PROM NIGHT

Director: Nelson McCormick

Stars: Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Johnathon Schaech, Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, Jessica Stroup, Kelly Blatz, Idris Elba

Year: 2008

Rating: PG-13

One thing that sort of sank this film at the box office was that it was never marketed as not being a remake of the original Prom Night - a low-budget horror classic starring the Scream Queen herself, Jamie Lee Curtis. Even when putting the DVD into the player, I still thought this was at least a partial remake myself - when in reality, instead of a horror remake, it's a suspense/stalker film that just bears the same name.

Brittany Snow stars as high school student Donna Keppel, who two years ago experienced the most traumatic event of her life: the murder of her parents and brother by a stalker intent on having her to himself. The stalker was none other than her biology teacher, Mr. Fenton (Johnathon Schaech), who'd become obsessively in love with her ... and thought that if she had no one but him in her life, she'd go away with him. Witnessing the actual murder of her mother by Fenton, as she laid trembling and unable to utter a sound under her bed, Donna's still on medication and still trying to deal with the tragedy, now living with her uncle and aunt in another part of town. She's begun having nightmares about Mr. Fenton again, seeing him around town in visions that end up not being reality - and when she confesses all of this to her shrink (Ming-Na), Dr. Crowe insists that Donna stay on her meds - and, instead, concentrate on what should be the best night of her life ... the upcoming senior prom.

And as Donna heads off in the limousine with her boyfriend ("Friday Night Lights" star Scott Porter) and other friends in tow, she's determined to forget the past - even if for just that night. But across town, one of the homicide detectives who worked on the Fenton case (Idris Elba), is just learning that Richard Fenton escaped three days ago from his maximum security prison, over 2300 miles away from Donna Keppel. Sure that Fenton is heading her way, Detective Winn heads out to tell her uncle and aunt - and from, he rushes to the prom to keep an eye on Donna, determined to protect her from harm ...

Even as Fenton has learned where the prom is, and is already checking into the hotel where it's being held - on the same floor where Donna and her friends have their suites rented for the night.

From here the film turns into a stalker film, where the thrills and chills are built much more on the tension of where and when and how Fenton is going to strike. Considering you already know who the killer is, and that he's not going to let anyone get in his way of having Donna as his own, you'd think the tension wouldn't be as tight (not in these days or twists and turns and surprise ending in suspense film, where you often don't even know who the bad guy is until the very end) - but, suprisingly, there are a few nailbiting moments when the adrenaline is pretty thick in the air.

That's mostly credited to Johnathon Schaech, who does an outstanding job playing psychotic teacher Richard Fenton. It's a great performance that never goes over the top, and often times with just a look he can get quite chilling here. Brittany Snow, as Donna, is pretty good at conveying the virginal victim, and the rest of the cast of expendable teenaged victims all play their parts well (especially Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, and Kelly Blatz, none of whom ever come off as "acting" - though Blatz, a genuine talent, isn't given enough to do here). The lighting and music and cinematography all go a long way to creating the suspense, and the hotel setting for the prom (no hotel ANY real prom could afford to hire out for the occasional) adds a real gothic feel to the proceedings.

All in all, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Sure, it's kind of cliched and not terribly original in concept. Okay, so the acting is mixed and the ending is kind of a given. But for some reason, it worked for me - largely, I think, due to Johnathon Schaech, who makes a wicked psycho. And hopefully, if you go into knowing it's not a remake, a person could enjoy it better for the fun, semi-cheesy thriller it is. *** - Reel Cool