Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987) User Reviews

More kinetic and imaginative than the dramatic original

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 5 November 2018]

A hedonistic prom queen is accidentally killed on stage in 1957. When her spirit is inadvertently released thirty years later, she wreaks havoc on prom night seeking to be queen again, not to mention obtaining revenge. Michael Ironside plays the principal of the school, the man responsible for the girl's death decades earlier.

Sometimes subtitled "Hello Mary Lou," "Prom Night II" (1987) is disconnected from the original 1980 film with Jamie Lee Curtis, although there are some trivial links. This one discards the disco dancing while upping the ante with the "Carrie" (1976) elements and mixing in components from the first two "A Nightmare on Elm Street" flicks (1984/1985), like the illusions and possession.

The original was more of a coming-of-age drama/whodunit with a masked assailant appearing in the last act whereas this sequel is actually a little better in that it adds creative horror pizazz, which some might say makes it "cheesy." In any case, Wendy Lyon stands out as the winsome protagonist who's shown totally nude on a few occasions in the second half which ties-in with the possession angle.

If you favor any of those other horror films noted above, "Prom Night II" is arguably on par, although I suppose "Carrie" is superior on a technical level.

The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes and was shot in Edmonton, Alberta, with other stuff (post-production) done in Toronto.

GRADE: B

A Nightmare On Hamilton High

[Vomitron_G · 7/10 · 8 August 2011]

This one is simply too much devilish fun! An unrelated, stand-alone sequel much more in the supernatural slasher vein of the at the time very popular "A Nightmare On Elm Street" movies. There's some black humor & genre references present (the film winks at "The Exorcist" and "Carrie"), but it does deliver in the creepy horror department also. Lisa Schrage is delicious as the evil Mary Lou Maloney and Michael Ironside is running around in it also as the principal of Hamilton High (always a nice bonus in any movie, this man). Wendy Lyon (as the possessed Vicky Carpenter) provides some very unexpected full frontal nudity, resulting in a scene featuring the best kill of the movie. This is a fine example of how much crazy fun an '80s slasher movie can get.

Fun 80s supernatural horror.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 20 May 2009]

Wendy Lyon plays blonde-haired high-school goody-two-shoes Vicki Carpenter (just one of several characters in this film blessed with the surname of a horror director) who gradually becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of promiscuous tart Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage), who was burnt to death during her high school prom in 1957 as a result of two men fighting for her affections.

Before getting down to the messy business of exacting revenge on those responsible for her untimely demise, Mary Lou dispatches a couple of Vicki's closest friends (after all, practise make perfect), causing her next targets—local priest Father Cooper (Richard Monette) and high-school principal Bill Nordham (Michael Ironside)—to suspect that they might be next to die. At the high school prom, Nordham attempts to stop the now fully possessed Vicki from causing further mayhem, but only succeeds in making the spirit within even more angry, ensuring everyone present has a totally unforgettable night.

A non-related sequel to Prom Night, the 1980 Jamie Lee Curtis slasher, Hello, Mary Lou is an entertaining tale of revenge from beyond the grave featuring a grab-bag of supernatural elements borrowed from genre classics such as The Exorcist, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Carrie.

The result is a derivative slice of 80s teen horror that is rather light on the gore (why, oh why, didn't they chop fashion disaster Jess's head off like they threatened to do?), but which is still lots of fun thanks to some great performances from a decent cast (including the always superb Michael Ironside) and a couple of surprisingly risqué scenes: Lyon strips off and gives us full-frontal as she hops in the shower with (big) bosom(ed) pal Monica (Beverly Hendry); nasty prom queen hopeful Kelly (Terri Hawkes) gives a blow-job to a lucky computer geek to convince him to rig the evening's voting; and the possessed Vicki not only comes on to her principal and a priest, but also her own father!!!

Throw in some Elm Street-style nightmare scenes, the most memorable of which has a rocking horse come to life, and a daft 'shock' ending, and what you have is an eminently watchable time-waster.

Hints of German Expressionism

[minipistola · 26 June 2003]

Though this movie often gets skewered on the message boards it is a delight for those who appreciate the high school horror films of the 80's. The acting is stale, the story is one we've all heard before but this film had some memorable touches. The locker room scene is one of my all-time favorite death scenes and this film used the art class paper cutter as a weapon way before Josh Hartnett wielded one in "The Faculty". The "living rocking horse" is definitely something viewers wont easily forget and that scene reminds me of horrors historical roots in cinema: that scene screams German Expressionism as much as the title sequence in "Nightmare on Elm Street". If you don't like camp, this movie will be hard to swallow, but if you're a fan of the B movies you rented as a kid just because the cover art looked creepy: bon apetit.

love the locker room

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 30 July 2015]

In 1957 Hamilton High, Mary Lou Maloney is a sexually aggressive girl who dump her stiff boyfriend Billy Nordham at prom after making out with another guy. He's hurt and sets off a stink bomb as Mary Lou is crowned prom queen. Her dress is set on fire and she dies a horrible death. In the present, Vicki Carpenter (Wendy Lyon) is a sweet girl suffering under her strict religious mother. Her boyfriend Craig Nordham is the son of principal Billy Nordham (Michael Ironside). Vicky finds Mary Lou's cursed crown. Her friend Jess releases the spirit when she tries to take the crown apart. She is hung to death by the spirit and it is declared it a suicide.

There is a bit of comedy both intentional and unintentional. The 80s style is insane and the movie has to also have 50s style. For lower level 80s horrors, this is one of my favorites. I love the locker room scene. It is shoot perfectly. Every cut has something terrific. Then it ends in such a memorable way. The movie is an amalgam of some great horrors like Carrie. Sometimes the horror B-movie seams are showing but I do love the locker room.

"Tell you a story bout a Mary Lou.."

[alanmora · 7/10 · 30 April 2009]

I could not consciously give this film anything more than a 7 rating despite the fact that I really like it because it and the subsequent sequels and the remake of "Prom Night" have absolutely NOTHING to do with the original! This would be a great film on it's own, I don't know why the producers saw it necessary to leach onto the "Prom Night" title when this is actually a totally different movie. It's not really all that scary but it is a campy little horror flick about a prom queen who dies in a fire on stage in front of the entire school just before she is about to receive her crown. She dies before our eyes but returns to haunt the high school 30 years later and posses the soul of one prom queen hopeful. Michael Ironside puts on a great performance in this as the man responsible for Mary Lou's fiery death who later becomes the high school principal and whose son is dating the girl who has been possessed by the spirit of the vengeful Mary Lou. There are a couple of attempts to blatantly rip off "The Excorcist" and some inconsistencies in the story line but all in all this is a fun little flick and you don't need to watch the original to appreciate it since it's a totally different movie.

More interesting than Prom Night 1

[Tikkin · 5/10 · 21 May 2006]

Hello Mary Lou isn't the most entertaining horror I've seen but it's fairly decent and something always seems to be happening. There's no gore at all but there's plenty of silliness. There seems to be a weird religious edge to it as well, as the girl possessed by Mary Lou asks the priest: "Will you pray for me?...Will you f**k me?" There's a hilarious line from the priest during a funeral, when he comments that the death should remind everyone of violence seen every day in life, on TV, and in films. Other funny scenes include a girl being pulped in between two lockers, Mary Lou's corpse bursting out of Vicki's body, and an exploding grave. These are not as cool as they sound, but will still bring a smile to your face.

I would give this a watch if you enjoy 80's horror films. It's not the best, but it's got enough wholesome cheesiness to pass the time.

Scary Sexy Gory Fun!

[supercygnus · 7/10 · 24 May 2023]

A prime example of 1980s b flick horror done right. You don't find movies like this anymore, at least not with the budget they have to work with here. While lower budget compared to Hollywood blockbusters it's far above the shot on digital video with shoddy computer effects we generally see today. Likable characters, well done make up effects, nudity, twists and effectively creepy moments. Michael Ironside delivers his usual strong performance and the main cast in general are stronger than what you may have come to expect from this type of flick. There are obvious "homages" to Carrie but not to the point of embarrassing ripoff levels. It's far more interesting and thrilling than the first film and it's easily the best of the franchise (including the remake of the first film). A must watch for fans of the low budget 80s horror genre.

Pure cheese

[OPMaster · 5/10 · 21 November 2003]

Your attitude going into Prom Night II will determine how much joy you take away from the film. If you're expecting a horror masterpiece, look elsewhere. If you like campy movies that are rather fun to watch unfold, you'll like this. Lisa Schrage has the time of her life playing an over the top Mary Lou and Wendy Loyd channels Schrage's rage perfectly during her time "possessed".

Not classic cinema but a fun way to kill a couple of hours with a wicked ending.

"It's not who you come with, it's who takes you home."

[ryan-10075 · 6/10 · 22 May 2018]

Has nothing to do with the Jamie Lee Curtis 1980 original. Here in 1957 a cheating Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) is named Prom Queen. She is burned to death after a prank goes horribly wrong coming from a jilted lover. Fast forward 30 years and her spirit is walking the hallways of Hamilton High. Or rather possessing Vicki Carpenter (Wendy Lyon) who is dating the son of Bill Nordham (Michael Ironside) who was hurt by Mary Lou 30 years prior on prom night. Does quite a good job on the possession angle and sort of feels almost like a Canadian-NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Just insert Mary Lou instead of Freddy. In fact at times plays out a little bit like, but works better than A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE (which was made 2 years prior). Certainly worth a look.

See it for Michael Ironside

[mentalcritic · 5/10 · 11 October 2005]

The original Prom Night and this sequel have about as much to do with each other as we tend to do with the relatives we have not seen since last MoneyMas. Where Prom Night told the story of a prom being interrupted by a criminal unjustly accused of killing a child, Prom Night II begins with a prom in the 1950s. The story quickly focuses on a prom Queen who changes boyfriends about as often as the skin cells on the top layer change. The young man she went to the prom with, played by a young actor doing an uncannily accurate impersonation of what an angry teenage Michael Ironside must have been like, decides to get even after being jilted through the use of a stink bomb. However, this stunt badly backfires, and Mary Lou burns to death in a conflagration that goes down in infamy. Fast forward thirty or so years, and the young prankster who lit the stink bomb is now principal of the school, which is attended by his teenage son. Michael Ironside slots into this role like a weary old man into a good pair of slippers. Contrast this with Leslie Nielsen in the original, who is simply too jovial for a high school principal.

In the 1980s, the dead being resurrected to punish the living through means totally accidental was a popular theme in horror. Prom Night II does not break convention, and soon, our principal's son's girlfriend is disturbed by attempts on the part of Mary Lou to come back to life. Not helping matters is her fanatical religious mother. About halfway into the film, after Mary Lou finally takes her over, our principal is haunted by visions of Mary Lou coming after her son, among other things. All Mary Lou seems to want in the end is the due glory as prom Queen that was cut short by an unfortunate pyrotechnic incident. She goes after this by killing off her competitors for the title, and even frying the computer geek when he is well... convinced to change the winner by computer. This was a fairly hip and new plot device at the time the film was made. No, really, it was. Anyway, the plot is strictly by the numbers, and can be summed up in less than a paragraph. It is strictly a B-list sequel, so I am sure you are wondering what compelling reason I can give you to see it. The answer, of course, is the same as that for Highlander II or Scanners. A Canadian actor named Michael Ironside.

As I said earlier, Michael Ironside has the authoritarian manner required of a high school principal down to an art. In fact, he raises the quality of the acting to a level that the script and production values quite honestly do not deserve. The story in this instance requires a little more from him than to look mean or surly. He is also asked at some points to look somewhat weary, even frightened. Surprisingly, even when other cast members fumble this ball, he gives it everything he has. The rest of the cast pretty much doom themselves to perpetual anonymity, save for Lisa Schrage, who portrays the vexatious Mary Lou Maloney. A quick look at her resume, however, confirms that this turkey of a sequel doomed the careers of all but its first-billed star. The final scene, which I will not detail except to say it involves Ironside behind a wheel, much like one scene in Highlander II, effortlessly achieves the fear factor that the rest of the film so desperately tries for.

So what else does Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II have to recommend it? Not much, I am afraid. The support cast's acting really could not get them work on a soap opera. The cinematography is so flat that it could be panned and scanned or open matted with the exact same results. The music, aside from some well-chosen staples of the 1950s, is memorable enough that I am trying to name one scene with an actual cue. Some interesting special effects involving an animated rocking horse, a blackboard, or lockers, are scattered throughout the film, but the big creature effect at the end of the film is almost hilarious. The final moment of mayhem is so ineffective that the moment when Ironside places the prom Queen crown on Shrage's head is, in fact, far more effective. Indeed, scattered throughout the film are moments when the film seems to work more as a comedy. The truly horrific moments occur more by accident than design.

I gave Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II, to quote the full title, a five out of ten. All five of those points are earned by the acting of Michael Ironside. If you are a fan of Ironside, see it for him. Otherwise, don't bother.

Unappreciated stylish classic

[cafm · 8/10 · 7 December 2011]

What have The Fly, Invaders from Mars, The Thing from Another World, and The Blob all have in common? They are science fiction films from the 1950s that were remade in the 1980s. The 1980s saw a new enthusiasm for everything 1950s as America - for the first time in three decades - felt more like the society and world leader they imagined themselves to be in that earlier post-war decade. Helping this optimistic reinvigoration of nationalist sentiment along were such factors as Reagan's neo-conservative government, the growth of economic rationalism, Russia's withdrawal from Afghanistan, an end to the Iran Hostage Crisis, the meteoric rise of computer technology, and unprecedented increases in wealth accumulation and consumer fetishism. University survey's conducted in the 80s revealed that American values among young adults had returned to a conservative high not seen since the 1950s. With all of these cosmetic similarities between the two decades, its no wonder that fashion, music and movies returned to the halcyon days of McCarthyism, anti-communism, nuclear paranoia and conspicuous consumption. Indeed, in the New Hollywood of the 80s there was a general shift among audiences towards juvenile escapist fantasies rather than cynical social realist dramas of the 70s. So what does all this have to do with Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (PN2)?

The renaissance of everything 1950s in America is a key concern of PN2, and typical of horror films that, in general, capture the zeitgeist fairly accurately. PN2 provides a particularly impressive visual metaphor for the regeneration of the 1950s within a 1980s context when, at the prom, Mary Lou quite literally emerges from Vicki's body. Prior to this "rebirth," Vicky - possessed by the vengeful spirit of Mary Lou - dresses in 50s clothes, uses anachronistic phrases from the 50s ("See you later, alligator"), and listens to 50s music. The film is as much an intelligent and insightful observation of 80s neo-conservatism as it is a camp, clever and visually striking horror romp.

Reviewers that have not enjoyed the film scathingly pointed out the extent to which PN2 borrows from Carrie and The Exorcist. Yet this is all part of the twisted pleasure of the film. Take it too seriously and the acerbically clever joke is on you. For through its derivative nod to Friedkin and De Palma's films, PN2 locates itself very clearly within firstly, a post-Exorcist era when every second horror film in the 70s borrowed something from The Exorcist (the most financially and critically successful horror film in history), and secondly, a post-De Palma era in which it pays homage to a director who pays homage to a director (Hitchcock), resulting in a playful mise-en-abyme.

PN2 is also a really good looking film. It features some solid stylish special effects and well executed set pieces that predate those in the later campier instalments of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. As we know, Mary Lou makes several unsuccessful attempts to possess Vicki. She comes to Vicki when she's alone and vulnerable, invading her personal space. Some of these possession attempts involve some truly creative filmmaking involving good old fashioned in-camera special effects. This of course was an age when a major part of filmmaking was still problem solving - an age when audiences were still asking, "How did they do that?" An age before digital boredom. In one sequence from PN2, the rocking-horse in Vicki's room starts to move by itself and takes on a demonic visage, with its eyes rolling, its brows creasing and its tongue lolling about. In another sequence, Vicki is alone in a classroom when chalk writing mysteriously appears in reverse on the blackboard, seemingly written from inside the board (the words "HELP ME" appear, one of the many nods to The Exorcist). When Vicki approaches the board, it suddenly becomes a liquid state and black hands reach out and pull her into the inky blackness. After struggling to stay afloat as the board becomes a whirlpool, Vicki is eventually pulled under (or inside) as the dark waters swirl around her. After she disappears, the blackboard returns to its solid state and the letters that had been swirling around are now scattered randomly across the board.

I could rabbit on endlessly about this film but i've already said too much. I hope after reading this review you might be inspired to check out this overlooked gem from the decade that produced so many overlooked gems, and with an open mind, hopefully you might see what a group of intelligent and creative young filmmakers with no cash, but solid ideas and loads of cunning are capable of producing.

"She's in a fashion coma!"

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 24 September 2023]

The film centers around the ghost of one Mary Lou Maloney, a girl who was accidentally killed during her prom queen crowning in the 50s. Her spirit is accidentally released by a girl named Vicki when she finds her supposed prom queen regalia in the school's prop room. Mary Lou possesses her, and sets out to get revenge on those responsible for her death and become the prom queen once more.

I usually prefer Hammer horror films or 80's horror with light gore and an emphasis on atmosphere and story and this 1987 sequel has plenty of atmosphere, moments that make you jump, builds progressively to the climax and the gore isn't too heavy - it's more special effect-laden like the Nightmare on Elm street series. Has some inventive effects and the characterisation is good, though it gets a little longwinded and tedious towards the end. The interesting aspect is that the would-be victim or the one vulnerable is the male - usually in horror film it's the female who is either the final girl or in the dangerous situation.

This movie blows!

[cokane-1 · 1/10 · 30 April 2005]

and not in a fun-to-watch way. it's just bad. it's shocking that people have posted positive things about it here. the story sucks, the acting is bad, it's not scary, the special effects aren't special--oh no! the blackboard has hands coming out of it! oh gee--the mirror turned into water! the hair, clothes and makeup in the '50s scenes aren't accurate, and they got a middle-aged man with a receding hairline to play the high-school version of himself. this is like later-on nightmare on elm street stuff. i enjoy sitting down to watch a cheesy horror movie as much as anyone else, but there are better bad ones out there to choose from.

Portrait of youth corruption

[Zalman666 · 29 June 2004]

The Prom Night series probably takes the cake as one of horror's more negligible series due to its lack of continuity, trite plots, and severe emphasis on Christianity. However, I think Mary Lou is probably the best installment in this series. Vicki Carpenter is the quintessential goody two shoes who's raised by strict and deeply religious parents who've done a fine job at making her feel guilty for having "sinful" thoughts about her boyfriend and using the Lord's name in vain. But with her interest in the prom queen who died thirty years earlier, it's obvious that she's torn between a her own world and one that can be considered more sinful. The spirit of Mary Lou does a helluva job at corrupting this little Miss Perfect by exposing her to violence, revenge, lust, and even homosexuality that she's pondered for years. While the film bears no major relevance to its predecessor much like the subsequent two films, it provides a reflection of what teenagers have been going through for years while they were trying break free from the parents who drove them crazy, discover more about themselves, or just try, by any means necessary, to be the most popular person in their school. After all, weren't those the elements that John Hughes filled his 80s teen movies with?

Carrie On Elm Street

[simest · 7/10 · 31 March 2021]

If there was ever a vote for THE prototypical 80s horror film, I'd be hard pressed to vote for anything other than this. The look, style, pace and vibe of Bruce Pittman's delirious non-sequel to the routine slasher PROM NIGHT are the very epitome of the period. For this reason, those touched by nostalgia will find it hard not to like but HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II has a little more in it's locker (literally as it happens!) to enjoy than just an appreciation of it's era.

Right from the opening scene, there is a wonderfully odd vibe throughout that propels the movie along nicely and although it openly borrows from CARRIE, ELM STREET and THE EXORCIST, it makes no apologies for this and goes about the task with real zest and energy. Much credit belongs to veteran Canadian composer Paul Zaza, whose queasy score here adds immeasurably to the off kilter mood that works so much in this movie's favour.

The cast have fun and are game for the ride with the ever-reliable Michael Ironside thrown into the mix. As for Lisa Schrage.........given her limited screen time (her character spends most of the movie in the guise of a possessed Wendy Lyon), I thought she was mesmerizing as Mary Lou, giving us a truly memorable and delightfully twisted character whose beauty can't be ignored and whose evil can't be escaped!

Mary Lou is a vengeful 50s Prom Queen back from the grave with a score to settle. Most of all, she wants back the crown she was cruelly denied and will stop at nothing to get it.

As the possessed Vicky, she kills and toys with victims - sometimes on a warped sexual level........at one point coming onto her Dad(!), her headmaster (in his office!) and even her best friend in a shower.........the latter in a sequence culminating in a protracted and utterly unexpected full-frontal nude scene, stalking her prey around the changing room with a payoff kill that's not easily forgotten.

Well staged and imaginative dream sequences and hallucinations abound such as the liquid blackboard and a possessed rocking horse that comes off very creepy and not nearly as silly as it could have been. With little to boast of in budget, the SPFX here are all the more ballsy and impressive.

Sharp, quirky and with a wicked sense of humour, there's not a dull moment here!

Hello Mary Lou:Prom Night II

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 7 May 2008]

Poor tenderhearted innocent, Vicki Carpenter(Wendy Lyon), the lonely teenage daughter of a repressed religiously fanatical Catholic mother(obviously modeled after Piper Laurie in CARRIE) and pu ss y whipped father, is invaded by the vengeful spirit of Mary Lou Maloney(Lisa Schrage, a real sex kitten who isn't in this film nearly long enough), who seeks retribution for the one responsible for her tragic demise. The film opens with Mary Lou Maloney ditching prom date Billy for Cooper. Wishing to embarrass her, he drops a stink bomb which ignites her dress, burning Mary Lou alive. 30 years later, Cooper(Richard Monette) is now a guilt-stricken priest with uneasy feelings about her death, with Mary Lou's memory still lingering. Now a principal at Hamilton High, Bill(Michael Ironside)is a domineering father of a son, Craig(Justin Louis)who is dating Vicki. Bill has attempted, unsuccessfully, to mold and shape his son's future, but Craig is quite the free-spirited sort who wants to take a year to measure out his career plans & goals. What Craig doesn't know is that Mary Lou has her eyes set on revenge with him an easy target considering it was his father who murdered her. But, friends of Vicki will also find their lives in jeopardy because frankly Mary Lou just enjoys killing with the demonic abilities she has available to her. Bill, sensing through the strange behavior elicited from Vicki, whose demeanor, profane mouth, and clothing attire are eerily reminiscent to a certain someone he knew from his teenage past, will accept the unbelievable(especially after finding someone other than Mary Lou in her casket)and exact a plan to hopefully save his son.

I feel many will approach this sequel-in-name-only as a slasher and find themselves wondering what they got themselves into. Clearly an 80's spoof of CARRIE among other films, HELLO MARY LOU, PROM NIGHT II is a black-hearted horror-comedy loaded with off-the-wall special effects, taking cheerful jabs at Catholicism, with a priest getting a certain symbol shoved down his throat when Mary Lou, working through Vicki as her host, complains about not even getting wings after her death. There's a hilarious scene where Vicki's mother is forbidding her "sinful" daughter to go to the prom, getting thrown right through the front door! Oh, and the way a confessional is used by Mary Lou, once as her self(..writing a number on the wall for anyone looking for a good time)and later inside Vicki's body, is yet another gag poking gleeful fun at Catholicism. Thanks to the whole demonic powers at Mary Lou's disposal, the filmmakers use her imposing supernatural abilities with creative murder sequences(..which aren't that gory, to tell the truth)such as what can happen if you attempt to hide in a locker, or if you try to illegally assist in a candidate's win of Prom Queen through the use of a computer. My two favorite sequences contain a "demonic rocking horse" and a classroom chalkboard with hands that pull Vicki into it.

A completely gratuitous sequence should bring the house down as a completely nude Wendy Lyon(..as the virginal Vicki, now completely under Mary Lou's control)searches through a locker room for Vicki's best friend, Monica(Beverley Hendry)scared out of her wits after "Mary Lou" attempts a lesbian engagement in the showers. What makes the nude scene so hair-raising is that Lyon, as Vicki early on, shows no signs of having such an amazing body. And, Lyon doesn't hold back as she's actually more convincing as Mary Lou than the meek & nerdy Vicki at the beginning of the film. The way she parades around in that locker room, walking with an awareness of just what kind of sexual creature she really is, floored me. Certainly a highlight, capped by that death sequence using lockers to crush a victim. Lyon has another memorable scene where Mary Lou confronts Bill in his office, hopping up on the desk splitting her legs in his face(..not to mention, sitting on his lap). I think this will be good fun for those who watch 80's films for the atrocious hair styles and colorful clothing displaying the personalities of high school teens at the time. I particularly like the "culture clash" scene where Mary Lou has Vicki wearing 50's era attire, walking through the high school as others look on in bewilderment. There's even an eye-opening crazy climax as Mary Lou truly "emerges" from Vicki(..reminds me of the outstanding sequence in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET II where Freddy exits Jesse's body) to open her true reign of terror on the kids trying to escape from the building.

Meh

[pomeu-63850 · 4/10 · 20 April 2023]

Not the best, not the worst, certainly not the funniest or most exciting. The pacing is slooooooow. Very often did I find myself reaching for the phone, looking for a distraction. It does have a clever script and it's well acted, but it could have double the action in half the time. And while it does take some creative flights, it borrows very heavily from A Nightmare on Elm Street. It's practically Freddy Krueger in a prom dress, with a lot of the same effects and dream sequences. There's also a touch of exorcism, incest, and of course, Carrie.

The writer threw everything in a blender and whipped it up in the slowest speed available.

Sweet Mary Lou I'm So In Love With Youuuuuuuuuuuuu...

[Coventry · 6/10 · 5 January 2007]

Well, if anything, "Hello Mary Lou" at least succeeded in getting Ricky Nelson's classic song stuck in my head since two days now! You can't help but think about the song when you notice the title, and it's also marvelously used in the film, when the normally shy & timid female lead just went through a diabolical metamorphosis and parades down the school's corridors whilst enjoying the lustful stares of all the boys. This certainly isn't a bad 80's popcorn-flick, especially because it doesn't take itself too seriously and features quite lot of comical situations & witty dialogs. There's absolutely no connection with the original "Prom Night" and, in fact, part two isn't even a genuine slasher picture! It's more like a demonic possession/haunted (school) house film that found its inspiration in classic titles like "The Exorcist", "Carrie" and even "Nightmare on Elm Street". The story opens with a scene set at the notorious Hamilton High prom night in 1957. The luscious and flamboyant beauty Mary Lou cheats on her boyfriend Billy whilst he's gone fetching drinks and he responds to this rejection by setting her on fire when she's crowned as prom queen. 30 years later, young Billy grew up to become Michael Ironside ("Scanners", "Visiting Hours") and he's now the principal of Hamilton High. I guess there never was a murder investigation, then. His son's sweet girlfriend Vicky accidentally frees Mary Lou's furious spirit and she reincarnates to take revenge. Mary Lou goes after the ones that killed her as well as the new teenagers that come too close to her. This film features all the known clichés (shower sequences, high school rivalry…) and stereotypes (uptight parents, the class comedian…), but it's campy good fun and the murder sequences are delightfully gruesome. One poor girl is crushed between two lockers and another poor bloke's face gets electrocuted by a computer! Lisa Schrage and Wendy Lyon are both wickedly sexy as the evil wench Mary Lou, but Michael Ironside is badly miscast in his role. He's a really talented actor and a super-cool guy but, actually, he's TOO cool to be a school principal and hence not very convincing. Some scenes are really bizarre, like possessed Vicky on her rocking horse or the blackboard that turns into a smutty pool, but whenever the script doesn't try to be overly ambitious, "Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II" is harmless 80'entertainment.

80's Horror Mashup

[leoocampo · 5/10 · 17 April 2024]

Before generative AI, there was Hollywood. You might say, "hey Ron Oliver, write me a screen play for a slasher that is Carrie meets the Exorcist meets Poltergeist, and include some stylistic inspiration from Nightmare on Elm Street, and the Evil Dead... oh and try to break the record for scene with the longest runtime of full frontal female nudity". If you did, you might get something like Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2.

The original Prom Night is something of an underrated 80's proto slasher. It follows a very slow burn, "who's the killer and why are they doing it" formula, probably before there actually was a formula to follow. Probably for that reason, it 's not nearly as efficient nor as effective as many later entries, but it still has a quality its own that has some charm, similar (though inferior, IMHO) to Black Christmas. But this movie here is neither a sequel nor an offshoot... it's a completely different film that has no connection of any kind to the first that I can tell. Perhaps they were trying to do something similar to Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, using more of an anthology concept that circles around a common theme, event, or day... in this case: Senior Prom. I don't actually know, so this is speculation. But, be aware, you won't benefit from having seen Prom Night,

But it's not just story and plot and characters... Hello Mary Lou also doesn't FEEL anything like the original. They are entirely different animals. The original was dramatic, kind of creepy, and at moments tense. If you went to the theater in 1980 looking for "thrills and chills", it probably delivered. 7 years later, you've got sarcastic killers spitting out punchlines before ironic kills and practical-effect-laced carnage intended to get people talking. "Oh, man! The LOCKER SCENE!" Or "did you see the part after the one girl gets shot where ____... that was wicked!". And that's exactly what this film delivers. Well... sort of.

See, parts of this movie are well done. The intro is creepy enough, focusing on building atmosphere. There's some surprisingly good camera work and visual design. Not consistently so, but where it comes up, it will make you go... hmm, I like the way they did that. Like, there's a scene where two characters are in the locker room, with one friend comforting another who's found out she's pregnant and the father of the child won't return her calls (don't worry... this has absolutely no plot significance!... more on that later). The subtle framing of this shot places the characters in the lower right hand corner with lockers on the left side dominating the perspective and a wall on the other, while the camera slowly zooms in on and centers the pair as the talk and connect. That... was more attentive than what one expects from something like this. There are also a few pretty classic 80's horror moments here. These are what I had gone into this remembering from my childhood. Yes, the "locker scene" was. Some decent jump scares and make up work as well. But, the problem is that these are like the marshmallows in a box of Lucky Charms.

First problem is pacing. The original was a slow burn, but at least it kept the audience engaged by establishing different characters and angles of the story. Here... there isn't much story. What we do have tries to evoke the original by playing the "see this character here, let's flash back to a short in the backstory scene to establish that they are the younger version of this other character" game. But that's about all of it. The rest makes very little sense. There are only two characters that were involved in the original sin of this story and our antagonist only has reason to be seeking revenge with one of them. We have his son, of course, which is a common trope in the 80's (teenager paying for sins of the father), but he is also not the primary target. Instead it's ... the innocent girl? Most of the victims don't seem to have it coming here, especially our first kill which doesn't happen until almost 30 minutes in. That's not too bad... except that the next kill doesn't come for ANOTHER 30 MINUTES. That's right, kill number 2 doesn't happen until a full hour into a sorta-slasher with only a 1:34 runtime (no counting credits). Without much story, what else is taking up all that time, you might wonder.

Not much. It's certainly not characters. Now, with horror in general and slashers in particular, we're not really expecting much in the way of character depth, let alone character-building. But the lack of well-rounded characters is more obvious when we're not distracted. Much like those flavorless pieces of cardboard are more obvious the fewer marshmallows are in your bowl of Lucky Charms. And so the audience has to sit through a bunch of meandering mediocrity in order to get to the good parts. There's some tension building around the supernatural/possession angle. This is where this film draws more inspiration from the Exorcist, Poltergeist, and other such movies of the era, not the least of which is Evil Dead. Not only does a mirror turn into a liquid portal to the other side, but the same type of visual effect is later used more extensively with a blackboard. There's a creepy rocking horse that comes to life and has eyes moving and an animatronic tongue flapping out in grotesque fashion that could easily have been lifted from any of several titles that come to mind. Etc, etc. But this breaks up the pace quite a bit, as well as the mood. It just doesn't work as being seriously scary and these parts all lack anything fun or entertaining beyond a few cool visual effects.

Now, once we do get to the last 30 minutes or so, that is when things pick up. Gone is this slow-build supernatural story and in place of that we get something that feels much closer to a standard slasher of its era. The pacing here is fast enough that it's quite a wild ride, but lacking in any real tension or suspense, just fun. It's a catharsis that would be more satisfying if it was better earned. Maybe you'll feel you earned it for stiting through the first hour waiting for something cool. If, like me, this ends up being all you really remember of this film, then you may well remember it more fondly. Indeed, the rest of the film isn't bad, so much as just lacking much to feel good about. The thoughtful camerawork doesn't make up for utterly meaninglessness. It's defined by the movie's first kill, with is a combination of "OK! Here we go!" and a let down because it's underwhelming. It looks like we might get a good one with the paper slicer, only to end up getting something much less satisfying. It's unsatisfying enough that you end up thinking "hey, we just found out something pretty important about that character... and now they're dead just like that... why do I care? Why did that character story element even appear if we weren't going to at least spend a bit more time with this character and get to know them?" All questions which will have no answers other than lazy writing.

In the end, this isn't an experience worthy of repeat in full. No matter how many marshmallows are in the bowl, nothing can make the rest taste any better. Go for the Fruity Pebbles instead.

When I doubt, steal from the best.

[ashwetherall1 · 7/10 · 13 October 2015]

This film has nothing to do with the original prom night, which was a pretty mediocre slasher flick. But I'm glad to say that there is nothing mediocre about Prom night 2 hello Mary Lou. The story starts in 1957 and the Mary Lou Maloney stops of to confession on her way to the High school prom. Needless to say that this scene establishes that Mary Louis a right evil hussy.

Things go from bad to worse at the prom where she cheats on her rich boyfriend with the school rebel and pays the price when her boyfriend accidentally sets her ablaze as she is crowned prom queen . The story jumps forward 30 years where we meet The virginal Vicky Carpenter. Vicky's boyfriend just happens to be the principles son, and you guest it. The principal is Mary Lou's old rich boyfriend from 30 years ago.

Some plot contrivances intervene and Mary Lou's Ghost returns to Possess Vicky, cause havoc and try's to become prom queen. Not even the local priest can stop her,and he just happens to be the school rebel from 30 years previous.

As you can tell this all sounds like a bad horror movie?.....

But it's not. The reason is that it steals from the best. Vicky's mum is a religious fanatic in the Carrie mode. Vicky has loads loads of strange nightmares that have been taken directly from the Wes Craven School of dream making and to this a healthy dollop of references to the Exorcist and you are on to something pretty unique. Plus it has pretty good acting headed up by the always reliable Michael Ironside as the principal and some imaginative special effects and you have the makings of a forgotten direct to video classic. But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself. They made a proper sequel to this film but it was more comedy than horror and on the whole not as good.

'I don't know what we got here - something strange'

[jasonpauljones-64690 · 3/10 · 11 April 2024]

The above statement comes from the cop at the end of the movie, and it encapsulates my exact sentiments regarding Prom Night 2, as I really have no idea what I just watched, but I sure know it was very strange indeed.

The story revolves around a girl who dies a fiery death and decides decades later it's now time to rise from her grave and seek to exact her revenge on the one she blames for her demise. This is all good and well - we can take this is as a fair course of action - after all, this is an 80s horror film and would expect nothing less. Trouble is, the people who made this movie, forgot to hire a script writer, a director and a special effects technician. It's an extremely poorly made movie and the picture quality is frighteningly terrible.

On top of this pile of scattered debris, we also find a shetload of copy-cat scenes, that absolutely border on the illegal, at least of a moral nature, as numerous movies, such as Nightmare on Elm Street, Carrie and Exorcist are direct victims of idea robbery. And I think that's what really gave me the most negative vibes about Prom Night 2, how it steals from other movies and has no pieces of originality whatsoever.

But as I say, the problems with it go far deeper than plagaristic activities. It's meant to be a horror but it's never scary. At all. The kills are lame and spaced so far apart, I forgot who the previous killed character was and also forgot it's meant to be a horror.

Make no mistake, this movie is a mistake. I managed however to find 3 stars for it, representing the amount of times I thought about, but refrained from, ending it and returning to my serial killer doco series on Tubi. Wendy Lyon's form in the showers also stopped me from falling asleep.

SEE YOU LATER ALLIGATOR

[nogodnomasters · 9/10 · 19 April 2018]

This film is not a squeal or is in any way related to the Jamie Lee Curtis classic.

The promiscuous Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) upsets her date Bill (Steve Atkinson) at the prom as it seems she has had sex with everyone in school except him. Bill couldn't get to first base. A prank backfires and Mary Lou goes reverse Carrie on us as she catches fire and no one else does.

Years later Vicky (Wendy Lyon) opens the trunk with the unburned tiara. She eventually becomes possessed by the spirit of Mary Lou without a Ouija Board. Bill (Michael Ironside) is now the principal. Supernatural elements enter the film as it becomes more similar to "Carrie" than "Prom Night."

This is a classic 1980's horror. The confessional scenes are memorable plus the unabashed full frontal nudity of Wendy Lyon as she walks through the locker room.

Guide: F-word, foreplay, nudity. This is part of many multi-packs

This is pretty average but still worth a viewing

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 18 September 2021]

Prom Night II (1987) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi and tells the tale of Mary Lou Maloney who was killed by her boyfriend on prom night. The boyfriend is now the school principle of their high school. An object in the basement is stirred causing Mary Lou's spirit to return and take over a young lady at the school. The young lady just so happens to be going to the prom with the principle's son. Can the principle save his son and prevent Mary Lou from getting her revenge? This movie is directed by Bruce Pittman (The Last Movie) and stars Lisa Schrage (The Twilight Zone), Michael Ironside (Total Recall), Wendy Lyon (The Shape of Water) and Louis Ferreira (Saw IV). The storyline for this film was fairly straight forward. The haunted school was well presented and there's some pretty funny scenarios. There's also some good shower scenes sprinkled in here and there. The acting is inconsistent and just okay. There were aspects of this film that kind of had a Nightmare on Elm Street feel to it. Overall this is pretty average but still worth a viewing. I'd score this a 5.5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Good as a Comedy! Horror? NOT!

[brianr73 · 1/10 · 9 February 2013]

This movie is awful. Made off the success of Prom Night (Yes all you young people who think the first Prom Night sucked, it was a success!) which has no bearing off the first film. This movie is more of a ripoff of other movies because in 1987, slasher films were not making money anymore, and producers needed to find ways to make millions. So, why not steal the name off a movie that everyone recognizes and likes, rip off Nightmare on Elm Street, and Carrie and call it a movie! I thought it was a campy comedy of a film not even a serious horror film.

My one question to all Original Prom Night Bashers: If the first prom night was so bad, why did they use the name for a sequel? :) My advice, if you are drunk and bored, watch this film!