The Prowler (1981)

Directed by Joseph Zito. Starring Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goodman, Cindy Weintraub, David Sederholm, Lisa Dunsheath, Farley Granger, Lawrence Tierney. [R]

Psycho dons an army uniform and does in a couple of randy kids at a graduation dance during the waning days of WWII; about thirty-five years later, he’s at it again. Utterly unremarkable early-80s slasher, save for Tom Savini’s graphically gruesome makeup effects, so if you love gory murders, it may be worthwhile with liberal use of the fast forward button. Its buried message about the poor treatment received by war veterans might have landed better if the mad killer and his motivations made any sense whatsoever (and I’m not just talking about the fact that “soldier boy” arms himself with…a pitchfork?). Granger was probably hired so he could tell cast and crew members stories about Alfred Hitchcock, but what the heck is a wheelchair-bound Lawrence Tierney doing here in a nothing “red herring” role? Released in some markets under the alternate title of Rosemary’s Killer.

31/100