Prom Night

Teens’ Senior proms are often considered to be a magical time, a night most likely never to be forgotten. The film “Prom Night” attempts to tell how one girl’s special night turns to a time of horror. Based loosely on the 1980 version of the same name, “Prom Night” is one night that would be better forgotten.

Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow) wants to enjoy her senior prom just like the average teen. Having gone through a traumatic past of witnessing her family’s murder, she wants to enjoy this one magical night. Putting her fears in the shadows of her mind, Donna tries to dance the night away with her friends. What she doesn’t know is that her past is lurking in the shadows, watching her and waiting to make his move.

Three years before, Richard Fenton (Jonathan Schaech) was found guilty of murdering Donna’s family. He had been her math teacher who had gotten obsessed with claiming Donna as his own. He was found to be insane and was committed to a criminal asylum. Having escaped, Fenton made his way back to the town to finally claim Donna, killing everyone along the way.

The movie is an all-around cheesy failure and unbelievable in its absurdity. It was sad to see Snow’s talent wasted in this movie. It is the epitome of clichés. There are the annoying characters that die off one by one. There are the dead bodies popping out to say “Boo!”. You have the victims who can’t stay quiet, making themselves an effortless find. Lastly, there is the killer who has omniscient traits. He already knew where everyone was and everyone’s next move. He moved with lightning speed and was able to kill several policemen with only a knife.

The movie has many absurd plot holes, that if filled, would render the movie a boring drama. For example, Donna returns home after Fenton had a massive killing spree at her prom. Two alert cops are strategically placed in the front and back of her house. However, this does not stop Fenton. He manages to cut the phone line that is right next to one of the cops. And he also kills the cops and one more person inside the house, all within a few minutes.

Moral Content

Being a horror movie, murder and blood is shown throughout the movie. However, the director kept it pretty tame. Fenton’s murder weapon is a knife. Actual stabbings mostly took place off screen. However, the audience could see the killer’s movements and hear the victims’ screams.

The film uses the Lord’s name in vain about 10 times. I also counted at least 20 profanities. I never heard any “f” bombs.

The most offensive content is the abundance of sexual references. Sadly, the teens could not have a wholesome prom night. There was constant talk about sex and “getting laid.” One of Donna’s friends was proud her dress had low cleavage, since her boyfriend knew he was going “to get some.” They all laughed like it was a normal thing. Their dresses show almost their entire breasts and cover up just enough to avoid an “R” rating. Different teens would sneak off, while their friends joked about their having sex. Donna’s character was the most refreshing. She and her boyfriend shared appropriate kisses and never talked about sleeping together.

Students were shown drinking or sneaking-in alcoholic drinks. One teacher is implied to be a lesbian who has a crush on a female student. The dialogue is also full of cruel remarks about other students and shallow delusions about how important being prom queen would be.

This movie was a sad portrayal of young teenagers. The teen characters only talked about sex, drinking, and cruel gossip about one another. Although Donna’s character was refreshing and clean, her friends and their moral filth were placed in the spotlight. I wish more movies had leading characters like Donna. We should uplift and encourage our youth with good examples, not moral filth. It reminds me of when Paul wrote an encouraging letter to Timothy, telling him:

“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

I wholeheartedly do not recommend this movie. It is morally filthy and an inaccurate portrayal of youth. Not only does it fail as a loose remake, it completely fails as a horror movie. Most of the audience laughed at the scary moments, many spoke of how lame it was while leaving the theatre. I completely agree.

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: Heavy

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

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• Young people