Scream, Queens! The Top 40 Horror Films of The 80’s!

From:  The Backlot

#3

Prom Night

Disco Death! Five young schoolkids taunt a fellow classmate to death (that falling pane of glass was just … overkill, literally), and years later at the senior prom, someone … exacts revenge! Jamie Lee Curtis has said this was her least favorite slasher film, but it’s one of my favorites. But I can’t quite figure out why. The photography is shockingly muddy (we’re talking Lucille Ball in Mame), and the characters are either forgettable or unlikable (I found myself rooting for Classic Bitch Wendy to get away, simply because she was the most interesting character in the film).

But there’s something compelling about watching these snotty kids get their comeuppance, and the ending is undeniably sad (if inevitable). And then there’s the fabulous soundtrack, which does contain THE #1 GREATEST 80′S HORROR MOVIE CLOSING THEME SONG. It’s called “Fade To Black,” performed by Gordene Simpson, and it reveals the entire plot of the movie in a classic power ballad. It’s been a permanent part of my iPod for years.