"Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil" is a serious (as in: no comedy touches) slasher that falls short in thrills & tension. Too bad, because it had a lot of potential. It's well-made, but severely dull in places. This time we have yet another stand-alone, unrelated sequel about a killer-priest (who is "evil beyond imagination") stalking & killing two couples in an isolated mansion. There are some supernatural undertones in the plot, but they are never explored. The budget on this production even seemed reasonably comfortable, as the cinematography isn't bad at all, often showing us some decent camera-movements on rails & even crane-shots. The acting is passable and the film opens really interesting. But then things fizzle quickly and the whole movie becomes uneventful. If they had simply amped up the body count & bloodshed, this sure could have turned into one of the unsung slasher gems from the early '90s. Now it just remains a curiosity for those interested in the "Prom Night" series. It's a strange franchise, to say the least, with this 4th installment presenting us yet again a different storyline. Interesting, but a failed effort altogether.
39 Reviews
Worst of the Series
ryan-100756 September 2019
The fourth and final entry in the original PROM NIGHT series. Sadly, it didn't take me long to realize that this is the weakest of the group.
Right during the credit sequence we are introduced to a serial killer priest (a hammy portrayal by James Carver). We are thrown back to 1957 once again for the prom at Hamilton High. The very prom where Mary Lou Maloney burned to death. Yet, there is no mention of her, but we do see this Father Jonas killing a couple. He is caught and fast forward to 1991 he is locked up in the church. To keep the evil at bay I guess. To me a very strange direction for the film to go and really did not need to go that way. Father Jonas escapes so he can carve up a few more horny teenagers.
We follow four teenagers including the main character Meagan played by Nikki de Boer who does put in a good performance. Instead of going to the prom they go to her boyfriend Mark's (J.H. Wyman) summer home. One thing that I didn't like was Mark has a brother named Jonathan (Fab Fillipo). He is super-pervy and that is all we are introduced about his character. To me very low and very shallow writing. What was an interesting premise sadly becomes quickly muddled. For those though who did not like parts 2 & 3 and the direction the series went, perhaps this is more up your alley as this returns to the slasher genre.
Right during the credit sequence we are introduced to a serial killer priest (a hammy portrayal by James Carver). We are thrown back to 1957 once again for the prom at Hamilton High. The very prom where Mary Lou Maloney burned to death. Yet, there is no mention of her, but we do see this Father Jonas killing a couple. He is caught and fast forward to 1991 he is locked up in the church. To keep the evil at bay I guess. To me a very strange direction for the film to go and really did not need to go that way. Father Jonas escapes so he can carve up a few more horny teenagers.
We follow four teenagers including the main character Meagan played by Nikki de Boer who does put in a good performance. Instead of going to the prom they go to her boyfriend Mark's (J.H. Wyman) summer home. One thing that I didn't like was Mark has a brother named Jonathan (Fab Fillipo). He is super-pervy and that is all we are introduced about his character. To me very low and very shallow writing. What was an interesting premise sadly becomes quickly muddled. For those though who did not like parts 2 & 3 and the direction the series went, perhaps this is more up your alley as this returns to the slasher genre.
Barley rises to average
The_King_of_Cool13 July 2019
PROM NIGHT IV: DELIVER US FROM EVIL
*** Out of 5
Tagline- They Ditched Their Prom for a Private Party. Now It's Their Last Dance.
Release Date- May 13th, 1992
Running Time- 89-Minutes
Rating- R
Screenplay- Richard Beattie
Director- Clay Borris
Starring- Nikki de Boer, Alden Kane, Joy Tanner, Alle Ghadban
Released in 1992 Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil is the 4th and final film in the franchise (excluding the remake). The Prom Night series is sort of an anthology as only 2-3 connect and even those 2 films don't directly tie into each other except the Mary Lou character, any other connection is quite minor and basically you wouldn't need to see the 2nd part to understand the 3rd. While the original Prom Night was a slasher film and one of the first produced in the wake of the success of Halloween, the 2nd film Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II went in a different direction with the series and owes a bit to the Elm Street franchise. As mentioned outside of Mary Lou, Prom Night III: Last Kiss is its own film, but does continue with the more supernatural. Here with the 4th film, the Mary Lou plot is dropped and this part goes back to the slasher style of the original. The only real connection between all of the Prom Night films is they're all set at Hamilton High. I really can't confess to being a huge fan of the series and while I like the original and to me it's the best of the series, but I don't hold it in as high regard as other slasher fans. Even though I like the original, but it wouldn't be in my top 10 slasher films and I mostly enjoyed Prom Night II. The one thing I do like about the series is the anthology aspect as I like the idea of all these things happening within the high school. Prom Night IV is generally seen as the weakest of the series, though some list the 3rd film. But based on what I've seen, the 3rd would just edge out this one. I can't argue with the negative reviews for Prom Night IV since I don't exactly disagree with them, but I also feel Prom Night IV gets too many poor reviews. Prom Night IV is the very definition of a middle of the road film. I don't think it's as awful as some, but it's also not very good either. But I'm a little surprised at how many negative reviews are out there as this is basically an 80s slasher produced in 1992. You name the slasher cliche, no doubt Prom Night IV has it. Perhaps, that's a reason for the subpar reviews, but many slasher films have copied each other and the first 4 Friday the 13th films are more or less the same with 2 being almost a remake of the original. By the time the 4th Prom Night was released, the slasher film was basically dead. The peak of these films were in the early 80s and while by the mid-80s, the popularity was fading, but there was still enough life left for these films to be produced at a fairly high rate throughout the decade. There were still a few left trying to squeeze out one last cent, but the slasher film was basically dead until Scream was released in 1996. If Prom Night IV had come out a decade earlier I think while it still wouldn't be seen as a slasher classic, but I do think it would be better received.
In 1957 Father Jonas (Carver) murdered two teens on prom night and after that he's locked away by the church and heavily medicated. Flash forward to prom night 1992, Jonas escapes and sets his sights on 4 teens that ditched the prom to have a party of their own at a summer house.
The screenplay was written by Richard Beattie and his first writing credit was in 1987 with Blindside, which interestingly enough was directed by Paul Lynch, the director of the original Prom Night. Beattie would also write No Contest II also directed by Lynch. While most of Beattie's films aren't very well known though some may have a cult following, but his most notable work would be writing a few DTV films, which starred Steven Seagal, such as Maximum Conviction, Force of Execution, Mercenary: Absolution and Cartels. The writing for Prom Night IV is slasher 101 as it seems upon being hired to write the script, Beattie went on a slasher movie marathon as the script is strictly by the books and sticks to every slasher movie convention, which in someways is the scripts biggest issue as everything here has been done before and done better, but for me it does bring a sense of familiarity to the film, which rather than hurt, makes things a little more enjoyable for me. The characters are the standard ones seen in countless other stalk and slash films and aren't strong enough to carry the film during the lulls in action. Father Jonas also seems to have magical powers as simply by waving his crucifix he can start fires and one has to wonder why he didn't just do that to the characters he was after as in that case he would have killed them all. Most slasher films won't often be cited for strong writing with a few exceptions, but Beattie's script is no better or worse than the good bulk of these films released in the 80s even if it doesn't work as well.
Prom Night IV was directed by Clay Borris and if the writing was slasher 101 that best describes the direction as like the script, Borris as director sticks to every single slasher movie convention. The good portion of the films directed by Clay Borris are fairly unknown with really only Prom Night IV being the most notable. He's also directed a number of TV movies and TV shows such as several episodes of Forever Knight. Borris has also worked as a 2nd unit director on the already mentioned No Contest II and he also served that role on Wrong Turn. After a quick start with a fairly well put together death sequence, the film slows down and here Borris really doesn't get much going and while the script also falters a bit as characters are simply not strong enough to carry the picture, but Borris doesn't really set much of a tone and the pace does lag for a good portion of the middle as both the writing and directing rely on the standard slasher tropes, but there's never any feel of a real threat until Jonas shows up and despite a terrific isolated setting, Borris doesn't create enough suspense or tension, but at the very least at least to me, he does keep the film watchable even if never engaging. The good bulk of the action kicks in during the final act and Borris handles these scenes a little better, but again they just suffer from being done before and more effectively.
Overall Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil has its moments, but not enough to make this anything other than an average at best film. While I fully understand the negative reviews, but I also feel it's a little better than its reputation (though not by a whole lot). Nicole de Boer in an early role is solid, but her character is very much the definition of the final girl, but de Boer is solid in her role as is Joy Tanner as she brings a lot of spunk to the role and with de Boer is the main reason for me Prom Night IV remained watchable. The very same year this was released there was another film that has a couple of similar ideas and that would be Happy Hell Night, which despite being released in 1992 was apparently filmed around 1989, but Prom Night IV and Happy Hell Night have similar ideas, only real difference is Happy Hell Night aims for more comedy as the killer is a poor mans Freddy Krueger.
*** Out of 5
Tagline- They Ditched Their Prom for a Private Party. Now It's Their Last Dance.
Release Date- May 13th, 1992
Running Time- 89-Minutes
Rating- R
Screenplay- Richard Beattie
Director- Clay Borris
Starring- Nikki de Boer, Alden Kane, Joy Tanner, Alle Ghadban
Released in 1992 Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil is the 4th and final film in the franchise (excluding the remake). The Prom Night series is sort of an anthology as only 2-3 connect and even those 2 films don't directly tie into each other except the Mary Lou character, any other connection is quite minor and basically you wouldn't need to see the 2nd part to understand the 3rd. While the original Prom Night was a slasher film and one of the first produced in the wake of the success of Halloween, the 2nd film Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II went in a different direction with the series and owes a bit to the Elm Street franchise. As mentioned outside of Mary Lou, Prom Night III: Last Kiss is its own film, but does continue with the more supernatural. Here with the 4th film, the Mary Lou plot is dropped and this part goes back to the slasher style of the original. The only real connection between all of the Prom Night films is they're all set at Hamilton High. I really can't confess to being a huge fan of the series and while I like the original and to me it's the best of the series, but I don't hold it in as high regard as other slasher fans. Even though I like the original, but it wouldn't be in my top 10 slasher films and I mostly enjoyed Prom Night II. The one thing I do like about the series is the anthology aspect as I like the idea of all these things happening within the high school. Prom Night IV is generally seen as the weakest of the series, though some list the 3rd film. But based on what I've seen, the 3rd would just edge out this one. I can't argue with the negative reviews for Prom Night IV since I don't exactly disagree with them, but I also feel Prom Night IV gets too many poor reviews. Prom Night IV is the very definition of a middle of the road film. I don't think it's as awful as some, but it's also not very good either. But I'm a little surprised at how many negative reviews are out there as this is basically an 80s slasher produced in 1992. You name the slasher cliche, no doubt Prom Night IV has it. Perhaps, that's a reason for the subpar reviews, but many slasher films have copied each other and the first 4 Friday the 13th films are more or less the same with 2 being almost a remake of the original. By the time the 4th Prom Night was released, the slasher film was basically dead. The peak of these films were in the early 80s and while by the mid-80s, the popularity was fading, but there was still enough life left for these films to be produced at a fairly high rate throughout the decade. There were still a few left trying to squeeze out one last cent, but the slasher film was basically dead until Scream was released in 1996. If Prom Night IV had come out a decade earlier I think while it still wouldn't be seen as a slasher classic, but I do think it would be better received.
In 1957 Father Jonas (Carver) murdered two teens on prom night and after that he's locked away by the church and heavily medicated. Flash forward to prom night 1992, Jonas escapes and sets his sights on 4 teens that ditched the prom to have a party of their own at a summer house.
The screenplay was written by Richard Beattie and his first writing credit was in 1987 with Blindside, which interestingly enough was directed by Paul Lynch, the director of the original Prom Night. Beattie would also write No Contest II also directed by Lynch. While most of Beattie's films aren't very well known though some may have a cult following, but his most notable work would be writing a few DTV films, which starred Steven Seagal, such as Maximum Conviction, Force of Execution, Mercenary: Absolution and Cartels. The writing for Prom Night IV is slasher 101 as it seems upon being hired to write the script, Beattie went on a slasher movie marathon as the script is strictly by the books and sticks to every slasher movie convention, which in someways is the scripts biggest issue as everything here has been done before and done better, but for me it does bring a sense of familiarity to the film, which rather than hurt, makes things a little more enjoyable for me. The characters are the standard ones seen in countless other stalk and slash films and aren't strong enough to carry the film during the lulls in action. Father Jonas also seems to have magical powers as simply by waving his crucifix he can start fires and one has to wonder why he didn't just do that to the characters he was after as in that case he would have killed them all. Most slasher films won't often be cited for strong writing with a few exceptions, but Beattie's script is no better or worse than the good bulk of these films released in the 80s even if it doesn't work as well.
Prom Night IV was directed by Clay Borris and if the writing was slasher 101 that best describes the direction as like the script, Borris as director sticks to every single slasher movie convention. The good portion of the films directed by Clay Borris are fairly unknown with really only Prom Night IV being the most notable. He's also directed a number of TV movies and TV shows such as several episodes of Forever Knight. Borris has also worked as a 2nd unit director on the already mentioned No Contest II and he also served that role on Wrong Turn. After a quick start with a fairly well put together death sequence, the film slows down and here Borris really doesn't get much going and while the script also falters a bit as characters are simply not strong enough to carry the picture, but Borris doesn't really set much of a tone and the pace does lag for a good portion of the middle as both the writing and directing rely on the standard slasher tropes, but there's never any feel of a real threat until Jonas shows up and despite a terrific isolated setting, Borris doesn't create enough suspense or tension, but at the very least at least to me, he does keep the film watchable even if never engaging. The good bulk of the action kicks in during the final act and Borris handles these scenes a little better, but again they just suffer from being done before and more effectively.
Overall Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil has its moments, but not enough to make this anything other than an average at best film. While I fully understand the negative reviews, but I also feel it's a little better than its reputation (though not by a whole lot). Nicole de Boer in an early role is solid, but her character is very much the definition of the final girl, but de Boer is solid in her role as is Joy Tanner as she brings a lot of spunk to the role and with de Boer is the main reason for me Prom Night IV remained watchable. The very same year this was released there was another film that has a couple of similar ideas and that would be Happy Hell Night, which despite being released in 1992 was apparently filmed around 1989, but Prom Night IV and Happy Hell Night have similar ideas, only real difference is Happy Hell Night aims for more comedy as the killer is a poor mans Freddy Krueger.
Excellent film!
bfan8319 April 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I am a fan of the Prom Night series and have been for quite a while. So it was no surprise to me that I found this flick enjoyable. And like everyone is saying, this film really has no relation to the other Prom Night films. I loved the first one, the second was great fun, too, but the third one was pretty terrible. It went more towards the erotic horror genre. Which I hate. Anyway, POSSIBLE SPOILERS HERE!, the film is about a crazed monk who kills two teens making love in the backseat of a car. He is caught by the rest of the monks and the administer some kind of injection that puts him into a coma for nearly 40 years.
Then, a new priest takes over after the old one dies but the idiot doesn't administer the injection. So, Father Jonas, who is creepy as hell, I might add awakens and kills the Priest. He then returns to the old monastary from the beginning of the film and sets his sights on four teenagers that are having their own private prom celebration.
So from here, it's scare city. The music is downright scary and haunting, the acting very good. Especially that of Nikki De Boer, the guy who played Father Jonas scared the living crap out of me. So I give this film a 10! Great, scary popcorn fun! Check it out!
Then, a new priest takes over after the old one dies but the idiot doesn't administer the injection. So, Father Jonas, who is creepy as hell, I might add awakens and kills the Priest. He then returns to the old monastary from the beginning of the film and sets his sights on four teenagers that are having their own private prom celebration.
So from here, it's scare city. The music is downright scary and haunting, the acting very good. Especially that of Nikki De Boer, the guy who played Father Jonas scared the living crap out of me. So I give this film a 10! Great, scary popcorn fun! Check it out!
Beware: Priest at large!!!
Coventry9 September 2004
What's the most frustrating thing that can happen to you in the videostore? Imagine: you find a box that says 'Prom Night' with a nice, gruesome cover. You seem to remember that, talking in terms of 80's slashers, this Prom Night is supposed to be a masterpiece. Without hesitating much, you take it and go home. Then you play it and as the credits start to appear on the TV-screen it turns out you've rented something that's actually 'Prom Night 4: Deliver us from Evil'. They made a Prom Night 4 now?? I've been had!!
Anyway, since complaining in the videostore is of no use, you just watch this piece of junk. Two young couples, staying in mum and dad's mansion for the weekend, are terrorized by a priest whose thoughts and actions are controlled by the devil. This priest father Jones killed before, but the Church managed to keep it secret and hidden for 34 years. All this time, Father Jones was locked up in a cellar and tranquillized with drugs. A young, inexperienced priest lets him escape. There's no tension, no background (how did Father Jones got possessed?) and no original deaths. The acting is awful (or what did you think?) and the gore-level is extremely low. Welcome to redundant and stupid sequel n° 5.789! Oh, one more thing it may be a detail but where was the Prom??
Anyway, since complaining in the videostore is of no use, you just watch this piece of junk. Two young couples, staying in mum and dad's mansion for the weekend, are terrorized by a priest whose thoughts and actions are controlled by the devil. This priest father Jones killed before, but the Church managed to keep it secret and hidden for 34 years. All this time, Father Jones was locked up in a cellar and tranquillized with drugs. A young, inexperienced priest lets him escape. There's no tension, no background (how did Father Jones got possessed?) and no original deaths. The acting is awful (or what did you think?) and the gore-level is extremely low. Welcome to redundant and stupid sequel n° 5.789! Oh, one more thing it may be a detail but where was the Prom??
Pretty messy last entry into the very average movie series.
Boba_Fett113828 May 2010
The first movie was a slasher, the second one a supernatural horror movie, the third more of a comedy and this one is a...well I don't even know what it really is but point is that the Prom Night-series isn't exactly the most consistent one. All movies have basically very little to do with each other but even worse is that none of them are really good ones.
Guess when you have to place this movie under one particular genre it would be the slasher-genre. Only problem is that we know who the killer is, so this doesn't do much for the movie its tension. It just doesn't really follow the rules of a good slasher and therefore the movie doesn't even feel at all like its being a slasher. Did the film-makers even knew what they were making? I highly doubt it, judging by looking at this movie.
The movie is a pretty messy one with its story. The killer and his 'motivations' are just weak and not really explained enough to make you understand why on Earth he is after those kids who are messing around inside an old abandoned, desolated mansion. Man, I just really couldn't care for anything that was happening in this movie with its story, also not in the least because it was all occurring in such an extremely formulaic way. The movie is not surprising or exciting at all to watch, though its granted that there are also far worse genre movies to watch out there.
The acting is quite weak and none of the characters are really likable enough. Just a bunch of students trying to get into each others pants and drinking liquor in between. Also nothing too new about this of course, which should also give you an overall impression of how formulaic the rest of the movie is being like.
Nothing new but above all things also nothing great in this movie.
5/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
Guess when you have to place this movie under one particular genre it would be the slasher-genre. Only problem is that we know who the killer is, so this doesn't do much for the movie its tension. It just doesn't really follow the rules of a good slasher and therefore the movie doesn't even feel at all like its being a slasher. Did the film-makers even knew what they were making? I highly doubt it, judging by looking at this movie.
The movie is a pretty messy one with its story. The killer and his 'motivations' are just weak and not really explained enough to make you understand why on Earth he is after those kids who are messing around inside an old abandoned, desolated mansion. Man, I just really couldn't care for anything that was happening in this movie with its story, also not in the least because it was all occurring in such an extremely formulaic way. The movie is not surprising or exciting at all to watch, though its granted that there are also far worse genre movies to watch out there.
The acting is quite weak and none of the characters are really likable enough. Just a bunch of students trying to get into each others pants and drinking liquor in between. Also nothing too new about this of course, which should also give you an overall impression of how formulaic the rest of the movie is being like.
Nothing new but above all things also nothing great in this movie.
5/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
Stand alone movie
atinder25 January 2013
So second time in series, this movies to new story, this as got nothing to with any of the ones before.
However the opening scene is might to be the same night Mary Lou died by the fire in part 2, However as that happen out side a crazy priest killed two of teens who were having sex,
Few years later Prince is back and start the killing spear off again and kills anyone is having any Sex.
This movie got to bit more serious then the last two movies in the series
I thought the story was little weak for this series, I didn't fact the series went from comedy to serious again,
I Thought the movie was very slow and I didn't think the movie that creepy or scary and the movie wasn't that fun to watch.
the acting was really good from the whole cast
Not sure what to rate at the moment!
However the opening scene is might to be the same night Mary Lou died by the fire in part 2, However as that happen out side a crazy priest killed two of teens who were having sex,
Few years later Prince is back and start the killing spear off again and kills anyone is having any Sex.
This movie got to bit more serious then the last two movies in the series
I thought the story was little weak for this series, I didn't fact the series went from comedy to serious again,
I Thought the movie was very slow and I didn't think the movie that creepy or scary and the movie wasn't that fun to watch.
the acting was really good from the whole cast
Not sure what to rate at the moment!
Dustbin Dwellers: Bad movies with no redeeming values.
Captain_Couth7 July 2004
Prom Night IV (1992) is another movie that blows big time. Not only does this movie have no redeeming values but it teased me. Dude, I don't like to be teased. The film-makers teased me when the two women in the beginning were combing each others hair and they suggested a femme to femme moment. Then the lame director didn't follow through with it. I got so mad that I nearly kicked in the T.V. monitor. How can they do that? If they pulled it off it would have been so cool. But the lame-o's chickened out and I was left with a horrible movie about a wigged out religious fanatic. If I wanted to watch a movie like that I would have rented Happy Hell Night.
Dude, there is nothing worth watching. This movie not only has nothing to do with the previous films, but it's a waste of time. I was teased big time. The movie had no pay-off. I would take all the copies of this movie that I could find and dump them in a dumpster. Me no like bad movie.
-F
That makes it 1 for 4 in the Prom Night series. I hated parts 1,2, and 4. But I found part 3 somewhat entertaining
Dude, there is nothing worth watching. This movie not only has nothing to do with the previous films, but it's a waste of time. I was teased big time. The movie had no pay-off. I would take all the copies of this movie that I could find and dump them in a dumpster. Me no like bad movie.
-F
That makes it 1 for 4 in the Prom Night series. I hated parts 1,2, and 4. But I found part 3 somewhat entertaining
Pretty dang good, for a slasher.
Cadriel21 April 2001
This is a slasher that plays it by the rules, so if I'm spoiling anything for you, it's because you've never seen a slasher movie before.
Prom Night IV gives us the gift of slashing in a film that is lit with decent effectiveness, not shot notably poorly, with sub-par to decent acting and some moderately suspenseful scenes. The prom thing is more or less done in the intro, where we get to see a couple slashed in a prom in 1957. Our mad killer here is a Catholic priest gone horribly wrong--he kills with a cross where the long end has a blade.
Our victims, two teenaged couples, are headed down to a retreat that used to be an old monastery for a weekend of debauchery. Meanwhile, a young priest newly charged with watching over the insane priest (who's been kept underground by the Church) is developed for a bit, but manages to slip in his duties. (Prom Night IV is very good at giving "bonus slashes" before it gets around to killing the teenagers.)
The highlight of Prom Night IV is Nicole de Boer, who you might remember from The Cube or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (she was Ezri Dax). Her acting, which is pretty good, manages to elevate the rest of the movie (since she is the film's heroine). The rest of the cast is pretty small-time, though, and doesn't live up to Nicole.
It does have the requisite T&A shots (and a really poor sex scene), to be certain, and it manages to fit 8 deaths into a film that only focuses on those 4 teens. All are pretty freaky and well done, too. Once the suspense starts, it's pretty good at not letting up, despite following the rules strongly. The extended scenes before the slasher starts on the teens build everything up quite well.
This is a slasher movie, and you will enjoy it only if you're in the mood for one. However, it does what it does well, and as such is worth picking up if you are.
Prom Night IV gives us the gift of slashing in a film that is lit with decent effectiveness, not shot notably poorly, with sub-par to decent acting and some moderately suspenseful scenes. The prom thing is more or less done in the intro, where we get to see a couple slashed in a prom in 1957. Our mad killer here is a Catholic priest gone horribly wrong--he kills with a cross where the long end has a blade.
Our victims, two teenaged couples, are headed down to a retreat that used to be an old monastery for a weekend of debauchery. Meanwhile, a young priest newly charged with watching over the insane priest (who's been kept underground by the Church) is developed for a bit, but manages to slip in his duties. (Prom Night IV is very good at giving "bonus slashes" before it gets around to killing the teenagers.)
The highlight of Prom Night IV is Nicole de Boer, who you might remember from The Cube or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (she was Ezri Dax). Her acting, which is pretty good, manages to elevate the rest of the movie (since she is the film's heroine). The rest of the cast is pretty small-time, though, and doesn't live up to Nicole.
It does have the requisite T&A shots (and a really poor sex scene), to be certain, and it manages to fit 8 deaths into a film that only focuses on those 4 teens. All are pretty freaky and well done, too. Once the suspense starts, it's pretty good at not letting up, despite following the rules strongly. The extended scenes before the slasher starts on the teens build everything up quite well.
This is a slasher movie, and you will enjoy it only if you're in the mood for one. However, it does what it does well, and as such is worth picking up if you are.
Enough already
kosmasp22 May 2020
While I have said and I stand by it, that there are worse horror movies, there is a time when you can say: Enough. This is closer to part 2 and 3, with another Mary Lou story coming your way. Slasher fiends will get something from it, no matter the bad acting and story behind it.
After a fourth Prom night, hopefully all have graduated to other (better) things alltogether. No pun intended, effects are still ok, considering the budget. But let's finally be delivered from evil ...
After a fourth Prom night, hopefully all have graduated to other (better) things alltogether. No pun intended, effects are still ok, considering the budget. But let's finally be delivered from evil ...
fun for slasher flick fans
jimmyplm21 March 1999
If the kind of movie that involves a group of partying sexually active teenagers getting killed off one by one appeals to you, then you will love this cliche-slasher movie. I personally enjoyed it. I think that the actresses were quite delicious, and that the idea of a murdering priest was kind of interesting. If you want a great horror film, rent "Psycho" (or even "Night of the Demons"), but if you want something to pass the time, rent this movie. It is worth watching for horror fans. Just don't expect to see Mary Lou from the 2nd and 3rd installments in the series.
WOW! This one is so good!
BandSAboutMovies26 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Those Canadians - they've made four Prom Night films, starting with, well, Prom Night, where Jamie Lee Curtis confronts disco dancing and a murder in the past. Then there's the utterly insane Prom Night 2: Hello Mary Lou, where a former prom queen comes back to tempt and murder the children of her classmates. And then there's Prom Night III: The Last Kiss, which is a comedy continuation of Mary Lou's story. Finally, we have Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil and it's the craziest one of them all.
Hamilton High School. 1957. Lisa and Brad leave Lisa's date behind to go heels to Jesus in Brad's car, but are distracted by someone putting candles all over the hood. That's when Lisa gets killed by a metal crucifix to the throat and Brad gets stabbed in the chest, his car set ablaze. That's when we meet Father Jonas, who has been abused by multiple priests (keep in mind this was made in 1991) and now is showing signs of stigmata. Those priests now believe that he is possessed, so they jail him inside St. George Church.
33 years later, that's where Father Colin is told by one of those priests that he won't be going to Africa for missionary work. No, he's going to stay right here and be Jonas's new guardian, keeping him in a drug-induced coma. The problem is that Colin gets a mind of his own after Father Jaeger dies and he decides to stop drugging Jonas. Within hours, the evil priest kills the young man and makes his way to his old home. Cardinal Tourette is sent by the church to clean up matters, staging Colin's murder as a suicide and hunting down Jonas.
Meanwhile, the old St. Basil Seminary is now Mark's (J. H. Wyman, who would go on to create TV's Fringe and Almost Human) family's summer home, where he's taking his girlfriend Meagan (Nicole de Boer, Cube), Laura (Joy Tanner, who is the voice of Candy Kong from Donkey Kong Country) and Jeff (Alle Ghadban, who would go on to be part of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) to celebrate their graduation and skip prom.
There are some issues - Meagan was in love with the now deceased Father Colin. She's also a virgin who is finally going to give up her modesty to Mark. And everyone wants to have sex with her, even Laura (yes, this is a scummy exploitation film, so these things happen). Also, all the of the electronics and applicances in the house have been stolen and Jonas is already living inside the house, claiming Mark's younger brother Jonathan as his first victim.
Somehow - don't ask me how - Jonas starts making obscene phone calls when he's not killing off people. Just to show what a maniac he is, he walks around with Laura's scalp after offing her and then crushes Jeff's head with just his bare hands. Then he crucifies the young lovers' bodies and sets them on fire because, well, why not?
Jonas then kills Mark and chases Meagan all over the grounds, only being stopped by bug spray (yes, I was amazed by this as you are reading it) and even uses his priest powers to interrupt phone calls to the police. Magical priest powers! She finds Mark's gun and shoots the priest dead, only to have him come back and try and kill her as she prays for forgiveness. The dude has the Holy Water scepter from church, but it shoots out flames instead of water, which is perhaps the most awesome thing I've ever seen in a movie. Megan isn't so impressed, as she beats him to death again with a shovel, then runs outside and blows a shed up real good.
The next morning, Meagan is placed in an ambulance while Jonas' body is placed in another surrounded by the Cardinals of the church. He opens his eyes at the same time she does, tickling me with the feather of a promise that there would be a sequel to this.
If it doesn't come through, I loved this movie. It's total slasher ridiculousness a decade after everyone decided to stop making them. I love that when the kids drink to skipping the prom, they say, "Cheers Jamie Lee Curtis!" And with his role as Father Colin, Brock Simpson has been in every single Prom Night.
Killer abused priests with stigmata that can make prank phone calls with their mind and set up candles on cars before they kill. You can't get that anywhere else, you know?
Hamilton High School. 1957. Lisa and Brad leave Lisa's date behind to go heels to Jesus in Brad's car, but are distracted by someone putting candles all over the hood. That's when Lisa gets killed by a metal crucifix to the throat and Brad gets stabbed in the chest, his car set ablaze. That's when we meet Father Jonas, who has been abused by multiple priests (keep in mind this was made in 1991) and now is showing signs of stigmata. Those priests now believe that he is possessed, so they jail him inside St. George Church.
33 years later, that's where Father Colin is told by one of those priests that he won't be going to Africa for missionary work. No, he's going to stay right here and be Jonas's new guardian, keeping him in a drug-induced coma. The problem is that Colin gets a mind of his own after Father Jaeger dies and he decides to stop drugging Jonas. Within hours, the evil priest kills the young man and makes his way to his old home. Cardinal Tourette is sent by the church to clean up matters, staging Colin's murder as a suicide and hunting down Jonas.
Meanwhile, the old St. Basil Seminary is now Mark's (J. H. Wyman, who would go on to create TV's Fringe and Almost Human) family's summer home, where he's taking his girlfriend Meagan (Nicole de Boer, Cube), Laura (Joy Tanner, who is the voice of Candy Kong from Donkey Kong Country) and Jeff (Alle Ghadban, who would go on to be part of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) to celebrate their graduation and skip prom.
There are some issues - Meagan was in love with the now deceased Father Colin. She's also a virgin who is finally going to give up her modesty to Mark. And everyone wants to have sex with her, even Laura (yes, this is a scummy exploitation film, so these things happen). Also, all the of the electronics and applicances in the house have been stolen and Jonas is already living inside the house, claiming Mark's younger brother Jonathan as his first victim.
Somehow - don't ask me how - Jonas starts making obscene phone calls when he's not killing off people. Just to show what a maniac he is, he walks around with Laura's scalp after offing her and then crushes Jeff's head with just his bare hands. Then he crucifies the young lovers' bodies and sets them on fire because, well, why not?
Jonas then kills Mark and chases Meagan all over the grounds, only being stopped by bug spray (yes, I was amazed by this as you are reading it) and even uses his priest powers to interrupt phone calls to the police. Magical priest powers! She finds Mark's gun and shoots the priest dead, only to have him come back and try and kill her as she prays for forgiveness. The dude has the Holy Water scepter from church, but it shoots out flames instead of water, which is perhaps the most awesome thing I've ever seen in a movie. Megan isn't so impressed, as she beats him to death again with a shovel, then runs outside and blows a shed up real good.
The next morning, Meagan is placed in an ambulance while Jonas' body is placed in another surrounded by the Cardinals of the church. He opens his eyes at the same time she does, tickling me with the feather of a promise that there would be a sequel to this.
If it doesn't come through, I loved this movie. It's total slasher ridiculousness a decade after everyone decided to stop making them. I love that when the kids drink to skipping the prom, they say, "Cheers Jamie Lee Curtis!" And with his role as Father Colin, Brock Simpson has been in every single Prom Night.
Killer abused priests with stigmata that can make prank phone calls with their mind and set up candles on cars before they kill. You can't get that anywhere else, you know?
My Name is (Father) Jonas
Mr_Censored21 June 2010
"Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil" marks yet another turn in the "Prom Night" franchise, ditching the supernatural elements of the previous two entries in exchange for a more back-to-basics slasher formula that is not unlike the original. This time, however, it's a Catholic priest gone mad, with a sharpened crucifix in hand, who unleashes his wrath against a group of fornicators...err...high school kids who ditch their prom in lieu of a remote cabin where they can get down and dirty without anyone around to hear their screaming -- whether that's a good thing or not.
Another direct-to-video installment, the fourth "Prom Night" is not of the highest quality, but at least delivers the goods on the most basic level. Slasher fans will appreciate its dead-pan approach, which is in stark contrast to the goofiness on hand in "Prom Night III: The Last Kiss." Father Jonas, the Catholic priest in question, is played stone-faced by James Carver and makes for an effectively brutal killer, even if he is overexposed by the film which doesn't allow him to lurk or stalk very much. The cast of teens, meanwhile, are just begging to be killed by Father Jonas, and with lines like "Shut up and take your pants off" who can say they didn't see it coming? Sure, it's a low-rent, dirty little horror movie, but at least it tries, and even when it doesn't succeed, "Prom Night IV" doesn't exactly suck, either. At the very least, this last entry in the series is more entertaining and exciting than the remake that would follow 17 years later.
Another direct-to-video installment, the fourth "Prom Night" is not of the highest quality, but at least delivers the goods on the most basic level. Slasher fans will appreciate its dead-pan approach, which is in stark contrast to the goofiness on hand in "Prom Night III: The Last Kiss." Father Jonas, the Catholic priest in question, is played stone-faced by James Carver and makes for an effectively brutal killer, even if he is overexposed by the film which doesn't allow him to lurk or stalk very much. The cast of teens, meanwhile, are just begging to be killed by Father Jonas, and with lines like "Shut up and take your pants off" who can say they didn't see it coming? Sure, it's a low-rent, dirty little horror movie, but at least it tries, and even when it doesn't succeed, "Prom Night IV" doesn't exactly suck, either. At the very least, this last entry in the series is more entertaining and exciting than the remake that would follow 17 years later.
Surprisingly decent
cdegs16 February 2022
If your looking for a bloody slasher flick with a somewhat supernatural & possessed Catholic priest killing kids,this is your movie! Surprisingly well acted & theres a supercool double burning cross scene that alone was worth the watch. 3/5.
Scariest of this series...
Zalman66615 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Out of all the horror movie series I've seen, the Prom Night series takes the cake for maintaining almost no continuity in its films. The first of which was a simple tale of revenge; the following two contained none of the original characters and revolved around the ghost of Mary Lou Maloney: a wicked prom queen who'll stop at nothing to get her crown and the man she desires. While I enjoyed the first of these two films, it's hardly surprising that movie-goers have written them off as laughable and pathetic. Although Prom Night 4 bears no relevance to its predecessors, it gets its scariness from having a very dark villain who pulls no punches whatsoever even if the entire film is loaded with the most predictable horror movie clichés and contains no originality. When we first meet Father Jonas, he's praying fervently about his hatred for sluts and whores. Unsurprisingly, this hatred is what motivates him to kill two high school students making out in a car on the night of their prom. Fast forward 33 years later, Father Jonas isn't in jail but confined to small room beneath his church where his keepers rely on heavy sedatives to keep his evil at bay. Luckily for Father Jonas, a new priest has been assigned to look after him and he escapes by nightfall to return to countryside seminary he remembers from his younger days except now it's a summer home in which four thrill-seeking teenagers are indulging in sex and alcohol. Why not? It's their prom night! It's here that the horror-movie clichés are ubiquitous: for instance, upon their arrival the teens learn that the very secluded house has been burgled, but they choose not to call the police since they're not supposed to be there. The rest of the film features the murders of the two most promiscuous teens, calls to the police that are ineffective, and a lengthy game of cat and mouse in which Father Jonas chases Megan-the most innocent of the teens. Throughout it all, the priest maintains the same dark facial expression and goes about his rampage undeterred. If the effect isn't chilling than it's certainly gruesome, especially since the most undeterred villains in previous horror films couldn't have been human and either wore white masks and shredded coveralls or stalked their victims in their dreams. The fans of the Prom Night series who wrote off the Mary Lou storyline as crap will enjoy this film for being a simple slasher featuring rage-filled murderer, but so will all horror movie fans looking for a creepy and cliché-ridden thrill.
I wish someone would have delivered me from this snoozefest.
Milo-Jeeder10 November 2020
I wasn't expecting a lot from this, but it still managed to disappoint me a little bit. Slasher flicks are known for being very simple and unpretentious movies that mostly offer entertainment and gruesome kills, which "Prom Night IV" mostly fails to provide.
In "Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil", two young couples decide to go on a romantic double date, after skipping their prom, for which they head up to a big secluded house that belongs to one of the boys in the group. There, they are chased by an insane former priest, Father Jonas, who has recently escaped from where he was being kept for 30 years.
My biggest problem with "Prom Night IV" is that the butchery takes a long time to happen and this is a mistake in a slasher flick. Let's see, for the first ten minutes (or so), we see Father Jonas, the bad guy. He really is an interesting character, with his intense gaze and his over-the-top demeanor. Later, we are introduced to the young characters, who, clearly, are going to be stalked by the aforementioned killer. During the second half an hour, the youngsters go into the house for their romantic getaway, where we see them getting intimate and, eventually, realizing that someone is lurking around. The kills are excessively delayed and end up happening after more than 50 minutes have passed and that's just a lot of time. So, the way I see it, "Prom Night IV" is not even that fun, which is something that a slasher flick should always be. They can be stupid, but the carnage should begin early.
The only potentially interesting aspect of this movie was never fully developed and it was barely even displayed during the first minutes. At some point, Father Jonas, the killer, begins to mumble something, like, 'Don't touch him, not there, he's too young...', which clearly idicates that Jonas was abused as a child. It is also heavily implied that Father Jonas was a homosexual, considering that he kisses two men before attacking them. I can only assume that the priest was dealing with an inner conflict, since homosexuality is heavily disapproved by the Catholic church, which eventually resulted in a state of self-hatred and aversion towards sex, as a result of the abuse that he presumably endured as a child. Too bad this was only merely even hinted. At some point, another character explains that Father Jonas was evil because he was possessed, so, in the end, it is not exactly clear if he was deranged due to his traumas or if he was, in fact possessed. Perhaps both things? I don't think the writers even bothered with all these issues, to be honest. Father Jonas actually appears to look exactly the same age throughout the course of... 30 years! If we go by the idea that he was possessed, this could explain why he never aged (either that or he uses a very effective anti-aging treatment).
Though I personally found it a little bit slow, "Prom Night IV" is not really a mess. The truth is that this movie has a good production value and plot-wise, it actually ticks all the boxes of a slasher flick. As for the acting, it is pretty decent for the most part. Nicole de Boer and Joy Tanner are very likeable, especially the latter one, who plays an irreverent catholic school girl (who looked like she was in her twenties, but that's okay). Then, of course, we have the kills. The body count is perhaps a little bit too modest for a slasher and the kills are just plain, but they're there. In the end, "Prom Night IV" is just one of those movies that don't really stay with you in any way, but it would be unfair to label them as "unwatchable".
In "Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil", two young couples decide to go on a romantic double date, after skipping their prom, for which they head up to a big secluded house that belongs to one of the boys in the group. There, they are chased by an insane former priest, Father Jonas, who has recently escaped from where he was being kept for 30 years.
My biggest problem with "Prom Night IV" is that the butchery takes a long time to happen and this is a mistake in a slasher flick. Let's see, for the first ten minutes (or so), we see Father Jonas, the bad guy. He really is an interesting character, with his intense gaze and his over-the-top demeanor. Later, we are introduced to the young characters, who, clearly, are going to be stalked by the aforementioned killer. During the second half an hour, the youngsters go into the house for their romantic getaway, where we see them getting intimate and, eventually, realizing that someone is lurking around. The kills are excessively delayed and end up happening after more than 50 minutes have passed and that's just a lot of time. So, the way I see it, "Prom Night IV" is not even that fun, which is something that a slasher flick should always be. They can be stupid, but the carnage should begin early.
The only potentially interesting aspect of this movie was never fully developed and it was barely even displayed during the first minutes. At some point, Father Jonas, the killer, begins to mumble something, like, 'Don't touch him, not there, he's too young...', which clearly idicates that Jonas was abused as a child. It is also heavily implied that Father Jonas was a homosexual, considering that he kisses two men before attacking them. I can only assume that the priest was dealing with an inner conflict, since homosexuality is heavily disapproved by the Catholic church, which eventually resulted in a state of self-hatred and aversion towards sex, as a result of the abuse that he presumably endured as a child. Too bad this was only merely even hinted. At some point, another character explains that Father Jonas was evil because he was possessed, so, in the end, it is not exactly clear if he was deranged due to his traumas or if he was, in fact possessed. Perhaps both things? I don't think the writers even bothered with all these issues, to be honest. Father Jonas actually appears to look exactly the same age throughout the course of... 30 years! If we go by the idea that he was possessed, this could explain why he never aged (either that or he uses a very effective anti-aging treatment).
Though I personally found it a little bit slow, "Prom Night IV" is not really a mess. The truth is that this movie has a good production value and plot-wise, it actually ticks all the boxes of a slasher flick. As for the acting, it is pretty decent for the most part. Nicole de Boer and Joy Tanner are very likeable, especially the latter one, who plays an irreverent catholic school girl (who looked like she was in her twenties, but that's okay). Then, of course, we have the kills. The body count is perhaps a little bit too modest for a slasher and the kills are just plain, but they're there. In the end, "Prom Night IV" is just one of those movies that don't really stay with you in any way, but it would be unfair to label them as "unwatchable".
This is a below average addition to the genre that horror fans should probably see once
kevin_robbins29 September 2021
Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil (1991) is currently available on Tubi. The storyline follows a psychological disturbed priest who believes the misdeeds of the youth at a local high school should be punished by death. He uses a gross to impale his victims to hopefully save their souls. This movie is directed by Clay Borris (The Pawn) and stars Nicole de Boer (Cube), J. H. Wyman (Highlander Television Series) and Joy Tanner (House at the End of the Street). The storyline for this was super random...I'm not sure why this was part of the Prom Night series at all. There are some good kill scenes and the movie starts right off with one of them. There are some good lines in here that will give you a chuckle but the acting is definitely uneven. There's also a strange lingerie scene in this that felt like the "sexy horror scene" that didn't hit the mark as well as it could have. There are some good explosion scenes in this for a movie of this caliber, but it's hard to get over the strange storyline...why is this a killer priest movie? Overall this is a below average addition to the genre that horror fans should probably see once. I'd score this a 4/10.
ugh
mgarceaumusic8 March 2022
Four teens go to a cabin-in-the-woods to party (no, really)
Wuchakk13 November 2018
Released in early 1992, "Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil" is a slasher about a psycho priest who manifests stigmata and has a penchant for slaying fornicating teens. He escapes diocese custody in 1991 and returns to St. Basil Seminar, which has been converted into a vacation home. The only problem is that two teen couples have decided to have an alternative-to-the-prom celebration there.
The only two installments from the Prom Night series that are directly related are parts II and III, both of which involve the malevolent spirit of Mary Lou Maloney. Part I features a masked assailant and this one a crazy priest, who's reminiscent of Marvel's Foolkiller, which debuted some 18-19 years earlier. In any case, all four films (not including 2008's "Prom Night") are connected in that they begin with the 1957 prom at Hamilton High School, near Cleveland, Ohio (this location is clearly established in the original film, for anyone who cares).
The first half hour of "Prom Night IV" focuses on the local diocese and their problems with the cracked priest whom they secretly hold captive in the creepy cellar of a chapel or whatever. I thought this section of the movie was kind of boring but, at the same time, it was a nice change of pace. I liked how this installment returned to the more realistic tone of part I. The story perks up with the two girls, Meagan and Laura, played by brunette cutie Nicole de Boer and blonde tart Joy Tanner, as they prepare to sneak off to the remote summer house of one of their beau's parents.
As you can see, the plot revolves around the conventional horror staple of the cabin-in-the-woods. The good news, however, is that this "cabin" used to be a monastery and so it's a more interesting setting for the ensuing thrills than a rinky-dink cabin.
There are a couple of plot issues though. For instance, the priest doesn't age a bit in 33 years. Even if he's possessed by some supernatural force, this wouldn't stop the normal aging process of the man's body. I'm assuming that the producers simply didn't have the funds for the make-up necessary to convincingly make him look like he was in his late-50s. So they said, "Who cares? It's a friggin' slasher flick." Secondly, there's a crank call that's stereotypical in this genre and Meagan nonchalantly answers the phone even though the teens aren't supposed to be at the house in the first place; and her boyfriend, whose parents own it, doesn't object at all when he later finds out (maybe because he was focused on the matter at hand, lol).
The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes and was shot in the Toronto area.
GRADE: B-/C+
The only two installments from the Prom Night series that are directly related are parts II and III, both of which involve the malevolent spirit of Mary Lou Maloney. Part I features a masked assailant and this one a crazy priest, who's reminiscent of Marvel's Foolkiller, which debuted some 18-19 years earlier. In any case, all four films (not including 2008's "Prom Night") are connected in that they begin with the 1957 prom at Hamilton High School, near Cleveland, Ohio (this location is clearly established in the original film, for anyone who cares).
The first half hour of "Prom Night IV" focuses on the local diocese and their problems with the cracked priest whom they secretly hold captive in the creepy cellar of a chapel or whatever. I thought this section of the movie was kind of boring but, at the same time, it was a nice change of pace. I liked how this installment returned to the more realistic tone of part I. The story perks up with the two girls, Meagan and Laura, played by brunette cutie Nicole de Boer and blonde tart Joy Tanner, as they prepare to sneak off to the remote summer house of one of their beau's parents.
As you can see, the plot revolves around the conventional horror staple of the cabin-in-the-woods. The good news, however, is that this "cabin" used to be a monastery and so it's a more interesting setting for the ensuing thrills than a rinky-dink cabin.
There are a couple of plot issues though. For instance, the priest doesn't age a bit in 33 years. Even if he's possessed by some supernatural force, this wouldn't stop the normal aging process of the man's body. I'm assuming that the producers simply didn't have the funds for the make-up necessary to convincingly make him look like he was in his late-50s. So they said, "Who cares? It's a friggin' slasher flick." Secondly, there's a crank call that's stereotypical in this genre and Meagan nonchalantly answers the phone even though the teens aren't supposed to be at the house in the first place; and her boyfriend, whose parents own it, doesn't object at all when he later finds out (maybe because he was focused on the matter at hand, lol).
The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes and was shot in the Toronto area.
GRADE: B-/C+
Repent all you sinners or face the deadly wrath of Father Jonas!
Woodyanders3 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
In 1957 deranged and dangerous Catholic priest Father Jonas (excellently played with frightening intensity by James Carver) kills two fornicating teenagers. Thirty-three years later Father Jonas escapes from the cellar of the church he's been imprisoned in and returns to the monastery from his youth. Said monastery has been converted into a summer home where a pair of teenage couples go to celebrate prom night. Director Clay Borris and screenwriter Richard Beattie craft an extremely dark and twisted slice'n'dice body count fright feature that benefits substantially from a grimly serious tone, a creepy mood, a steady pace, several gory and nasty murder set pieces, a smidgen of steamy soft-core sex, a considerable amount of tension, and a brutal and harrowing last third. Better still, there's no silly disruptive humor to diminish the severity of the in-your-face harsh and unflinching horror; Father Jonas in particular registers strongly as one extremely scary and vicious dude. In addition, the brooding religious angle gives the picture an extra sick and subversive edge. Nicole de Boer makes for an appealing heroine as the sweet and virginal Meagan; she receives sound support from Alden Kane as Meagan's nice guy boyfriend Mark, Joy Tanner as shameless slut Laura, Alle Ghadbran as the equally brash Jeff, Brock Simpson as eager young priest Father Colin, and Fab Filippo as Mark's bratty peeping tom younger brother Jonathan. Rick Wincenty's polished, agile cinematography keeps the camera constantly moving and boasts a handful of fluid tracking shots. Paul Zaza's spooky'n'shuddery score likewise hits the skin-crawling spot. A superior slasher horror outing.
An unexpected surprise
drownsoda9029 January 2017
"Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil" was the last installment in the hodgepodge "Prom Night" series. This film shifts gears considerably, moving to the story of a psychotic priest who was sexually abused by clergy during his youth. As a result, he has a preoccupation with punishing unruly and oversexed teenagers (and is potentially possessed). When he escapes from the church's basement, where he's secretly been kept sedated for years, he returns to a former monastery-turned-house where teenagers have planned a prom-night rendezvous.
While this slasher is in some ways as "by the book" as they come, it distinguishes itself rather nicely with a macabre religious angle and a kind of neo-Gothic atmosphere that is both effective and at times even somewhat creepy. The film cuts ties with the plot line from the former two sequels, though it does make reference to the Mary Lou Maloney story line, as well as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the first film's star, Jamie Lee Curtis.
The killer in the film spins some hokey one-liners throughout which dampens the fear factor, but moody cinematography and some well-staged appearances manage to give the villain a bit of an edge. Once the teenagers get to the remote monastery-turned-private home, the real fun begins. Clever plot set-ups and a great final chase scene help lift the film even a bit further. The performances are mixed, but Nicole de Boer makes a formidable final girl.
Overall, "Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil" caught me off guard, in a good way. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does spin it with style, and is also closer to the 1980 film in spirit than the former two sequels—and possibly better in some ways. For an early-nineties slasher entry, this one is wildly amusing and at times even effectively moody. 7/10.
While this slasher is in some ways as "by the book" as they come, it distinguishes itself rather nicely with a macabre religious angle and a kind of neo-Gothic atmosphere that is both effective and at times even somewhat creepy. The film cuts ties with the plot line from the former two sequels, though it does make reference to the Mary Lou Maloney story line, as well as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the first film's star, Jamie Lee Curtis.
The killer in the film spins some hokey one-liners throughout which dampens the fear factor, but moody cinematography and some well-staged appearances manage to give the villain a bit of an edge. Once the teenagers get to the remote monastery-turned-private home, the real fun begins. Clever plot set-ups and a great final chase scene help lift the film even a bit further. The performances are mixed, but Nicole de Boer makes a formidable final girl.
Overall, "Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil" caught me off guard, in a good way. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does spin it with style, and is also closer to the 1980 film in spirit than the former two sequels—and possibly better in some ways. For an early-nineties slasher entry, this one is wildly amusing and at times even effectively moody. 7/10.
Good Horror but stands on its own from previous installments.
mmc12329 January 2000
I liked this movie. It was surprisingly scary and had a good killer. The killer in this movie was original, a priest and his motive was to kill all those who don't obey by the lord. Mostly to kill all those who drink and have pre marital sex. This movie is in no way related to the previous sequels and I would have called it something different like "Holy Night, Deadly Night" or "Unholy Night". Or in this case atleast make the killer be related to someone from the previous films or a character. Grade B+
An underrated gem
PoisonKeyblade21 February 2007
Prom Night IV: Initiation is a surprisingly underrated horror gem that is a great find. This fourth installment in the Prom Night series is often overlooked because of just that; it's the fourth installment. No one ever expects much from the Prom Night films, but most of them, excluding the first, are excellent movies, and this installment is, just barely, the best of them all. Prom Night IV should be looked upon as a masterpiece of the genre; it had a few similarities to the original Black Christmas, but I actually liked this movie way more.
It's prom night in 1957, only this time, there's no Mary Lou. Father Jonas, molested by a priest as a child, has only one thing on his mind this prom night; ridding the world of sluts and sinners. After killing a young couple in their car at the prom, the other priests find out about Father Jonas's dastardly deeds and lock him up in the monastery for thirty-three years. Now, it's prom night in 1991. Four young students looking to have a good time consisting of sex and alcohol go away to a secluded house for the weekend, skipping the prom at their school and deciding to throw a party of their own. Father Jonas escapes in a series of unfortunate events, and happens upon the locale that the four students are staying at. Still desperate to stop sinners, Father Jonas lurks around the house and begins to kill the group off one by one in an increasingly disturbing fashion.
Prom Night IV is very creepy and atmospheric, and the soundtrack adds to the element immensely. The most interesting part is how both religious elements and slasher elements are combined for a perfect combination. This Prom Night is actually SCARY! Father Jonas is extremely frightening, and the way he kills each of the teens is both shocking and disturbing. The acting is great, probably the most believable in the entire series.
In terms of death and gore, this installment holds nothing back whatsoever. There's plenty of blood, and there's gross out scenes to boot. The "final girl" is interesting, and you're rooting for her the entire time. I actually liked most of the characters.
Prom Night IV was a perfect slasher film and one of the best in its genre. A horror/slasher film that is not to be missed!
It's prom night in 1957, only this time, there's no Mary Lou. Father Jonas, molested by a priest as a child, has only one thing on his mind this prom night; ridding the world of sluts and sinners. After killing a young couple in their car at the prom, the other priests find out about Father Jonas's dastardly deeds and lock him up in the monastery for thirty-three years. Now, it's prom night in 1991. Four young students looking to have a good time consisting of sex and alcohol go away to a secluded house for the weekend, skipping the prom at their school and deciding to throw a party of their own. Father Jonas escapes in a series of unfortunate events, and happens upon the locale that the four students are staying at. Still desperate to stop sinners, Father Jonas lurks around the house and begins to kill the group off one by one in an increasingly disturbing fashion.
Prom Night IV is very creepy and atmospheric, and the soundtrack adds to the element immensely. The most interesting part is how both religious elements and slasher elements are combined for a perfect combination. This Prom Night is actually SCARY! Father Jonas is extremely frightening, and the way he kills each of the teens is both shocking and disturbing. The acting is great, probably the most believable in the entire series.
In terms of death and gore, this installment holds nothing back whatsoever. There's plenty of blood, and there's gross out scenes to boot. The "final girl" is interesting, and you're rooting for her the entire time. I actually liked most of the characters.
Prom Night IV was a perfect slasher film and one of the best in its genre. A horror/slasher film that is not to be missed!
Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil
Toronto858 April 2011
Prom Night IV is a refreshing new story added to the horror franchise. We completely ignore Mary Lou in this one and shift gears to a killer priest named Father Jonas who loves killing teenagers he calls "sluts and whores". It begins in 1957 at Hamilton High, the same night Mary Lou died, with a couple making out in a car. The priest kills the two of them and then sets the car on fire. Other priests discover what he's done and lock him up down in the basement of a Church. 35 years later, Father Jonas is unleashed by a young unsuspecting priest. We also meet a group of teenagers. Meagan the virgin, Mark who is Meagen's boyfriend, Laura the bad girl, and Jeff who is Laura's boyfriend. They decide to ditch prom and go to an old house in the country for the weekend. Of course, Father Jonas has made his way there to hide out. Can the couples survive or will Jonas kill them all for being "unholy" in his eyes.
There are a few people killed in gruesome ways in Prom Night 4. There is a also a big chase scene at the end which is fun and exciting. I like the fact they brought the series to it's original sub genre - slasher. Mary Lou was fun for two sequels, but this one is a lot more dark and actually scary just like the first. It also has a real Canadian feel to it like the first one. The old churches we see are in Downtown Toronto. The music done by Paul Zaza is awesome as usual. We get a score used from the first Prom Night as well as My Bloody Valentine, both were scored by Zaza.
I know this fourth one gets a lot of flack from critics, but I don't know why. It's a pretty good early 90's slasher, which is rare to find during those years. There are some scares and definitely gore. The acting isn't very good, but I've seen much worse (check out Prom Night 3). The ending left open room for another sequel involving Father Jonas, but unfortunately they never explored it. If you like horror films, in particular slasher movies, check out Prom Night IV. Much better than the third.
Also check out the cameo by Brock Simpson! He stared in each of the original Prom films. He played young Nick in the first one, Josh in the second, a cop in the third, and a young priest in this one.
7/10
There are a few people killed in gruesome ways in Prom Night 4. There is a also a big chase scene at the end which is fun and exciting. I like the fact they brought the series to it's original sub genre - slasher. Mary Lou was fun for two sequels, but this one is a lot more dark and actually scary just like the first. It also has a real Canadian feel to it like the first one. The old churches we see are in Downtown Toronto. The music done by Paul Zaza is awesome as usual. We get a score used from the first Prom Night as well as My Bloody Valentine, both were scored by Zaza.
I know this fourth one gets a lot of flack from critics, but I don't know why. It's a pretty good early 90's slasher, which is rare to find during those years. There are some scares and definitely gore. The acting isn't very good, but I've seen much worse (check out Prom Night 3). The ending left open room for another sequel involving Father Jonas, but unfortunately they never explored it. If you like horror films, in particular slasher movies, check out Prom Night IV. Much better than the third.
Also check out the cameo by Brock Simpson! He stared in each of the original Prom films. He played young Nick in the first one, Josh in the second, a cop in the third, and a young priest in this one.
7/10
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