Retroist Prom Night Podcast – The Retroist

Prom Night, starry Jamie Curtis, is a movie that is often overshadowed by her more memorable turn in Halloween. While it might not be a classic, like Halloween, it is a film well-worth your time. A fun, low-budget slasher film, it is also has a nice whodunit, and a time-capsule of the late 1970s with its disco dancing and music.

I begin the episode by discussing my own prom. It wasn’t memorable like all the proms I saw in the movies, but my friends and I did eventually manage to have some fun. Could our prom have used more disco? Probably, but all proms could use more disco. After discussing the prom, I move onto the film itself. Talking about how it got made, who made it, the actors, music, reception and much more.

Prom Night is interesting as a bridge between the Halloween era and the more graphic slashers that followed. Its kills are relatively low-key compared to what came after, but its focus on teenage drama, secrets, and revenge foreshadowed many later films. Why should you watch it? Curtis’s performance, its place in slasher history, and its splendid mix of disco, high school nonsense, and a masked killer that makes it feel very much of its time.

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• This is the 352nd episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 2 of Season 18.

• This is a new episode for a new season. It was not how I planned to start it, but it is happening. Might have a few missteps, but episodes will flow like spice again.

• Jamie Lee Curtis is the best actor in the lot of “teenagers.” But the adults are all pretty decent. That isn’t always the case with these types of films.

• Dancing is great! Feels so “featured,” like they knew the choreography before they knew the plot of the rest of the film.

• If you know any disco music, try and listen to the sound-a-likes and see if you can tell which songs they are replacing. Some are very obvious.

• I will keep looking for those pillows. Someone must have one or a photo of one. Still think they must be generic.

• The scenes with the kids being all murderous are a bit scarier than the scenes with the actual murderer.

• Soundtrack and songs are all over YouTube, if you are interested.

• Not sure where this sits in my 80s horror list. I enjoy it when I watch it, but I would like it more if they focused a bit more on the background of the characters and how they feel and less on the weird love triangle.

• Bonus clippings can be found over on Patreon for Supporters.

• Some fun retro audio in this one. I want to include double what I did, but it was getting too long.

• Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.

Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.