"The Prowler" is a shameless entry in the first wave of "Friday the 13th" imitators (even billed as such in its promotional materials), and also one of the most lazy. In a newsreel prologue, we are informed of troops returning from World War II, followed by a girl named Rosemary writing a "nice knowing you, I'm moving on" letter to her soldier boyfriend. After the uniformed man in question kills Rosemary and her lover, he goes back into action years later, on the eve of a collegiate dance. Since the prologue details the simple-minded plot, the rest of the running time is devoted to the requisite mild sexual encounters and graphic murders. Director Joseph Zito (as in "Friday the 13thThe Final Chapter") has no grasp of suspense whatsoeverwe see brief flashes of the killer (who, by the way, looks really silly dragging a pitchfork around), but never given any context as to where he is in relation to the other characters on-screen. Not that suspense would have redeemed this slow-moving death marchthe murders can be predicted miles in advance, but Tom Savini's meticulously detailed makeup FX at least give us something unpredictable to watch.
Review of The Prowler
