Prom Night

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1:39

Prom Night

R

1980

1h 29m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

34%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

This slasher movie follows a relentless killer who is out to avenge the death of a young girl who died after being bullied and teased by four of her classmates. Now high-school students, the guilt-ridden kids have kept their involvement a secret, but when they start being murdered, one by one, it's clear that someone knows the truth. Also coping with the past are members of the dead girl's family, most notably her prom-queen sister, Kim Hammond.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Apr 10, 2008

Director Paul Lynch seems to capture the spirit of the genre here, but spends a little too much time setting up each murder, thus eliminating some suspense.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Oct 23, 2004

0.5/4

Why do people go to these movies?

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

Aug 30, 2004

2/5

Because it's quite easy to figure out the killer's identity by simply keeping track of who is off screen a lot, much of the movie is just vamping for time.

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John Brosnan

Starburst

Jul 26, 2022

Prom Night proves once again that it's not sufficient to simply rip-off a successful movie formula — you've got to add something to it, even if it's simply coming up with ingenious new ways of disposing of your victims.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Sep 7, 2020

4/10

While it endeavors to be genuinely scary, it rarely succeeds, only becoming a cult B-movie due to boundary-pushing violence, which has since been tremendously surpassed.

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Larry Vitacco

Philadelphia Gay News

May 27, 2020

2.5/4

[Leslie Nielsen and Jamie Lee Curtis] perform well. In fact, Curtis (an alumna of Halloween and The Fog, and soon to be seen in Terror Train) is very good... it would be great to watch her perform in a riproaring comedy or a searing drama.

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MercersLaw T

@RT56563753 14 hrs ago

Extremely slow paced, never seen a killer get beat up so much yet still managed to finish the job. A revenge motivated sloppy plot with plotholes a plenty but also kills one extra character for no real reason. Even Jamie Lee Curtis can't save this movie, avoid.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 11, 2026

Prom Night is a *2* star Movie!

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 3, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Blobbo X

@Blobbo Aug 14, 2026

Seemingly unending dance scene promt Blobbo change channel. Amateur hour all around. Any positive reputation undeserved.

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Tomek D

@SzybkiSeans Jul 25, 2026

Prom Night spends most of its runtime pretending to be a bargain-bin Halloween clone. It borrows the setup, steals a few ideas from Friday the 13th, throws in a pinch of Carrie, and takes its sweet time getting anywhere. The killer is clumsy, the pacing is slow, and the first hour can test your patience. But then something unexpected happens. Instead of ending with just another masked psychopath, the film reveals a killer driven by grief rather than pure insanity. The final twist gives the murders emotional weight, turning what looked like a routine slasher into a surprisingly tragic story about guilt, trauma, and childhood cruelty. Jamie Lee Curtis is the glue holding everything together. Without her, Prom Night would probably have disappeared into the endless pile of forgotten VHS slashers. She gives even the weakest scenes enough sincerity to keep you invested. Not a slasher masterpiece—but much better than its reputation suggests.

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Michael P

@TheeMichael-jai Jun 4, 2026

As lackluster as an 80's slasher could be.

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Paul Lynch

Director

Leslie Nielsen

Mr. Hammond

Jamie Lee Curtis

Kim

Casey Stevens

Nick

Anne-Marie Martin

Wendy

Antoinette Bower

Mrs. Jammons

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Synopsis

This slasher movie follows a relentless killer who is out to avenge the death of a young girl who died after being bullied and teased by four of her classmates. Now high-school students, the guilt-ridden kids have kept their involvement a secret, but when they start being murdered, one by one, it's clear that someone knows the truth. Also coping with the past are members of the dead girl's family, most notably her prom-queen sister, Kim Hammond.

Director: Paul Lynch
Producer: Peter R. Simpson
Distributor: Astral Films
Production Co: Guardian Trust Company
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 18, 1980, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 31, 2017
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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