1980: "Prom Night"

                                     Prom Night is an 1980 Canadian slasher (starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielson) about a mysterious killer stalking four teenagers responsible for the death of a child six year earlier. This all takes place on the night of the prom, so the movie can have a killer disco soundtrack.

                                  The first time I viewed Prom Night, it was a dismal experience. The reason being that it was a terrible video transfer, so it was damn-near unwatchable, especially the darker-lit scenes. Also, the movie seemed like another run-of-the-mill slasher so it just felt like a lost cause.
                                 So I rewatched it, this time on Tubi, and the video quality was much better. And because the quality was better, I was able to evaluate it more clearly. Though the script is run-of-the-mill, the filmmaking is technically proficient and surprisingly stylish. Interesting angles, knife-like editing (especially the crosscutting between the killer at his phone and the targets he calls), decent pacing, unsettling music, and well-lit scenes.
                                Unlike most slashers, I sensed the film was trying a little harder to be more psychological. The characters, though one-dimensional, are well-delineated and there is a creepy undercurrent of guilt to the proceedings. For example, when the killer calls each of the teenagers, they all react in different ways. Kelly (the meeker of the group) is obviously creeped out while Wendy (the mean bitch) just blithely hangs up before the guy can even continue. The one guy, Nick, doesn't even pick up the phone. It's a strangely clever and un-cliched approach (a typical slasher would have all the kids pick up the phone and react in the same way).

                                 It's not a good film, but an acceptable, technically well-made entry in the genre.