Prom Night is one of the “childhood pranks and/or bullying results in a lot of murders” kind of slashers. It’s also Jamie Lee Curtis’ third horror movie, between The Fog and Terror Train. Her involvement in the film secured the funding needed and helped propel the slasher to cult classic.  Prom Night got a couple of sequels in 1987 and 1990, as well as a bland remake in 2008. While I can’t wait to cover the bonkers Prom Night 2: Hello Mary Lou, the original is still the only real slasher of the series.

• Directed by: Paul Lynch
• Written by: William Gray. Robert Guza Jr.
• Starring: Leslie Nielsen Jamie Lee Curtis Casey Stevens

Prom Night joins the ranks of other notable classic Canadian slasher films like Black Christmas, My Bloody Valentine, and Terror Train. For those keeping track at home, recent Canadian slashers include the innovative but divisive In a Violent Nature. While there aren’t any thematic similarities to these productions, they do all manage to make the most of their limited budgets. 

Prom Night was another in a long line of holiday-based slashers. Although depending on your age, calling prom a holiday may be stretching things a bit.  It’s a classic for good reason, hitting on most of the tropes the subgenre is known for.  It does have one major twist: the killer doesn’t want to murder our Final Girl.  

What’s It About?

The plot features a group of high schoolers, mostly girls, on the day of their prom as they are harassed and then murdered by a masked killer.  Prom Night takes its time to build tension, not just with the killer, but with the relationships between the girls as well.  Filmed in 1979, the B plot has some Carrie-level bad girl bullying.  

It’s also a movie filled with difficult characters. Its main cast and the victims of the killer are all kids who participated in bullying that led to the death of a young girl, a crime they covered up for six years while they went about their lives. In one way or another, except for Jamie Lee Curtis’ Kim, this is a movie about terrible people. 

Some, like Wendy, are overt about it. A ringleader in the incident as kids, she’s still a bad person. She constantly hits on Nick, Kim’s boyfriend and one of the killer kids.  Nick is a whole other issue.  He far too accepting when it comes to Wendy’s advances. Oh, and he’s also keeping a massive secret from his girlfriend.  Nick is by far my least favorite character in this movie.  That’s saying something, considering the varying array of assholes we can choose from. 

After our two leading worst characters, there’s an assorted group of bullies, delinquents, mean girls, and perverts. With a few red herrings thrown in for good measure.  It’s not the easiest movie to watch because everyone is so hard to root for. Kim, our Final Girl and best character, isn’t given much screen time.  There’s a good reason for that, but it drags the overall impact of the movie down. 

Is It Sexist?

One of the criticisms that keeps coming up in other decades-later rewatches of Prom Night is how misogynistic it is. I’m not sure that I fully agree. There are a lot of T&A-style shots. The mean girl moons the groundskeeper, and in another scene, bully Lou leers at a waitress in short shorts. Lou is portrayed as a dirtbag, and the waitress is aware of his gawking and over it.  Neither of these scenes are truly over the top.

Now Kelly, the girl shows her boobs right before getting killed. Maybe that’s not the best. Her chest is the least interesting part of the scene. Kelly is one of the more sympathetic of the killer kids. She’s stuck in a bad relationship with perpetual horndog Drew, who is clearly only sticking around till they have sex. Kelly is conflicted about sleeping with him and has a conversation about enthusiastic consent with Kim. Kim tells her to find someone who respects her. Kelly does not listen.  She also doesn’t have sex with Drew. Since the killer isn’t motivated by anything other than revenge, this does not change her fate. 

Not Your Standard Motive

It’s important to note that sex is not a motivating factor for the killer. The next couple to die gets killed right after having sex and smoking pot. This covers two of the big reasons why teens usually get offed in slashers. Slick and Jude are the fun couple. She hitchhikes, tells inappropriate jokes, and oh yeah, bullies a kid to death. He’s just got bad taste in women. Pot-smoking, goofy -ass Slick is probably the best man in this movie, and he gets a death worthy of his status.  

Sex and death are often intertwined in the more misogynistic slashers. It’s a subtle reminder to adhere to rigid gender or societal norms, or face consequences. Prom Night may have some interesting things to say about gender roles, but it’s not very straightforward. 

SPOILERS for a 45-yr old Movie. 

The killer is Alex, Robin the dead girl’s twin brother, and Kim’s little brother. He’s an interesting case study from the beginning. He’s presented as a gentle, kind boy, except for when he gets into a fight with Lou after the bully assaults Kim in the lunchroom. He doesn’t have a date for prom; such a thing is beyond him. Even conversations about girls with Kim get him flustered and embarrassed. 

He stalks and kills the mean girls and Nick to get revenge for their role in the death of his sister Robin. The longest sequence here is devoted to Wendy, the worst of the lot.  Wendy is, in a lot of ways, everything Alex is not. She’s aggressive, cold, and calculating. She also has no problems with making a move on the opposite sex.  Given the era this was made, one could say she demonstrates some masculine qualities.  Up until Alex chases her around the empty school with an axe. Then, all their roles switch.

The Reveal

Until his mask is removed, his black, lightly glittery ski mask.  In the final shot Alex is wearing his mother’s stolen lipstick. There are so many ways to interpret this. Most likely is a Psycho nod. Like Norman Bates dressing like his mother, Alex is taking on bits of Robin to commit his murders.  Prom Night references so many other horror movies. This seems almost an inescapable conclusion.  The biggest red herring suspect escapes from a mental hospital, like Halloween. Wendy and Lou cook up a prom night prank in the style of Carrie, Thirteen Women-inspired revenge slashers and the crossed-out yearbook.  Okay, that last one is a deep cut. 

There are other analyses of Alex and his lipstick that lean into his sexuality. I understand why people draw those conclusions, but I’m not sure the movie presents enough evidence to fully support it without major leaps. 

The Slasher Elements:

Prom Night presents an interesting case, since Final Girl Kim is never really in danger. Since the killer is her brother and she was never involved in the initial prank, she’s not on his target list.  The action is happening around her. Also, there are enough red herrings to make the viewers think that she could be in danger. It’s only after everything is revealed that the impact hits.  

Kim becomes a Final Girl by choice. She runs towards danger, putting herself in the situation.  It’s a rare setup, and one I enjoy for what it says about Kim’s character. It’s also sold with great casting. Jamie Lee Curtis is 100% believable as a teen girl who would charge at a killer.

Since the first half of the movie is focused on character development and set up, Alex has a lot of time to stalk the killer kids.  The threatening phone calls add a nice level of menace and tension to the otherwise bright and sunny day. 

The Killer

Alex looks like a nice boy. He’s got a great, loving family. Other than losing his twin traumatically at a young age, seems to have everything going for him.  He’s also patient. He waited six years for the children to either confess to their crime or to grow angry enough to take his revenge.  This would have been Robin’s first prom. Watching the others celebrate milestones she would never get, was the final straw.  He’s another great example of stalking while being unseen. 

Final Thoughts

Prom Night is a bit of an overlooked gem. It’s not as bloody or suspenseful as some of the other movies in the same era. By now, (2025, for those keeping track at home) “revenge for a prank” movies are a bit overdone. At the time, it was still a bit novel.   The biggest impact Prom Night may have had was securing Curtis’ legacy as one of THE top all time Scream Queens. It’s a position she still holds today.

Prom Night is Available now on streaming.