The Prowler

aka Rosemary's Killer

Director - Joseph Zito (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Invasion U.S.A.)
Starring - Vicky Dawson (After School Specials), Christopher Goutman (The Edge of Night), and Lawrence Tierney (Wizards of the Demon Sword)
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror
Tagline(s) - "It will freeze your blood" "The human exterminator" " if you think you're safe... you're DEAD wrong" and "the film that shocked America"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

 Rating (out of 5):

     It is no secret that I love slashers.  I will watch a slasher regardless if it is worth a damn or not just to see it.  However, there are very few 80's slashers that I can tolerate to watch over and over again and then there are even fewer that I can say I like.  Most are part of the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm St series.  The remaining few are the original My Bloody Valentine and April Fool's Day.  Sadly, that is all I can think of as the moment.  That being said.  One more that I can watch over and over again and never tire of is The Prowler but most VHS collectors may know it as Rosemary's Killer.  I was in high school when I watched this movie for the first time.  A friend of mine was obsessed with Tom Savini and collected everything he touched.  It was only a matter of time before my friend found a copy of this on VHS and ordered it and I have watched it multiple times a year ever since.  
     The film opens in 1945 and a graduation ball is underway.  Prior to the ball a young girl, Rosemary, broke up with her boyfriend with a "Dear John" letter.  Later that night her date and her are brutally murdered with a pitch fork. The film jumps thirty-five years and the graduation ball is once again underway.  As everyone rushes to get ready for the ball people start to go missing and bodies turn up.  The police suspect the original killer is behind it all but is he?
     Slashers are not known for their heartwarming and complex story lines.  Instead, they rely on nudity and debauchery while giving the audience great kills.  That is why I love this movie.  The movie follows the true slasher formula perfectly and delivers one truly entertaining slasher film.  The acting is easily one of the best I recall seeing in a slasher film outside of a franchise.  The entire cast does a great job and that helps make the movie easy to follow.  The story is nothing original and can be seen hundreds of times in other slashers, however, the special effects and kills are what set this one off from the rest.  The special effects in this one are great and that is because they were handled by fx expert Tom Savini.  I really wish Savini would do effects on the modern wave of 80s inspired slashers.  That would make them so much better.  Overall, The Prowler is a top notch slasher that should be watched.  It may not offer anything new to the sub-genre but it is fun and gruesome.  I highly recommend it!