Not to be confused with Joseph Losey’s 50s noir masterpiece of the same name (check out the DVD, the James Ellroy commentary is gold), Joseph Zito’s The Prowler benefits from the work of gore makeup guru Tom Savini, who provided the sliced arteries, gaping wounds, and sanguine floods that mark the film’s half-dozen set pieces (I.e.,good kills). Having made his name with William Lustig's Maniac and the first Friday the 13th, not to mention George A. Romero’s brilliant Martin (bluray! Please!), Savini was riding a wave of when he matched with Zito, a director who was then only known for Abduction, the infamous take on the Patty Hearst kidnapping. (Based on the quickie pulp paperback, The Black Abductors), a roughie/exploitation flick matched only by The X-rated, Patty, with Jamie Gillis. Indeed, Zito's Abduction can be found on X tube sites.

The efficient and surprisingly well-shot slasher flick that Savini and Zito produced may not have reached its level of horror fandom it deserves—it is, not unfairly, considered a standard-bearer for the slasher genre—if not for the MPAA’s patently ridiculous damning of the film by leaving it unrated.

What gives? One can only speculate that the difference between Prom Night, which was released a year earlier with an R rating, and The Prowler was the general viciousness of the deaths in Zito’s work. Indeed, no fun-lovin’ teens in Prom Night ended up with a fatigues-clad psychopath pushing a blade through the top of their skull and down through the bottom of their chin. Barring instances of such heinous brutality (for the ‘80s, anyway), however, The Prowler and Prom Night share a very similar prime narrative, one that volleys between various comingling at a school dance and the dark fates that await those who stray from this wholesome gathering. The young cast is appealing; the actress who plays Pam is a dead finger for Laura Dern. Farley Granger(!) and Lawrence Tierny(!) also star.

But like Prom Night’s prelude (featuring the mysterious death of a young girl due, partially, to a group of her supposed friends), The Prowler discerns its thematic and stylistic arc early on, 35 years before the current-day slaughter. The film opens with a newsreel heralding the return of our fighting men and women from stomping out the Axis Powers and ensuring our safety, even as they nurse their own psychological wounds. They deserve a good home-cooked meal, a hot shower, the comfort of their own bed, and, perhaps most importantly, the embrace of a loved one. But one nameless veteran is greeted only with a “Dear John” letter, signed by his sweetheart, Rosemary, and takes out his rage by kebabing a pair of lovers with a pitchfork. It isn’t until 1980 that the dance is revived and the absence of the town sheriff allows for a new string of grisly murders.

Halloween, the original Black Christmas, Don't Answer the Phone, My Bloody Valentine and the aforementioned Maniac are a few examples of major works in the 'slasher' genre, and I doubt there are more than fifty that qualify as 'great cinema.' These films remain popular due mostly to the films that are made proficiently as far as gore theatrics, tone, and mood are concerned, and in these terms The Prowler is certainly deserving of its fan base. Joseph Zito went on to do higher budgeted films such as Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and a few Dolph Lundgren/ Chuck Norris actioneers with Cannon Films - most notably, Invasion U.S.A. What the film lacks in narrative drive, coherence, and performance, it makes up with thoughtful lighting, strong cinematography from the legendary João Fernandes, (more on him later) and, of course, Savini’s lovingly overblown and impossible splatter effects. These might seem like minor facets in this sort of genre exercise, but they are scarce in the current incarnation of the slasher picture. If the recent ripoff/ reboot(s) of classic slashers are any indication, the most an audience can expect from these films is ringing ears since every (generally bloodless) death is accompanied by an orchestral shriek. After such monotony, one will find nostalgia wading in the crimson gush that The Prowler so gleefully dishes out.

A note/digression on the cinematography: this was photographed by the legendary João Fernandes - whose storied career is jaw-dropping. Fernandes shot such "golden age" adult films such as The Devil in Miss Jones, Deep Throat , Memories Within Miss Aggie. The still shocking Doris Wishman sickie, Let Me Die a Woman. The sleazy Penelope Spheris (Wayne's World, The Decline of the Western Civilization trilogy) L.A. sleaze classic, Hollywood Vice Squad (bluray, please!). Dozens of horror/exploitation classics, too numerous to list. A boatload of action films, again, too numerous to list. He dipped his toe in 90s indie film (Sprung), mainstream horror (Children of the Corn) and made-for-TV movies and episodic fare. There's a documentary waiting to be made about this guy!

Image/Sound:

For a low-budget slasher film, going on 30 years since its original release, Blue Underground has done a commendable job on this 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer of The Prowler. Despite inescapable graininess and a general lack of detailing, the transfer adequately cleans up Blue Underground’s previous DVD release of Zito’s film. Black levels are negligibly flawed but rarely disrupt the image overall; clarity has been enhanced to about as good as it'll get. (Given that this takes place at night and still looks amazingly clear is quite an accomplishment.) Likewise, the DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack is not a showy affair but it serves its purpose, bringing the dialogue and orchestral cues into crisp clarity and doing justice to a rather simplistic audio design.

Extras:

Knowledgeable of the film’s strengths (and weaknesses) Blue Underground Head Honcho, Bill Lustig has packaged The Prowler simply with a funny and totally enjoyable commentary by Joseph Zito and the maestro himself, Tom Savini. There’s also a short featurette on Savini’s work on the gore effects that would fit nicely into a doc on Savini, but does little here. The theatrical trailer is also included. No Three-disc extravaganza along the lines of New York Ripper, Maniac. William Lustig's take on the above is my own assumption.

Best of the 80’s!

This is not a Black Christmas clone, Halloween clone, or a Friday the 13th clone. It's a very memorable story that seems original and sticks with you years after you first see it. This is surprising considering 1981 was the year of its release and the year more slasher flicks came out than any other.

A whole host of decent slice n’ dicers that served as some of the better examples of this exploitative entertainment in its displays of grisly deaths and naked female flesh came out this year. ‘The Funhouse’, Friday the 13th Part 2, ‘The Burning’, Nightmares in a Damaged Brain, Halloween II and especially ‘My Bloody Valentine’ were just some of the real standouts here.

That last title has much in common with this film. They share a much similar set up entailing the return of once banned dance celebrations due to killings that were committed on those days many years ago only for a bloody trial of mass murder to start up when the celebratory events return - Valentine’s Day (obviously) and Graduation Day in their respective films. They are also both tales revolving around scorned lovers. ‘The Prowler’ is not as strong a movie as the former stated though. It has bland characterization especially from the two leads Pam MacDonald (Vicky Dawson) and Mark London (Christopher Goutman) making for zero chemistry between the two potential lovers trying to solve the mysterious case of “the prowler”. It also has a frustratingly slow burn pace. ‘My Bloody Valentine’ excels with these two elements as being one of the very finest slashers ever made.

However, what makes ‘The Prowler’ noteworthy is that director Joseph Zito employs a very moody atmosphere, it is well shot with some gorgeous cinematography for a film of its ilk by Raoul Lomas and I think with more contribution from João Fernandes who is uncredited here and the musical score is filled with dread to a supreme effect. Above all else though, the big achievement here is the fantastic special make-up effects from maestro Savini.

In what is his very best work outside the two George A. Romero zombie epics he worked on - ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978) and ‘Day of the Dead’ (1985) - the man himself considers it his absolute best work full stop. Personally, I disagree as I think ‘Day’ is his finest moment in his career - an SFX opus that is his masterwork. I am not though taking anything away from Tom Savini here as really this movie belongs to him. This is an area where ‘The Prowler’ beats ‘My Bloody Valentine’ hands down. Taking entire days to film the shooting schedule was built around executing these set-pieces that are some of the most gruesome and realistic mean spirited death sequences ever filmed. These are not the quick hack n’ slash then cut to the next scene we are used to with stalk and slash movies but are far more prolonged drawn out affairs making us watch every excruciatingly explicit graphic detail of the victims’ demise. The killer has a very intimidating presence decked out in World War II combat gear with a hood covering his face dispatching his prey with a bayonet knife and unrelated to his military background oddly enough a long pitchfork.

The movie offers much here to keep us invested in what is ultimately a worthwhile watch. For the gorehound horror fans this is a must see and it is also essential viewing for the Friday the 13th faithful. Zito, Fernandes and Savini would team up again for the very similar toned Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) the very best entry of that franchise. The sombre atmosphere, attractive cinematography, chilling score, the grand spectacle of the goretastic special effects make-up, the great look of the killer, non-grating victims and a haunting 'Carrie' like jump scare final scene make ‘The Prowler’ one of the highlight slasher films of 1981. Recommended.

Here's another reverent DVD treatment for a horror film, this time courtesy of Blue Underground. The Prowler is not a half-bad slasher in that esteemed genre. It's got Tom Savini's gory effects going for it, and a pretty classic slasher story, plus a convoluted and obvious whodunit, plenty of embarassing hair, several dumb characters, and another exploding head that Savini added to his resume of Dawn of the Dead and Maniac.

Seems that some years ago a returning GI was dumped by the gal who swore she'd wait for him. He comes home from the hells of war and proceeds to pitchfork some folks.

Thirty five years later, another ball is on, or something like that, and the murders start up again. Gotta love it. This time, the killer dresses in WWII soldier's garb, including an all-covering rain hood and a helment, and he employs the pitchfork to further effect. Also notable is a grisly Savini stabbed-through-head-and-out-chin effect, quite macabre.

The ending is a bit Carrie-inspired, but appropriately demented. The auteur is one Joseph Zito, who would helm other landmarks like Friday the 13 Part IV.

The disc looks and sounds good--a nice job on a hard-to-find flick. There is commentary by Zito and Savini, yukking it up as they think back to the good old days of slasherdom. They sound like they're having a good laugh. Another bonus is the Tom Savini behind-the-scenes gore reel, where we get to see how some of the icky effects were done. Includes the pool-side boot to the head and subsequent neck-sawing, plus the ubiquitous hand pump to move the corn syrup blood along. Thank heavens for latex. Good gore overall in this one.

The Prowler is a good job on a sought-after genre flick. The movie is pretty good of its kind, whatever you think of it's 'kind'. Funny how some of these movies get some of the better DVD treatments. Gotta satisfy fans. Recommended for genre addicts, otherwise, it's more a late-night cable movie.

Another slasher movie from 1981, I know what you're thinking "*groan* Another film about a masked killer & a scantily clad female heroine." However, this film is classy, brutal, kinda "run of the mill", but a few twists, & what not. Here is, "The Prowler"...

Plot: At the end of WW2 a trooper receives a letter from his beloved, Rosemary. Rosemary couldn't wait for him, so she's moved on. June 28th, 1945, the night of the graduation dance; Rosemary & her lover, are killed by said trooper. He's gone mad due to his love for Rosemary. From then & there on, no graduation dances were held. 35 years later, 1980, the town is holding a graduation dance. The prowler has returned, the body count is rising, & it's up to Mark & Pam, to solve the mystery, & kill the killer...

If "The Prowler" sounds familiar, then it's because it borrows a similar plot from "My Bloody Valentine" (1981). In My Bloody Valentine, several miners become trapped, due to the leaving of two supervisors. Te 7 miners are found 2-3 weeks later, 6 of which are dead, as Harry Warden (the only survivor) ate his coworkers for survival. Deemed unstable, Harry is locked away in an institution, 1 year later he returned, killed the 2 supervisors. Harry sent a letter, basically, never have another Valentine's Day dance or else kill, kill, death, death. However in My Bloody Valentine the killer was suspected to be Harry Warden, but it turned out it wasn't him. As for The Prowler the killer becomes obvious half way through, leaving the mystery solving scenes of our characters to be rather dull. One other issue is the actress who played Pam, at times gives a very bland performance. Everyone else gives a good performance. The prowler, dressed in army fatigues, & rather killing very brutally, is creepy, & disturbing. Strangely the audience garners a little sympathy for the killer, as clearly the dance evoked the horrible memory, which caused our titular killer, to well, kill. The film does have genuine suspense, creepy, & atmospheric scenes, particularly a scene in a graveyard is the most atmospheric. The film also has Joseph Zito (Friday the 13th the final chapter) helming the film, with Tom Savini doing effects work. Savini regards it as his best work (which it is good, but I think Day o the Dead (1985) is his best work). You have you're usual stabbings, & carvings, but here they're done very savagely, the killer, even kicks one of his victims back down, & then sneaks up, & kills them. What makes the killer believable is that he was in the army, giving him the knowledge of the body's weakest points. Speaking of which, The Prowler is what you'd get if you would've taken First Blood & spliced it with My Bloody Valentine. The score is also great, & has its own atmospheric quality. My one true issue with the film, is the "shock" ending, which isn't our killer returning mind you. It (obviously) occurs right before the end credits, & feels tacked on. Although it has its faults (it drags a little here & there), I still find The Prowler, an enjoyable slasher flick. Some of which may ave to do with nostalgia. As the first time I saw it, I was at my friends house with he, & his mother. The 3 of us sat & watched, The Prowler, which I enjoyed then. The only thing I could recall about it however was the chase between Pam & the prowler. More specifically the scene with the room which had furniture covered with white sheets.

Fun Facts: Alternate titles- Rosemary's Killer, & The Pitchfork of Death. The Prowler was released as Rosemary's Killer in Australia and Europe, and is missing almost a minute of Tom Savini's gore effects. The German version omits all of the gore scenes (including the revelation of the killer's identity) and replaced the soundtrack with bird sounds for daytime scenes, cricket sounds for the night scenes, and Richard Einhorn's score with synthesizer music by an uncredited musician. This version goes by the title Die Forke des Todes (The Pitchfork of Death).

Movie Rating-3.9/5 stars Disc/DVD Rating-5/5

Disc Content:

Main Feature

Audio Commentary

Behind the Scenes

Poster/still Gallery

Trailer

Great early eighties slasher directed by Joseph Zito who would go on to direct the equally great Friday the 13th the final chapter. If you've ever seen a slasher movie of the 80s then you pretty much know what to expect. In fact this movie is so similar in plot to My Bloody Valentine that it is really hard to say who ripped off whom. At any rate both are good films and deserving a watching you like this sort of thing, which I do. The effects are done by goremeister Tom Savini so that is also a plus. If you haven't seen this gem give it a watch, and if you have then you know you need it in you collection so, I dunno, buy it.

I am near speechless that this is coming out on DVD!!! Finally I can throw away that VHS. But I must say the extras sound GREAT TOO! Widescreen and trailers is all I ask for. All else is icing on the cake. And how much ICING are we getting, WOOO WHOOOO!

I first saw this movie whenI was a kid. Back then Savini meant nothing to me,a nd horror movies were picked based on the VHS cover at at the video store. My cousins and I stumbled upon this gem, and the effects are GREAT!! Savini really shines here. You have the pitch fork impailing, the sward through the skull, and a WHOLE bunch of other great scenes. The story is about a Veteran of WWII, who's heart was broken while he was in teh war by Rose Mary. She broke it off with him. He ends up killing her and her new BEAU on the night of their graduation dance. Well some 40 years go by with no Graduation dances, until now. And of course the killer comes back. You know it's typical slasher film plot, with great special effects by the master Savini. No looking ro remake Gone With The Wind here. It's just a great romp of a slasher film. If you like teh 80's stuff, and the great effects like they just don't make them, then you will love this. Give it a whirl, you won't be dissapointed...thanks to WILLIAM LUSTIG for starting up this new label BLUE UNDERGROUND, and making this movie available to the FANS!...Anywaho, get this DVD and support this new DVD lable. I am...

I remember watching this movie when I was in my early teens and being traumatized by the murder scenes. My poor mom had to take me to the movie theater even though she hates gore and horror movies. This was in Turkey back in the early 80s and the movie's title was "Rosemary's Killer" - this was the international title for the movie. Ever since then, I've always wanted to own a copy. Blu-ray edition is very decent, not the best, cleanest, blu-ray transfer but it's decent (there are some damages to the print). Maybe one day SHout factory will release a cleaner, more crystal version. Murder scenes still work (one of the best you will see in the genre). Beautiful old style visual effects. Story is ok, doesn't really provide a closure about the events or the motive for the murders but it still works as a movie. Normally, I'd rate such a movie very low but this movie does work and delivers the goods. Feature commentary is good (I'd expected to hear more about the story but it is mostly about the shooting of the movie).

Nostalgie

Clasico menor de las peliculas de Slasher. El Blu ray viene con muy buenos extras

Slasher imprescindible, lo malo es que no cuenta con subtítulos al español.

Un chef-d’œuvre sous-estimé du slasher — et fier d’en faire le 3ᵉ film de ma collection horreur

J’ai 18 ans et je commence tout juste ma collection de films d’horreur. The Prowler est seulement le 3ᵉ film que j’ajoute à ma vidéothèque, et honnêtement je suis trop content de l’avoir choisi.

Ce film mérite tellement plus de reconnaissance. Les effets spéciaux pratiques réalisés par Tom Savini sont parmi les plus réalistes et violents des années 80. Pas de CGI, pas de censure, juste du pur slasher brut qui frappe fort. Chaque meurtre est inventif et marquant, exactement ce qu’un fan du genre recherche.

L’ambiance est dingue : on est en plein dans l’identié slasher old school, lente montée en tension, festival universitaire, nuit pluvieuse, et puis BOUM — un killer qui ne rigole pas.

Et visuellement, le tueur est incroyable. Le casque militaire, l’uniforme, la baïonnette… c’est une identité immédiate et super iconique. Je ne comprends pas pourquoi il n’est pas aussi célèbre que Jason ou Michael, il le mérite largement.

En tant que jeune collectionneur, je peux dire un truc simple :

👉 si tu veux commencer une vraie collection horreur solide, ce film doit en faire partie.

Ça pose une base sérieuse : un slasher puissant, brutal, technique, et respecté par les vrais passionnés.

📌 Ce que j’ai adoré :

✔️ Meurtres ultra réalistes, zéro filtre

✔️ Killer mémorable, look iconique

✔️ Ambiance 80’s parfaitement maîtrisée

✔️ Un film qui a clairement sa place dans une collection

Je suis fier que The Prowler soit le 3ᵉ titre de ma collection, et j’ai l’impression d’avoir mis la main sur un bijou trop sous-côté. Pour tout fan d’horreur — jeune ou pas — c’est un indispensable.

Old school suspense slasher with some very grizzly death scenes. Great movie!