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Prom Night (1980 film)

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This article is about the original 1980 film. For the remake, see Prom Night (2008 film).

Prom Night
Original theatrical release poster
Directed byPaul Lynch
Screenplay byWilliam Gray
Story byRobert Guza Jr.
Produced byPeter R. Simpson
Starring
CinematographyRobert C. New
Edited byBrian Ravok
Music by
Production
companies
  • Simcom Productions[1]
  • Prom Night Productions[1]
Distributed by
Release dates
  • July 18, 1980 (1980-07-18) (United States)
  • August 8, 1980 (1980-08-08) (Canada)
Running time
93 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.5 million[1][4]
Box office$14.8 million[i]

Prom Night is a 1980 slasher film directed by Paul Lynch, written by William Gray, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen. The film follows a group of high school seniors who are targeted at their prom by a masked killer, seeking vengeance for the accidental death of Robin Hammond, a young girl, from six years earlier. The film features supporting performances from Casey Stevens, Eddie Benton, Mary Beth Rubens, and Michael Tough.

A co-production between Canada and the United States,[ii] Prom Night was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in late 1979 on a budget of $1.5 million. Distributed by Astral Films in Canada and Avco Embassy Pictures in the United States, the film was released on July 18, 1980 in select cinemas and was an immediate financial success. The film's theatrical release platform was expanded to major U.S. cities such as Los Angeles and New York City in August where the film was again met with high box-office receipts. At the time, the film was Avco Embassy's most financially successful release, breaking weekend records in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New England.

By the end of the film's theatrical run, Prom Night had grossed $15 million in the United States and was Canada's highest-earning horror film of 1980. Critical reaction to the film was varied, with some dismissing the film's depictions of violence against young women, while others alternately praised Prom Night for its more muted violent content. Prom Night received some critical accolades, garnering Genie Award nominations for editing and also for the leading performance of Jamie Lee Curtis at the 2nd Genie Awards. An alternative cut of the film was popularly aired on American and Canadian television networks in 1981.

In the intervening years, Prom Night has accrued a substantial cult following[8] for the film's horror content and also for the film's soundtrack album (which was released by RCA Records in Japan in 1980). Some film scholars have cited Prom Night as one of the most influential slasher films of the period.[9] Several companies released Prom Night on video and the film was also released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 1998. A remastered Blu-ray edition of the film was released by Synapse Films in 2014.

Plot

[edit]

In 1974, 11-year-olds Wendy Richards, Jude Cunningham, Kelly Lynch, and Nick McBride play hide-and-seek in an abandoned convent. When 10-year-old Robin Hammond tries to join them, the group starts teasing her, leading to a scared Robin accidentally falling to her death through a window. The children make a pact not to tell anyone what happened in fear of getting in trouble. As the four flee the convent, the shadow of an unseen person who witnessed Robin's death appears.

Six years later, Robin's elder sister, Kim, and fraternal twin brother, Alex, are preparing for the school prom, which falls on the anniversary of Robin's death. Kelly, Jude, and Wendy receive anonymous obscene phone calls, while Nick ignores his ringing phone.

Kim and Nick are now dating. Jude is asked to prom by goofy jokester Seymour "Slick" Crane. Kelly is going with Drew Shinnick, her boyfriend. Wendy—Nick's ex-girlfriend—asks school bully Lou Farmer to the prom with the purpose of embarrassing Nick and Kim. Wendy, Jude and Kelly each find their yearbook photos stabbed with a piece of glass. Meanwhile, Kim and Alex's father, school principal Mr. Hammond, learns that Leonard Murch, a sex offender informally blamed for Robin's death, has escaped from a psychiatric facility. Lt. McBride, Nick's father, investigates.

At the prom, a figure wearing a ski mask targets Kelly first, slitting her throat with a mirror shard in the girls' locker room. Jude and Slick have sex in his van outside school grounds. The masked killer murders Jude and causes Slick to drive off a cliff to his death. Staking out the prom, McBride is informed that the sex offender blamed for Robin's death has been caught.

Now wielding an ax, the killer chases Wendy through an empty wing of the school before cornering her in a utility closet and hacking her to death. Mr. Sykes, the school janitor, witnesses Wendy's murder and attempts to warn the principal, but his claims are not taken seriously due to his drunkenness. Meanwhile, Kim and Nick prepare to be crowned prom king and queen, but Lou and his lackeys tie up Nick, and Lou takes his crown. Mistaking him for Nick, the killer decapitates him. Lou's severed head rolls onto the stage, sending the prom-goers fleeing in horror.

Kim frees Nick and they are confronted by the killer. In the ensuing brawl, Kim strikes the killer in the head with the ax. The two briefly lock eyes before the assailant runs outside, clutching his head wound. Kim chases after him and begs approaching police officers not to shoot, before the killer collapses on the ground. He is revealed to be Alex, who, in his last moments, exclaims tearfully "they killed her!" Alex dies in Kim's arms, crying out Robin's name.

Cast

[edit]
  • Leslie Nielsen as Mr. Hammond
  • Jamie Lee Curtis as Kimberly "Kim" Hammond
    • Debbie Greenfield as young Kim Hammond
  • Casey Stevens as Nick McBride
    • Brock Simpson as young Nick McBride
  • Eddie Benton as Wendy Richards
    • Leslie Scott as young Wendy Richards
  • Michael Tough as Alex Hammond
    • Dean Bosacki as young Alex Hammond
  • Robert A. Silverman as Mr. Sykes
  • Pita Oliver as Vicki
  • David Mucci as Lou Farmer
  • Mary Beth Rubens as Kelly Lynch
    • Joyce Kite as young Kelly Lynch
  • Joy Thompson as Jude Cunningham
    • Karen Forbes as young Jude Cunningham
  • George Touliatos as Lt. McBride
  • Melanie Morse MacQuarrie as Henri-Anne
  • David Bolt as Weller
  • Jeff Wincott as Drew Shinnick
  • David Gardner as Dr. Fairchild
  • Sheldon Rybowski as Seymour "Slick" Crane
  • Antoinette Bower as Mrs. Hammond
  • Rob Garrison as Sayer
  • Beth Amos as Housekeeper
  • Liz Stalker-Mason as Adele
  • Tammy Bourne as Robin Hammond
  • Pam Henry as Car Hop

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

Director Paul Lynch developed Prom Night after a meeting with producer Irwin Yablans, who had previously produced Halloween (1978).[10] Lynch had wanted to work on a horror film, and had initially pitched Don't Go See the Doctor, a film about a physician who murders his patients.[11] Yablans instead suggested that Lynch utilize a holiday as a basis for the film, which resulted in Lynch deciding to build the premise around the event of the high school prom.[12] Writer Robert Guza Jr., a University of Southern California film student of whom Lynch was an acquaintance, had written a story about a group of teenagers whose involvement in a tragic event as children came back to haunt them.[13] Guza's story was then adapted and incorporated into the film as the central premise and motive for the film's villain.[14]

While attending a Telefilm Canada event in Los Angeles,[15] Lynch met producer Peter Simpson, to whom he pitched the idea.[16] "I said, 'I'm working on this thing that is called Prom Night," Lynch recalled. "[Peter] said, 'Look, let's get together and talk.' This was on a Thursday. On Monday he read the treatment, came back and said, 'We'll make a deal to develop a script and do Prom Night.' And that's how Prom Night came about."[16] The film was an international co-production between Canada and the United States,[17] and was made under a tax shelter for American film productions shot in Canada.[18]

Casting

[edit]
Prom Night marked Jamie Lee Curtis's third film role after starring in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and The Fog (1980)

In the documentary Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006), Lynch stated he was having difficulty securing financing for the film until Jamie Lee Curtis signed onto the project; she received a salary of $30,000 (equivalent to $114,487 in 2024) for her appearance in the film.[19] According to the producer of Prom Night, Eve Plumb (from television's The Brady Bunch) originally auditioned for the role of Kim Hammond,[20] but was passed over after Jamie Lee Curtis' manager contacted Paul Lynch about her starring in the film.[21] Lynch was enthusiastic about casting Curtis, as she had established herself in the horror genre portraying Laurie Strode in Halloween (1978).[22] After auditioning for producer Simpson—which included a dance audition for the film's dance numbers—Curtis was officially cast in the role.[23] Lynch recalled, "For whatever reason, Peter [Simpson] made her jump through hoops, but she wanted it, and she got it."[23] According to Curtis, Prom Night was the first project in which she "made any money."[18]

Leslie Nielsen, an established film and television actor, was cast as Kim Hammond's father; this role marks one of the last serious films for Nielsen, as he spent the remainder of his career performing in comedies.[10] Lynch sought Nielsen for the role as he was one of Canada's "most-experienced actors."[24] Opposite Nielsen, portraying his character's wife, is Antoinette Bower, whom Lynch had seen on numerous Canadian television programs.[25]

The majority of the film's supporting actors and actresses were stage performers and recent theater graduates from the University of Toronto.[26] Michael Tough, a 17-year-old actor who was cast as Kim's younger brother, Alex, recalled that he and Curtis spent an afternoon together shopping to become familiar with each other and establish a sibling-like dynamic.[27] Mary Beth Rubens, who appears as Kim's ill-fated friend, Kelly Lynch, had recently graduated from the Montreal Theatre School when she was cast in the role.[28] Joy Thompson was cast as Jude Cunningham, another of Kim's friends stalked by the killer.[29]

Canadian actor Robert A. Silverman, who was cast in the role of the mysterious school janitor Mr. Sykes, was still recovering from injuries sustained when he was struck by an automobile three years prior to making the film.[30] Lynch felt that Silverman's "off-kilter" performance, owing to his physical ailments at the time, contributed to the character's mysteriousness.[31]

Filming

[edit]
The Don Mills Collegiate Institute served as the school location, as seen in 2006

Prom Night was filmed over twenty-four days in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with principal photography beginning August 13, 1979,[1] and completing September 13.[32] The majority of the crew were recent graduates from film schools in Canada.[33] Don Mills Collegiate Institute served as the main school location,[34][35] and numerous students from the institute were hired to appear as extras.[36]

The Langstaff Jail Farm in Richmond Hill was used for the abandoned convent featured prominently in the beginning of the film.[37] Art director Reuben Freed had wanted to take advantage of Toronto's Victorian architecture, and felt that the Langstaff building had an appropriate Gothic appearance.[38] Commenting on the production design, Freed said:

Making the environments, creating the sense of terror, creating from the fabric of what was around me... This was Toronto, this Victorian city, [and] there were a lot of interesting buildings to work with, and I quickly saw what was available.[39]

Because of the way the film is structured, the majority of the film's cast spent little time together collectively, as each appear in their own individual subplots leading up to (and during) the prom.[40] The initial shoot took place in the school, as the crew had to complete before school was back in session in late August, while the remainder of the shoot was spent filming the sequences at the various characters' homes.[41] The filming of the dance numbers, which were choreographed by Lynch's sister, were completed without the use of a Steadicam.[42] Lynch stated that he was "amazed they turned out as well as they did", as the crew had little experience with filming such sequences.[43]

Special effects

[edit]

In terms of on-screen violence, Lynch had intentionally devised the film to have a minimal amount of gore, as he did not want it to be overtly gratuitous; however, the distributor, Avco Embassy Pictures, mandated that they include some graphic violence, resulting in the on-screen beheading of Lou Farmer in the finale.[44] In order to make the sequence appear realistic, the special effects team decided to build a prop floor through which the actor, David Mucci, could place his head, creating the illusion of his severed head lying on the floor.[10] For the filming of this sequence itself, a dummy head was crafted via prosthetics, and moulded around a prop skull.[45]

Music

[edit]
Main article: Prom Night: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture

The Prom Night score and soundtrack was composed by Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer, with additional writing by Bill Crutchfield and James Powell.[46] Director Lynch sought Zittrer after hearing his compositions in Black Christmas (1974).[47] The soundtrack of Prom Night includes several disco songs which are featured prominently in the film's prom scenes. Originally, the film was shot with the actors dancing to then-popular tracks by Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer[citation needed], France Joli, Patrick Hernandez, and Cheryl Lynn, but, according to Zaza, the publishing rights to the songs were far outside the film's budget.[48] Under orders from producer Peter Simpson, Zaza wrote a series of original disco songs over a five-day period which closely copied the original tracks that were intended to be used in the film.[49] This resulted in a copyright lawsuit for $10 million, which was eventually settled for $50,000.[50]

An official release of the Prom Night soundtrack was issued in Japan in 1980, featuring both the musical score as well as the original disco songs featured in the film. Other "source" music was provided by Canadian band Highstreet.

Release

[edit]

Distribution and marketing

[edit]
Newspaper advertisement in The Berkeley Gazette (August 29, 1980)

After production wrapped, Paramount Pictures expressed interest in distributing the film.[51] However, the producers declined as Paramount offered the give the film a limited release.[51] Avco Embassy Pictures ultimately purchased the film at the Cannes Film Market in May 1980, and created 250 prints for theatrical distribution.[31] Meanwhile, Paramount released another independent slasher film, Friday the 13th, which premiered two months before Prom Night as an "exact replica of [the trailer] for Carrie (1976)").[51]

Prom Night was released in select cities in the United States on July 18, 1980.[1] The following week, on July 25, 1980, it was reported that Avco Embassy Pictures was planning a promotional tour for the film, which would have Curtis appearing at premieres in various U.S. cities, such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Cincinnati, Denver, and Los Angeles.[1] Additionally, 10,000 promotional "scream pillows" were to be distributed at screenings to help quiet the outbursts of theater patrons.[1] Its U.S. theatrical run expanded on August 15, 1980, to New York City and Los Angeles, and included select midnight screenings.[52]

In Canada, the film was distributed by Astral Films,[53] who released it regionally in Regina, Saskatchewan beginning August 8, 1980.[54] It premiered in Calgary the following week, on August 15, 1980,[55] and in Toronto on September 12, 1980.[56]

The film's advertising campaign was criticized by critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert in a September 18, 1980 episode of Sneak Previews, cited among a glut of other violent slasher films released the same year that thematized "Women in Danger."[57] Siskel and Ebert used the episode to criticize the advertising campaigns for several films, including Don't Answer the Phone!, Hell Night and Prom Night: "[These] ads have been saturating television for the past two years," said Ebert, "and the summer and fall of 1980 are the worst yet."[58]

Television broadcast

[edit]

In late 1980, Canada's CTV Network paid a record $200,000 for three television airings of Prom Night.[1] The film was also acquired for television broadcast in the United States on NBC, who purchased two prime time showings of the film for $3.25 million.[1] In order to slightly lengthen the film after nudity was excised for television airings, an alternate cut of Prom Night was crafted by editor Michael MacLaverty.[59] The television version of the film features some additional scenes that were excised from the original theatrical cut, as well as extended sequences that had been truncated.[59] Among these were a scene in which Mr. and Mrs. Hammond meet with Dr. Fairchild (David Gardner), a psychologist evaluating Mrs. Hammond; three brief scenes featuring Adele (Liz Stalker-Mason), a temporary school secretary who is encountered by Mr. Hammond and Kim, respectively; a sequence in which Jude, Vicki (Pita Oliver) and Kim pass notes during biology class; and Kim returning home and speaking briefly with her mother.[59]

Seven months after its theatrical premiere, the television cut of Prom Night premiered on NBC, on February 22, 1981.[1][60]

Home media

[edit]

Prom Night has had an inconsistent release history on home video. It was originally released on in 1981 on LaserDisc,[61] VHS, and Betamax[62] by MCA Universal in North America, at the beginnings of home video popularity, licensed directly from then-production company Simcom, which had licensed theatrical distribution to Avco Embassy.[63] In 1988, it was re-released on VHS by Virgin Vision in tandem with the in-name-only sequel Hello Mary Lou; Prom Night II, which Virgin handled through a separate deal with that film's then-distributor The Samuel Goldwyn Company.

In 1997, the film was re-released on VHS again, by Anchor Bay Entertainment, in both standard and collector's editions.[64][65] The same year, Elite Entertainment issued a LaserDisc edition.[66] It was released on DVD by Anchor Bay on February 18, 1998, with a re-mastered widescreen transfer, and was one of the company's first DVD releases. By 2000, Anchor Bay's DVD release had gone out of print and become a rarity, and fans started online petitions for a re-release.[67]

On September 9, 2014, the film was released on Blu-ray and DVD by Synapse Films, featuring a restored print from the original film negatives, as well as featuring a documentary as well as outtakes, original promotional material, and deleted scenes from the network television cut as bonus material.[68] In January 2026, Synapse Films announced a forthcoming 4K UHD Blu-ray release featuring a new Dolby Vision remaster with Dolby Atmos audio.[69]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

Given a limited release in the United States on July 18, 1980,[70] Prom Night had financial success as a sleeper hit. During its opening week in select cities (including Chicago, Milwaukee, Louisville, and several cities in Texas), it grossed $1,189,636 at the U.S. box office, and was subsequently slated for a staggered platform release.[1]

During its opening week runs in New York City and Los Angeles, the film earned a combined $1.3 million, and marked Avco Embassy's highest-grossing Los Angeles opening to date, as well as breaking weekend records in Philadelphia and New England.[1] The film continued to prove financially successful through Labor Day, earning $2.1 million over the holiday weekend.[1] By October 1980, the film had grossed a sum of $12 million.[1]

By the end of its theatrical run, Prom Night grossed a total of $14.8 million at the U.S. box office with approximately 5,500,460 admissions.[5] It earned an additional $6 million in rentals during its home video release.[71]

Critical response

[edit]

Contemporary

[edit]
Critics Gene Siskel (left) and Roger Ebert (right) both gave the film unfavorable reviews[72][73] and criticized its marketing campaign for thematizing violence against women[57]

Numerous critics compared Prom Night to Jamie Lee Curtis's previous film, Halloween (1978), as well as Brian De Palma's Carrie (1976), a horror film also revolving around a high school prom.[iii] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune described it as a "watered-down cross" of both films, though he noted it was "not as violent as one might expect, based on those frightening ads of a masked man holding a phallic knife... You would think that Prom Night was another one of those hideous attacks-on-promiscuous-women pictures. It's not. Gender makes no difference in this routine revenge film."[72] Jamie Lamb of the Vancouver Sun similarly compared it to both Halloween and Carrie, adding that it "isn't entertaining, nor is it particularly violent. It seems a hodge-podge of characters and tricks from other movies intended for a young audience which is now heading back to school."[74] Jack Mathews of the Detroit Free Press also compared it to the two aforementioned films before noting it as being "not as effective as either,"[75] while Variety stated that it "[borrows] shamelessly from Carrie and any number of gruesome exploitationers," but conceded that it "manages to score a few horrific points amid a number of sagging moments."[76]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times gave the film a middling review, writing that it "is a comparatively genteel hybrid, part shock melodrama, like Halloween, and part mystery, though it's less a whodunit than a who's-doing-it."[77] Canby praised the film's restrained violence, writing that director Lynch "chooses to underplay the bloody spectacle. This isn't to say that there aren't some sticky moments, including one not especially convincing beheading, but that more often than not the camera cuts away, or the screen goes discreetly gray, before the audience is drenched in gore. This may or may not be the reason that the audience with which I saw the film yesterday booed at the end."[77] Roger Ebert, who viewed the film on a double bill with I Spit On Your Grave, recounted: "Prom Night is merely an execrable movie... If you have an appetite for violence and the macabre, at least try to satisfy it in a movie done with artistry and craftsmanship—Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill, for example. Prom Night should be cut up to make bookmarks."[73]

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times praised the film as "an efficient rather than stylish Canadian-made horror picture that mercifully lets you complete its grislier moments in your imagination. Even so, its various jolts should be sufficient to satisfy scare-show fans."[79] Donna Chernin, writing for The Plain Dealer, also awarded the film a favorable review, noting that while the film "hinges on a few preposterous plot points, it does feature a surprise ending that caught me off guard. The movie is often genuinely scary."[80] The Atlanta Constitution also reviewed the film positively, calling it a "surprisingly good scare film. At least the murderer actually has a motive, for a change. If nothing else, it proves there's still a line between a respectable horror film and gross exploitation."[81] The News-Press wrote: "If Carrie and Friday the 13th weren't enough for you, this will satisfy your appetite for youth, gore and chills."[78]

Les Wedman, writing for The Province, was critical of the film's lack of distinguishing Canadian characteristics, despite it being filmed in Canada with a largely Canadian cast and crew.[82] He did, however, concede that director Lynch "sets up some scary-enough sequences, complete with great buckets of blood."[82] The Montreal Gazette's Bruce Bailey praised Curtis's performance but criticized the film's lengthy exposition, noting that "it takes rather long to get down to the business of delivering a few shocks."[83]

Modern assessment

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 48% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Horror aficionados might have a ball with Prom Night, but a lack of mystery and inability to capitalize on the dance hall setting makes for a generic night of mayhem."[84] AllMovie's review of the film was generally negative, but wrote that it "utilizes a surprising amount of skill both behind and in front of the camera as it goes through its paces".[85]

In a 1998 Video Watchdog review of the film for its first DVD release, Tim Lucas gave the film an unfavorable review, writing: "It is hard to imagine anyone taking much of a shine to this Canadian slasher opus, aside from those who saw the film during its original run and have inexplicably fond memories of it," deeming it a "dull, by-the-numbers hybrid of Halloween and Carrie."[86] In a review published by Time Out, the film was called "a sincere Halloween rip-off which takes time out to milk Carrie, Saturday Night Fever, and all those B-feature 'lust and rivalry' high school sagas", but praised Jamie Lee Curtis's performance, writing: "Curtis is superb as Miss Naturally Popular and Prom Queen-to-be, isolated in empty high school corridors."[87] TV Guide gave the film one out of four stars, writing: "Curtis disco-dancing and wonderful moments such as when the severed head of a victim rolls across the dance floor. Prom Night is better than most slasher movies, mainly because it's funnier."[88]

Scholar Richard Nowell considers Prom Night one of the most influential slasher films of the 1980s.[9] Filmmaker Joe Dante said that after Prom Night was a big hit, it made the slasher film a viable genre.[89] John Kenneth Muir, in his book Horror Films of the 1980s (2010), describes the film as a "better-than-average slasher" and praises Curtis's performance.[90] He also classifies its twist ending as "a shocker second only to [that of] Sleepaway Camp," adding that its final moments generate both "pathos and remorse."[91]

Accolades

[edit]
Award/association Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Genie Awards 1981 Best Achievement in Film Editing Brian Ravok Nominated [92]
Best Performance by a Foreign Actress Jamie Lee Curtis Nominated [93]

Sequels

[edit]
Main article: Prom Night (film series)

Prom Night was followed by three sequels-in-name-only, each of which has little in common with the 1980 film, aside from all being set at a location named Hamilton High School. In 2008, a remake was released, which also bears little resemblance to the 1980 film.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Contemporary box office data websites Box Office Mojo and The Numbers indicate a box office gross of $14,796,236.[5][6] However, in the 1987 book American Film Distribution: The Changing Marketplace, Suzanne Donahue notes the box office totals as being $6 million.[7]
  2. ^ Some sources classify Prom Night as an exclusively Canadian production, though the American Film Institute notes it as a co-production between Canada and the United States.[1] Alternately, the Library and Archives Canada note its production country solely as the United States.[3]
  3. ^ Attributed to multiple critical reviews.[72][74][75][76][77][78]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Prom Night (1980)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "Prom Night". Canadian Feature Film Database. Library and Archives Canada. May 12, 2015. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Prom Night". Library and Archives Canada. Parliament of Canada. Archived from the original on January 30, 2026.
  4. ^ Mooré, Larry (November 1979). "In Progress: Prom Night" (PDF). Cinema Canada (59): 3–4. ISSN 0009-7071. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 18, 2025 – via Athabasca University.
  5. ^ a b "Prom Night (1980)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022.
  6. ^ "Prom Night (1980)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024.
  7. ^ Donahue 1987, p. 292.
  8. ^ Wise 2001, p. 174.
  9. ^ a b Nowell 2010, p. 10.
  10. ^ a b c Rockoff 2011, p. 85.
  11. ^ Tadros 1983, p. 22.
  12. ^ Felsher 2014, 3:40.
  13. ^ Felsher 2014, 4:25.
  14. ^ Felsher 2014, 4:40.
  15. ^ Felsher 2014, 5:08.
  16. ^ a b Tadros 1983, p. 83.
  17. ^ Schnurmacher, Thomas (September 21, 1979). "Written a novel? $50,000 could be yours". Montreal Gazette. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b My Time with Terror: An Interview with Jamie Lee Curtis. The Fog (Blu-ray featurette). Shout! Factory. 2013.
  19. ^ Adilman, Sid (July 20, 1980). "Lucrative productions". Nanaimo Daily News. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Simpson, Peter (August 2004). "Curtains Unveiled: An Interview with Peter Simpson". The Terror Trap (Interview). Interviewed by Knowles, Jason; Hunter, Dan. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019.
  21. ^ Felsher 2014, 6:24.
  22. ^ Felsher 2014, 6:50.
  23. ^ a b Felsher 2014, 7:15.
  24. ^ Felsher 2014, 15:00.
  25. ^ Felsher 2014, 19:50.
  26. ^ Felsher 2014, 7:30–7:45.
  27. ^ Felsher 2014, 13:56.
  28. ^ Felsher 2014, 7:40.
  29. ^ Felsher 2014, 8:08.
  30. ^ Rockoff 2011, pp. 85–86.
  31. ^ a b Rockoff 2011, p. 86.
  32. ^ Felsher 2014, 9:02–9:14.
  33. ^ Felsher 2014, 9:44.
  34. ^ Blackadar, Bruce (August 23, 1979). "It's just Jamie screaming". Toronto Star. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Irish, Paul (August 29, 1979). "Hollywood comes to Don Mills". North York Mirror. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Fillion, John (August 23, 1979). "'Murder' pays in Don Mills". Toronto Star. p. A18 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ Felsher 2014.
  38. ^ Felsher 2014, 10:33.
  39. ^ Felsher 2014, 10:35–10:44.
  40. ^ Felsher 2014, 8:10–8:25.
  41. ^ Felsher 2014, 11:40–11:52.
  42. ^ Felsher 2014, 12:40.
  43. ^ Felsher 2014, 12:40–13:04.
  44. ^ Felsher 2014, 25:24–25:35.
  45. ^ Felsher 2014, 26:00.
  46. ^ Osborne 2010, p. 471.
  47. ^ Felsher 2014, 30:30.
  48. ^ Felsher 2014, 31:10–31:44.
  49. ^ Felsher 2014, 32:07.
  50. ^ Felsher 2014, 32:45.
  51. ^ a b c Nowell 2010, p. 173.
  52. ^ Leogrande, Ernest (August 20, 1980). "A night in a B'way movie: the film is incidental". New York Daily News. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ^ "Prom Night". Library and Archives Canada. Parliament of Canada. May 12, 2015. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023.
  54. ^ "Starts Today! – Prom Night". Regina Leader-Post. August 8, 1980. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  55. ^ "Prom Night – Starts Tomorrow!". Calgary Herald. August 14, 1980. p. B13 – via Newspapers.com.
  56. ^ "Prom Night – Starting Tomorrow!". Toronto Star. September 11, 1980. p. E5 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ^ a b Siskel, Gene (September 21, 1980). "Brutal attacks on women: Films take a turn for the worse". Chicago Tribune. Arts & Books. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  58. ^ Martin 2016, pp. 17–18.
  59. ^ a b c Additional Footage Added for Television Broadcast. Prom Night (Blu-ray featurette). Synapse Films. 2014.
  60. ^ Prime, John Andrew (February 22, 1981). "Networks present week of movies". The Times. p. 1-G – via Newspapers.com.
  61. ^ "Available Video Disc Software". Anchorage Times. December 26, 1981. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  62. ^ "Super City Grand Opening of Our Video Room". The Flint Journal. May 14, 1981. p. D-3 – via Newspapers.com.
  63. ^ Prom Night (VHS). MCA Universal. 1981. VHS66021.
  64. ^ Amazon Catalogue: Prom Night [VHS]. ISBN 1564427803.
  65. ^ "Monster Music and Movie Sale". The Boston Globe. October 17, 1997. p. C17 – via Newspapers.com.
  66. ^ Prom Night (LaserDisc). Elite Entertainment. October 1, 1997. EE7766.
  67. ^ Garbarini, Tom (March 24, 2013). "Fans Petition for DVD Release of "Curtains" and "Prom Night"". Cinema Retro. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024.
  68. ^ "Prom Night Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. July 3, 2014. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019.
  69. ^ Miska, Brad (January 27, 2026). "Synapse Films and Red Shirt Pictures Reveal Massive 4K UHD Slate!". Dread Central. Archived from the original on January 29, 2026.
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  71. ^ Nowell 2010, p. 182.
  72. ^ a b c Siskel, Gene (July 21, 1980). "Prom Night". Chicago Tribune. Tempo. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  73. ^ a b Ebert 2000, pp. 286–287.
  74. ^ a b Lamb, Jamie (September 3, 1980). "Prom Night a bore despite terror tactics". Vancouver Sun. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  75. ^ a b Mathews, Jack (August 22, 1980). "You won't want a date for 'Prom Night'". Detroit Free Press. p. 6B – via Newspapers.com.
  76. ^ a b Variety Staff (December 31, 1979). "Prom Night". Variety. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023.
  77. ^ a b c Canby, Vincent (August 16, 1980). "'Prom Night,' Chiller from Canada, Masks Gore". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019.
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  79. ^ Thomas, Kevin (August 18, 1980). "The Gory Horror of 'Prom Night'". Los Angeles Times. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  80. ^ Chernin, Donna (July 24, 1980). "'Prom Night': Dance macabre". The Plain Dealer. p. 8-D – via Newspapers.com.
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  83. ^ Bailey, Bruce (November 24, 1980). "'Prom' short on needed shocks". Montreal Gazette. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.
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  89. ^ Dante, Joe (2020). In Search of Darkness: Part II (film). Event occurs at 15 minutes 41 seconds. Once a picture like Prom Night came out and made a lot of money, the genre of the slasher film [...] became a viable genre unto itself.
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Sources

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