Prom Night Collection

Tim Conlon

Cynthia Preston

David Stratton

Jeremy Ratchford

Dylan Neal

Courtney Taylor

Roger Dunn

Tom Nursall

George Chuvalo

Juno Mills-Cockell

Lesley Kelly

Terry Doyle

Robert Collins

Nicole Evans

Sabrina Boudot

Suzanne Cyr

Heather Dick

Robert Morelli

Laurie Gelman

Eric Murphy

Tim Progosh

June Garba

Martin Donlevy

Richard Fitch

Brock Simpson

John Vallis

Colin D. Simpson

Eleanor Lavender

Nancy Harvey

Frank Siracusa

Karen Lee Hall

Michael G. Burke

Geoffrey Smith

Michelle Givertz

Will Hoddinott

Michael Brownstone

Betsy Filwood

Maggie Craig

John Davidson

Carolyn Wong

David Koskela

Bob Ryan

Barry Bergthorson

Steve Deme

Adam Swica

Mark Cyre

Simon Mestel

Rick Perotto

Allan Scarth

Matthew Stark

Larry A. McLean

Dwayne McLean

Shelley Cook

Anton Tyukodi

Eardley Wilmot

Barney Bayliss

Brendan Smith

Roderick Mayne

Alexa Anthony

Anna Bourque

Juul Haalmeyer

Sylvie Bonniere

Nancy Howe

Stephen Lynch

Jennifer Lindgren

Marilyn O'Quinn

David Harrison

Leon Van Dyk

Brendon Meyrick

Maureen Mestan

Nick Rotundo

Shan Barr

Kerry Simpson

John Gare

Barry Jones

Brad Stephenson

Janice Ierulli

George Solakof

Phil Rodrigues

Dan Johnson

Ilana Frank

Lucinda Sill

Reuben Freed

Paul Zaza

Rhett Morita

Ron Oliver

Ray Sager

Peter R. Simpson

Comedy

Horror

Thriller

Prom Night III: The Last Kiss

Alliance Atlantis

Norstar Entertainment

Comweb Productions

Canada

**_The most all-around entertaining installment of the slasher series_**

Mary Lou returns from the Underworld to seduce a male student at Hamilton High (likable Tim Conlon) and wreak more havoc at the school.

“Prom Night III: The Last Kiss” (1990) and the previous film, "Hello Mary Lou," "Prom Night II" (1987), are the only installments in the franchise that are directly related in that they involve the malevolent spirit of Mary Lou Maloney. The original “Prom Night” (1980) is a whodunnit slasher with Jamie Lee Curtis while “Part IV” (1991) involves a crazy puritanical priest.

Yet all four films (not including 2008's "Prom Night") are connected in that they begin with the 1957 prom at Hamilton High School, near Cleveland, Ohio (this location is clearly established in the original film, for anyone who cares).

The big difference with this chapter is that it adds a lot of droll, witty comedy. It’s surprisingly well-written (by Ron Oliver) and hilarious throughout. A couple of examples include the send-up of vintage VD scare movies for the classroom and the gut-busting PA announcements. 

Like the previous flick, it has pizazz that the prosaic first movie lacks and ups the ante in all-around amusement. I can imagine the director/writer gathering the cast & crew and saying something like, "Look, we're not making 'Citizen Kane' here, so let's have fun and make a really entertaining movie." 

It has the milieu of "Carrie" (1976), but with a tone & theme closer to “Christine” (1983) plus the addition of a great sense of droll humor in the manner of “Cutting Class” from the year prior (don’t expect an over-the-top spoof, like “Scary Movie”). The fact that the antagonist is a sinister specter that uses creative illusions recalls the first two "A Nightmare on Elm Street" flicks (1984/1985).

Courtney Taylor stands out on the feminine front as the sly and seductive Mary Lou. Fetching Cynthia Preston (Sarah) and Juno Mills Cockell (Leah) are also worth a mention.

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Toronto.

GRADE: A-

In the third, but not the last, entry in the series, the horror is played for laughs.  Alex (Tim Conlon) is an average high school student, and he is tired of it. His height is average, his shoe size is average, his grades are average, there is nothing special about him except his relationships with his girlfriend Sarah (Cyndy Preston) and best friend Shane (David Stratton). Luckily, Mary Lou Maloney (Courtney Taylor) has escaped from hell and is headed back to her old high school.  Mary Lou was wronged in the past and decides to help Alex. He is soon the star of the football team, making the honor roll, and has the love of Mary Lou to thank for it all. The problem is Mary Lou is killing those who have hindered Alex in the past, and Alex is burying the bodies in the school's football field. Alex's parents celebrate their son's newfound popularity and scholastic abilities by giving him a motorcycle, but Sarah and Shane have cut themselves off from him, not knowing who he is anymore. The school's prom is fast approaching, and the bodies start turning up.

When a horror comedy works, it can really work. Some of Stuart Gordon's films come to mind, or Tobe Hooper's. "Ghostbusters" wasn't perfect, but it had laughs. This film has the distinction of failing as both a comedy and a horror film.  While two people are credited with directing, some of the camera angles do not work. The physical placement of the camera is wrong for many scenes, like when shoved in the face of actor Conlon. One time is enough, but the film makers revert back to this angle often. The script has few funny scenes, and the gallows humor never works. The actors are okay, but they are five to ten years too old for their parts.  The special effects are shoddy. Cheap glowing animation punctuates cheap gore effects. I can see that this started as a really bizarre bloodbath, but it is trapped by its sequel origins, and never gets going. The finale is predictable and dopey.  "Prom Night III: The Last Kiss" sucks. Hello Mary Lou, goodbye an hour and a half of my life.

English

Prom Night 3: The Last Kiss (1990) - Trailer