The Last Drive-In Part 4: The Prowler (1981) - Review 08-0418

At the beginning of part 4, JBB explodes into a profanity laced rant about cell phone use.  While some millenials watching will no doubt find this a little off putting, I'm sure some of the old codgers share the sentiments of this piece.  Now, being a reader of JBB's Takimag articles, I was aware of a previous article he penned regarding the cell phone issue.  You can read it here.  Aside from dropping the F-bomb a lot, it's pretty much word-for-word from the column.

He continues with the rant until ham-handedly jumping into the next movie.  JBB seems to not have much reverence for this movie and keeps mentioning it as being an obscure slasher flick.  To be honest, this is one of the better known slasher films from the early 1980s.  If he had said Just Before Dawn or Madman, I would've been more inclined to agree.  But even if this film isn't that well known to mainstream audiences, it's definitely popular among cult horror fans.  It's also directed by Joe Zito, who went on to direct Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, which is considered by a lot of fans to be the definitive Jason movie (myself included).  The movie also has two notable stars, 1940s and 50s actor Lawrence Tierney, who would later be known for his roles in Silver Bullet and Reservoir Dogs;  and Farley Grainger, who was used by Alfred Hitchcock in movies such as Rope and Strangers on a Train.

Nonetheless, JBB showcases the real star of the show, the special effects done by gore maestro Tom Savini.  In The Prowler, Savini showcases two of his more infamous effects. One of which is the exploding head, seen in Maniac and Dawn of the Dead. The other is the saw through the neck, which he later perfected for Friday the 13: The Final Chapter.  JBB also talks about the weird choice of the weapon, a pitchfork, which seems to go against the WWII crazed vet theme of the movie.  It would later prompt a distributor to re-title and release the film as The Pitchfork Massacre.  One last note:  as pointed out by JBB, this is one of the few slasher films where the couple engaged in premarital sex is not brutally murdered by the killer. 

Three stars.