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Prom Night (1980)

(1980, Rated R, Horror, Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Nielsen, Jeff Wincott)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 16.

  • Is it any good?

    1.0

  • Common Sense says

    Schoolhouse horror -- go to the back of the class.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Hardly anyone worth imitating here among the thin-sketched dramatics, though Jamie Lee Curtis is, as usual, the most likeable of the kids. Like many movies in this genre, people who undertake sex/drugs are the first to die, as though it were summary-execution punishment. The only time any of these students mentions "studying" is when he shows that his hollowed-out history book holds his drug stash.

  • Violence:

    Killer slashes and knifes victims with a shard of glass or chops with an axe. One decapitation. Car crashes, a man set on fire, and a little girl killed/mutilated in a fall from a window.

  • Sex:

    Topless co-ed trying to have sex. Butt shots, dressed and undressed, by skimpily attired girls. Females in gym locker room in towels and bras.

  • Language:

    Widely scattered f-word, "hell," "bastard."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Teen smoking (cigarettes and pot) and drinking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Prom Night (1980)

Parents need to know that this isn't the PROM NIGHT from 2008, but rather the 1980 original. There is nudity and teen sex among the characters. While violence isn't torture-porn level, there are still bloody killings and death. Characters are mean-spirited, smoking and drinking teens who fight. There exist a series of barely related sequels (Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night Two), conspicuously done without the actors here, that go much farther into gore, sex, and campy tastelessness.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about why it's bad to play in abandoned buildings, for openers. Young people like to watch movies in which young people get slaughtered. Why? What makes a "good" slasher-horror movie? You could talk about the crusade against these films led by critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert (who both gave Halloween big thumbs-up, by the way) saying that they were dehumanizing and hatefully anti-female. Do you think that's true? gave him a complete makeover as a comic.
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Napkap
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 2.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Pretty Entertaining

    A pretty nice slasher flick. A lot of good scares throughout. It can be a little slow, but if your a slasher fan I recommend it.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    Jon Lovitz
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0

    Great Classic!

    Great for teens! Just don't see it shortly before their prom!

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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