So there we were, Professor Marvel, CaptainLouisRenault and I, in our halcyon days, knocking around Times Square, ready to laugh at another badly-made horror film that, in 1980, were proliferating faster than "Disco Sucks" t-shirts. And for the most part, "Prom Night" fit the bill. It had the obligatory starring role by Jamie Leigh Curtis; Canada filling in badly for the U.S. (we got to know the bad graphics like those that appear on the sign for "Alexander Hamilton High"--apparently Alex got around); the pacing, which was precisely the same throughout the whole movie, with no alteration; and the poor photography (at that time, all Canadian films were technically unsophisticated: scenes were lit the same whether it was an interior or exterior, night or day; shots began with the establishing-shot pan that moved at EXACTLY the same speed no matter what was happening or how close to the climax you were). And yet, "Prom Night" stands out for one reason alone: the character "Slick," played by one Sheldon Rybowski. Here were the same too-cute teeny-bopper slasher-fodder, most of whom deserved to be slashed, and here comes a chubby, geeky kid with a van, ready for lovin'. You just HAD to admire his chutzpah-which is something for a good Catholic boy to say. Anyway, the movie only was alive while "Slick" was...alive. Mr. Rybowski, so far as I know, has never gotten the credit he deserves for raising this film out of the ordinary. So I raise my...well, SOMETHING...and say, "Mr. Rybowski, I salute you."
Review of Prom Night
