Prom Night III: The Last Kiss (1990)

**_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.