Few genre films from the era of slice 'n' dice stand out in our minds today. Most were forgotten about or became subjects of conversations where someone would ask "Do you remember the movie where the girl gets pitchforked through her stomach?" Although some of the fright flicks that arose during the Reagan era (a horror in and of itself to some) were easily some of the worst films ever made (and I love them dearly), there were a few excellent films that managed to supercede slasher expectations yet were left alone on dusty video shelves for years. One fine example of such a forgotten gem is The Prowler.

Starting off with a prologue in 1945, a man receives a 'Dear John' letter while fighting for our country during WWII. He returns to his hometown to seek revenge on his ex-lover and her new beau. He dispatches them in a most grueling way, then slips into anonymity until 1980. Slick horror hounds will have no trouble figuring out the whodunit part. But director Joseph Zito (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) and SPFX great Tom Savini knew that it wasn't the story that would set this film apart, but rather how much blood they could bathe the actors in. And it works. Eyes roll back into a bayoneted head, another head explodes to kingdom come (a trick Savini had already used when he blew himself away in Maniac), and the hits just keep coming…

Speaking of pitchforks and stomachs...

Of course it doesn't hurt to have a strong cast including Farley Granger, bits of humor and real suspense to keep the bloodbath running. Zito creates a genuine feeling of dread from beginning to end even with all the clichés that were already overdone by the time this film came out.

While this movie never catapulted itself into the big boys club where Friday the 13th and Hell Night proudly sat, The Prowler has been given a second chance by William Lustig's DVD Company Blue Underground. Released the way it was meant to be seen, hopefully it will find a new audience and get some of the attention it so richly deserves. Thank you William! (Now send us some damn promos! -Ed.)

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AMANDA BY NIGHT