Watch The Prowler

The Prowler is a classic slasher film from 1981, directed by Joseph Zito and starring Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman and Lawrence Tierney. The movie follows a group of college students who are terrorized by a mysterious killer at their graduation dance. The film begins with a prologue set in 1945, during the end of World War II. We see newsreel footage of soldiers returning home and being welcomed back by their loved ones. Suddenly, the scene shifts to a small town in New Jersey, where we see a soldier named Major Chatham (Lawrence Tierney) writing a letter to his sweetheart Rosemary. He promises her that he will return home soon and they will be together again.

However, it soon becomes clear that Major Chatham has other plans. He grabs a pitchfork and heads to the house where Rosemary is staying with her new boyfriend, another soldier who has just returned from the war. Chatham brutally murders them both, leaving a trail of carnage behind him.

Fast forward to the present day, and we find ourselves in the same small town. The college is preparing for their annual graduation dance, and everyone is excited to celebrate. However, someone else is also preparing, someone who has a deadly grudge against the college and its students.

As the night wears on, the killer stalks the college grounds, picking off students one by one in increasingly horrific ways. The film is filled with tense, suspenseful moments as the remaining survivors try to evade the killer, who seems to be everywhere and nowhere at once.

The Prowler is a masterclass in slasher movies, with plenty of gore, violence, and dark humor. The killings are creative and brutal, with the killer using a variety of tools - everything from bayonets to shotguns - to dispatch his victims.

What sets The Prowler apart from other slasher movies of its era is its strong characters and well-written screenplay. The college students are not simply shallow stereotypes waiting to be killed off - they are fleshed-out characters with their own unique quirks and personalities.

For example, we have Mark (Christopher Goutman), the college jock who is more interested in partying than studying. His girlfriend Pam (Vicky Dawson) is the responsible one, worried about their future and trying to keep Mark in line. There's also a comic relief character named Lisa, who provides much-needed humor in an otherwise tense film.

The film also features some great acting performances. Lawrence Tierney, in particular, is fantastic as the cold, calculating killer. He brings a sense of menace to every scene he's in, making the viewer believe that he's capable of anything.

The cinematography in The Prowler is also worth noting. The film is shot in a dark, moody style that perfectly captures the tense atmosphere of the story. Scenes are often bathed in shadow or colored light, creating a claustrophobic feeling that adds to the film's overall sense of dread.

In conclusion, The Prowler is a must-see for any fan of slasher movies. It's a well-crafted, suspenseful thriller with great characters, fantastic performances, and plenty of gore. If you're looking for a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, then look no further than The Prowler.

The Prowler is a 1981 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 29 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.9 and a MetaScore of 45.