of silliness. It's entertaining throughout, it has some decent set-piece, and there are plenty of nods to other genre movies (most notably Carrie and A Nightmare On Elm Street). Most of the main characters are named after genre directors - a common way to pay tribute to some of the masters of horror - and the plot somehow manages to feel outrageous and movie-world believable at the same time.

Director Bruce Pittman does a competent job, although there's a lack of any real flair that makes it unsurprising to see that most of his filmography is taken up with TV work, both features and series episodes. Having said that, there are two standout moments in the middle act that Pittman shoots in a way that shows off the very good special effects work. One scene with a blackboard could stand alongside anything from the Elm Street series, and it's just a shame that the finale leaves the more surreal visions aside in favour of some straightforward telekinesis and revenge.

Lyon does well in her role, and she has fun as her personality changes, but Schrage is a tough act to follow in those opening scenes. She's so lively and mesmerising, which makes it easier to enjoy the wickedness that unfolds when you can keep that carefree character in your mind. Justin Louis plays a young man who Vicki is having a relationship with. He does okay in his role, but it's good to see that his father is played by Michael Ironside, who is as fantastic as he usually is. You also get Terri Hawkes as a rival for the Prom Queen title, Brock Simpson as the awkward Josh, and amusing turns from Wendell Smith and Judy Mahbey as Vicki's parents.

Prom Night was a good slasher, not quite up there with the greatest examples of the subgenre, and it has a lot of fans. Well, this may be a sequel to that film in name only but I think it deserves a similar fanbase. It's a lot of fun.

7/10

There's a handy box set available here.
Americans can head to the prom here.