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therealmrpositive · 2 months

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Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)

I find that my prom date might give me a new lease of vengeance. As I attempt a #positive review of the 1987 horror film Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II #MichaelIronside #SteveAtkinson #WendyLyon #JustinLouis #RichardMonette #RobertLewis #LisaSchrage

The period before college holds a certain enchantment, characterized by discovery and seemingly trivial concerns like grades and prom dates. That’s how it seems on T.V. of course, a concept just right for corrupting, if you’re in the right frame of mind, that is. In 1987, when neon and nostalgia were becoming the hallmarks of the decade, a prom queen brought some new life to a stagnant franchise,…

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adamwatchesmovies · 2 years

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Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)

Considering the ending of 1980's Prom Night, I had no idea how a sequel would be justified. I guessed Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II would essentially be a remake of the first film with a higher body count, more varied kills (perhaps an emphasis on that shards of mirror thing that didn’t quite pan out) and more nudity. What I didn’t foresee is this: a film that has absolutely nothing to do with the first and instead plays out like a cross between Carrie, The Exorcist and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

When Billy Nordham (played unconvincingly as a teenager by Steve Atkinson) spots his prom date Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) cheating on him with Buddy Cooper (Robert Lewis) he attempts to ruin her Prom Queen coronation. Unfortunately, the prank goes wrong. Mary Lou dies in an accidental fire. Years later, her spirit returns to enact vengeance upon Billy (now played by Michael Ironside), Buddy (Richard Monette) and anyone else who stands in her way.

The Exorcist elements come when Mary Lou’s spirit possesses the body of unsuspecting high schooler Vicki Carpenter (Wendy Lyon). She acts out against her overbearing, religious and stern mother, (Judy Mahbey), which is where we get an awful lot of Carrie. It only gets more similar when we get to the actual prom. This isn’t me imagining a connection either, as the film name-drops the William Friedkin horror classic numerous times. Some of the ripoff scenes are pretty good; particularly when Vicki experiences horrifying Mary Lou-generated visions and nightmares (Nightmare on Elm Street was clearly an inspiration). Nonetheless, you feel cheated watching the film. It's a surprise to no one when you learn it was shot as its own thing and then retro-fitted to be a Prom Night sequel.

In defense of Hello Mary Lou, the first Prom Night is not very good, which makes this a sequel that's better than the first. There are several cool kills once Mary Lou completely takes the reins. The teenagers we meet are surprisingly well developed, with several being quite likable. It makes a world of a difference when you’re actually worried about the characters in a horror film like this one. I was hoping Vicki's friends would make it out alive, if only so they could make it to the big night. These kids deserve to have a good time.

Prom Night 2: Hello Mary Lou is the kind of film I’d like to see remade, or ripped off… which is ironic considering it rips off other films already. There are good moments here and there. It's too bad that as a whole, I can’t call it "a good movie". The problem isn't the association with Prom Night, mind you. It's that you take away what it cribs from other sources and you’re not left which much except nonsense. If you like this one, I won’t fight you, if you don’t, I won’t be able to make much of a case for it either. (On DVD, December 2, 2017)

#Prom Night II #Prom Night #Hello Mary Lou #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #bruce pittman #Ron Oliver #Michael Ironside #Wendy Lyon #Justin Louis #Lisa Schrage #richard monette #1987 movies #1987 films

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