“I want you to be my date, Rose.”
Of all of the slashers on this list, the Prowler is probably the one most forgotten despite having some of the most brutal kills in cinematic history. The original film, which I reviewed here, fared poorly at the box office, but the gory kills that came courtesy of the magical hands of special effects and makeup artist Tom Savini have cemented the character in slasher history.
Portrayed on the screen by Farley Granger, the Prowler’s tale goes all the way back to World War II, where he gets a Dear John letter from his best girl, Rosemary, and kills her and her boyfriend, Roy, at their college’s graduation dance. Jump ahead to 1980, and the college has decided to bring back the graduation dance. It also brings back the Prowler.
Dressed in a World War II combat gear, the Prowler starts taking out college students with a pitchfork and a bayonet, alternating between the two weapons. He impales a young man through the top of his head, pins a young girl in the shower with his pitchfork, saws another young lady’s throat open, and so forth. His kills are violent and some of the most realistic looking attacks in 80s cinema.
What sells me on the Prowler is how violent he is in the film. Those kills do look extremely brutal and he speaks only one line: “I want you to be my date, Rose.” Had the film done better at the box office, we might have gotten more Prowler films. Sadly, there are no plans to bring back the WWII character any time soon. There are a couple of action figures and the occasional t-shirt on a rack, but other than that, the Prowler has gone silent.
I’d love to see the Prowler revived. How about you? Let me know in the comments section if you’ve watched this film. Oh, and as always, thanks for reading my post!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 