The Prowler (AKA Rosemary’s Killer) is a virtually forgotten 1981 slasher film by low budget B-Movie guru Joe Zito (of Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter and Missing In Action fame) and with special effects by the legend himself, Tom Savini.
The movie begins in 1945, just as WW2 ends. After being treated to some newsreel style stock footage, we cut to a letter being read off by Rosemary, addressed to her G.I. boyfriend…scratch that…ex-boyfriend. Ya see, Rosemary just couldn’t wait around anymore for that silly lil’ war overseas to end, so she decided to dump his ass with a “Dear John” letter and proceed to tell him that’s she found somebody else. That’s perfectly understandable, right?
Jump to the night of the college graduation dance. The band’s swinging, the crowd’s having a good time, and everyone’s there…including Rosemary and her brand new beau. They sneak away from the dance for some “alone” time, choosing an isolated gazebo for some late night necking. Unbeknownst to the horny couple however, Rose’s jilted and unstable ex is watching from the shadows, decked out in full army gear complete with a camo hood obscuring his face. What happens next is one of the film’s most memorable kills as the masked maniac lunges from the dark and violently shiskabob’s the two with a pitchfork. Youch! Skip ahead thirty five years and the Prowler is back, and out for blood once more.
And honestly… that’s pretty much all there is to the story. What more do you need? The Prowler is a decent enough movie, if not very original. It’s a Friday the 13th clone, but that’s not a bad thing. Its strength lies in the menacing killer and the special effects employed within. Tom Savini’s gone on record to say that this movie contains some of his best work, and I wholeheartedly agree. The gore is realistic and brutal, and very mean spirited. The Prowler is dark…very dark, and the kills reflect the mood. From a bayonet to the skull, to a very slow throat slashing to a midnight swimmer, the kills are some of the best I’ve seen come from the genre.
I highly recommend The Prowler, at least to see it once. I don’t regret adding it to my collection at all. It may not be all that special or as memorable as other slasher movies released during that year, but it’s a fun ride full of gory kills and one bad ass killer, with moments of greatness that momentarily raise it up above its usual averageness. Sitting through the lull’s and general weirdness of the story is all worth it for the end results.
