THE PROWLER
Better than average for this kind of thing
...but that really ain't saying much for the really by-the-book slasher genre, is it?
In 1945, a jilted GI returns from the war and knocks off his ex- and her new squeeze at their graduation dance. 35 years later, the first graduation dance since then is held, the sheriff goes out of town for some reason, and...guess what.
I'd heard somewhere that this was pretty good. I can't remember for the life of me where. Tom Savini did makeup here, although he doesn't have much to show. It's a little more atmospheric than most, and there's something appealing about a slasher who dresses up in full GI gear, and his weapon of choice is...what's that you say? A bayonet? No, I'm afraid not. A...an army-issue combat knife? Well, it does come into play, but...no. This guy's choice weapon is, for some reason, a pitchfork.
But overall, it's really routine, and nothing to go out of your way for. Directed by Joseph "Friday the 13th Part 4" Zito.
Oh yeah - it does have one really standout moment when one unlucky bastard (who, unsusprisingly, was about to get lucky had GI Joe not intervened) has a hand clamped over his mouth and a really long knife blade pushed through the top of his head and out the bottom of his jaw. Normally,this wouldn't faze me, but here, the victim twitched and jerked and struggled in a very deliberate fashion, very determined to escape - when usually (at least in this kind of movie, don't ask me about real life here) they just twitch spasmodically and die. This guy put up a fight even though there was a knife right through his fucking head! VERY disturbing, for some reason. I loved it.