Prom Night *** (For The Crawley Observer)

Okay, so this isn't the most original horror of them all with the typical beautiful girl (Brittany Snow) being the main target of the film, and with other minor characters disappearing into dark corridors by themselves. But this film is still actually quite entertaining.

If you're into brutal murders as part of your cinematic experience don't expect to be completely satisfied because they've clearly tried to tone it down to achieve a '15' certificate. However, the killer is as psychotic as you would expect a murderer who's been locked up to be and it contains as many tense scenes as you might want.

Having said that if this sort of genre is your favourite type of film you probably won't enjoy it; It's almost like a kid's version of a horror by being quite jumpy but showing no blood whatsoever; which is odd considering the murderer's main weapon is a knife. Also, by no means is the storyline original. It's written for the night with lots of American ditzy girls being the main culprits so it does become quite predictable and typical to watch. The script can also make you laugh as well be containing lots of famous last words.

The film has obviously been released in an effort to scare their most predominant audience - 18 year old's facing the anxiety of the future. This added to the relatable storyline of a special prom night and the end of a school era means this film could be a surprise popular horror by default, as it attempts to scare its target audience more due to the identifiable narrative.

Nelson McCornick (the director of the film) and J.S. Cardone (the writer of the film) have worked together before and have another horror planned. They create a good team with a watchable film style but they are no outstanding duo in terms of creative story writing. Ultimately, the film is like any other horror, and disappointingly, the scenes that are meant to become scarier each time actually become annoyingly repetitive. So to say this film could be a popular horror is very optimistic.

But if you enjoy a film that creates a nervous atmosphere and does make you jump I suggest going to see it. Remember though, it is filled with conventions to the max so don't expect to come away experiencing a sense of inventiveness.