Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
Prom Night
Metascore
17 out of 100

Overwhelming dislike - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 9 out of 12
view
per page
  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: Joe Leydon
    70
    A surprisingly effective teen-skewing thriller that soft-pedals graphic violence (in marked contrast to the R-rated 1980 original) while generating a fair degree of suspense.
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    Formulaic to the core, this reworking of the fondly remembered high-school slasher picture works surprisingly well on its own terms.
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Michael Rechtshaffen
    40
    Without the gore, this old school slasher rehash is one anemic bore.
  4. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    30
    This is as listless, mindless and utterly useless a piece of corporate brain-clog as one is likely to come across for quite some time.
  5. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    25
    Despite having the same title and a similar premise to a 1980 Jamie Lee Curtis flick (kids getting slaughtered on prom night), this is NOT a remake. In fact, it really doesn't have much of a plot. It's basically "The O.C." with a body count.
  6. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Clark Collis
    25
    Viewers' own evenings, meanwhile, will likely be ruined by unimaginative direction, inane dialogue, and Schaech's passing resemblance to Forrest Gump.
  7. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Chuck Wilson
    20
    McCormick and screenwriter J.S. Cardone don't have one original thought between them, but they do appear to share an obsession with characters opening hotel-room closets in which the steel hangers gleam ominously.
  8. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    20
    The movie offers less gore than the average Band-Aid commercial and fewer scares than the elimination episodes of "Dancing With the Stars."
  9. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    16
    There's really nothing much to Prom Night: No twists, no atmosphere, no big Grand Guignol setpieces, not a single moment when it tries to do something novel with the event, the killings, the villain, or the victims. It's a little like going on a tour of the slaughterhouse, where death is meted out with mechanical regularity, but visitors are kept at a safe, PG-13 distance from all the butchering.
  10. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    12
    When Jamie Lee Curtis ran from a killer in 1980's "Prom Night," she was 22 and had a unique gift for belting out fear. She was the Beverly Sills of slasher flicks. That "Prom Night" was dumb, but it wasn't insulting in the way this remake is.
  11. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Jason Anderson
    0
    A bland, timid and thoroughly un-thrilling teen thriller.
  12. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    0
    A nearly bloodless slasher film with fewer surprises than a broken jack-in-the-box.
prev next
Page:
  • 1

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.3 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 189 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 38
  3. Negative: 23 out of 38
  1. KeenanS
    3
    This is the slasher genre at its worst. Prom Night is an incompetent, boring, unscary, not gory, and downright awful horror/thriller. The only enjoyable moments was when the stupid teens get killed and the music is not so bad like everything else. The only people who will enjoy this film are girls who don't like horror films in general, but will be pleased to learn about this toned down affront to decency. Want a good teen slasher? Watch the Scream films, they're way better than this crap.… Full Review »
  2. Ven-Wede
    3
    Slasher films are so named for their propensity to having characters slashed. Well, apparently Prom Night didn't receive that particular memo, or perhaps it misunderstood its meaning, as all it does is slash your time. It pisses in the proverbial cornflakes of the genre, and makes sure to push just hard enough so that it splashes back on to the audience. Idris Elba is the only convincing actor here, but he is placed in such a boring, ass-munching good-guy role that his talents are effectively nullified. Scene after scene the film drags its weak back story and character side plots, desperately urging you to give even half a damn about the supposed 'high school students' (who all have an inexplicable fixation with looking into cupboards). Hell, the majority of the bloodless, choppily-edited kills don't even have a thing to do with the plot, and sometimes seem inconvenient and incongruent to the killer's motive! The film also reaches as far as it can into the barrel of senior year cliches, setting up future events that only the most dedicated of viewers would want to waste valuable killing time listening to. This is a tame piece of cinematic **** that would surely only appeal to those that find the very idea of horror horrifying.… Full Review »
  3. spadenx
    0
    This film was easily one of the trashiest horror films I have ever see. I hated it and I wouldnt recommend this to anyone. The acting was average (at best) and it didnt hold an ounce of suspense at all. It was just plain awful.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »