There are a lot of movies that come through my dvd player, and most of them are terrible. But some have some great highlights, despite the bad premise, and execution. This is an example of a quality movie, ruined by bad plotting. Today we will talk about Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil.
From the very start of this film, sex is the name of the game. Unlike the previous films in this series, sex is utilized throughout and anyone that does the deed gets axed. The opening sequence is full of gore, and really sets up for some nice deaths in the rest of the film.
The plot of the film follows a young Priest that is admitted into a group of vigilantes of sorts, punishing any teenager or adult that disobeys God. Stigmata is used as a plot point at one point, and then the rest of the film really revolves around the killer priest, more so than tying up any loose ends that were introduced by the original film's premise.
This film feels like a straight to dvd movie, even though the film grain here is done nicely. There are some nice camera shots, good editing, and interesting visuals when it comes to gore and lighting. I appreciated the look and feel of the film, far more than the actual plot.
The movie takes it sweet time setting up the reveal that the priest is the one killing off the sutdents of a catholic high school.
The movie uses a lot of religious imagery to provide for the juxtapozition of horror and reverance, which is nice. However, the over use of religious iconography gets tired, and the constant notion that the Priest is really an antihero doesn't help matters much either. The catalyst of the killings just seems too obvious, and the name of the film really doesn't lend itself well to what's going on in the process. It's not that the film is lazy, or rather the film makers, it's just that the premise gets so insane at one point that it becomes comedy. I mean, how many crucifix kills can one film have?
Prom Night IV is a movie you have to see at least once. The idea of a killer priest does in fact catch my attention, and the sexual situations found in this film will get eyes wide open from the male audience, but it won't be one of those must see, must own types. If you absolutely must have the whole collection, you'll buy this one. Otherwise, just watch an old episode of King of the Hill or something. The whole badass priest thing just doesn't lend itself well to me. I like the idea, but I have a hard time caring for the throwaway characters, so when they die, I'm glad. They were annoying anyways.
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