80's slashers are definitely either a love it or hate it affair, there's no doubt about it. I'm most certainly on the love it side of the fence (hate me, hate me!). Generally speaking, these films may not be all that well made, and as far as a message goes, well, what message? But, one thing's for sure, these films can be hella (did I just say hella?) fun. In discussing the classic slashers, I mean the cream of the crop, there are a few titles that come to mind (Halloween, My Bloody Valentine and a select few Friday the 13th films). One of these titles would have to be the seldom seen '81 slice and dice fest The Prowler. A "big box" rental favorite back in the day, I know I rented it multiple times with my friends from the local Movies Unlimited. Much like many of the other slashers from the early 80's The Prowler was spawned from the success of Friday the 13th, and follows a most familiar formula. Blue Underground has attacked the DVD scene with three premier titles including the Tom Savini FX filled slasher, The Prowler.

It's 1945 and the eve of the big graduation dance at Avalon Bay. There's a punch bowl, a big band, dancing, young love, and someone dressed in soldier fatigues going on a stabbing rampage. Flash forward 35 years and of course it's time for another graduation dance at Avalon Bay, the first dance in (you guessed it) 35 years. If you've ever been in slasher territory before (and I'm sure you have) then you know the drill, it's just one gruesome murder after another. The key players this time are Mark the deputy sheriff and Pam one of the students, and Mark's "love" interest (insert side story of puppy love for good measure). The town sheriff decides to take the weekend off for a fishing trip and poor Mark is left all alone. It's now up to these two lovebirds to get to the bottom of all this murder and mayhem. Please, I must insist, do NOT reveal the secret ending to your friends (in case they haven't already figured it out for themselves).

Much of the success of The Prowler lies within the combination of Director Joseph Zito and 80's special effects maestro Tom Savini. It's obvious that these two work well together, as they're both responsible for two of my own personal favorite slashers from the 80's (The Prowler and Friday the 13th Part 4). As far as the usual brainless slasher formula goes, The Prowler is particularly well made and in turn way ahead of the rest. The Prowler far exceeds its counterparts in its delivery of gore galore, in particularly juicy and disturbing fashion. This film is packed to the gills with many a stabbing and impaling (add in a splattery slit throat for good measure) that are sure to please. The icing on the cake is one of the greatest kills in slasher history, the knife through the head and out the chin, ouch! Presented completely uncut on this DVD, every drop of the red stuff has finally been accounted for, thank god! Whether it's a pitchfork in the shower or a slit throat in the pool, The Prowler is here and he's got a hankering' for some co-eds. Last but not least add a patented Tom Savini head explosion and you're in business!

I'm not going to lie to you here folks, it ain't rocket science. Just like most of its kind, the film itself is pretty silly. I mean, who the hell goes for a midnight swim (alone) in their bra and panties? And seriously, there's gotta be an easier way to escape than going through all this trouble (right?). With a high body count and only a few brief interludes of asking "when is the next murder gonna happen?" The Prowler is nothing but a real crowd pleaser and a little slice of heaven. You go in knowing what to expect and hope that the film is going to deliver. Believe me, The Prowler delivers, in spades! There's no denying that the effects carry the film, and if it weren't for them, it would most certainly be a dull affair.

The Prowler has been out of print for ages, and therefore extremely difficult to come by. Blue Underground has done an admirable job in bringing this lost classic to DVD. There is a minimal presence of film blemishes in the occasional spot or spec. There is also a brief scratch that runs down the frame towards the end of the film. The film itself is full of soft lit scenes and soft focus shots much like many of its 80's low budget counterparts. It's tough to gain outstanding color definition under these conditions but Blue Underground has really done an outstanding job in preserving this film. These colors aren't going to leap off the screen at you, but I'd be willing to wager that this DVD is as close to the way this film originally appeared in theaters back in '81. Shot on a very low budget for the time, the film was most likely blown up for theatrical presentation. This DVD was mastered from a film print so rest assured there is no absence of film grain. Film grain aside, The Prowler looks better than it ever has, we couldn't have asked for much more from such a rare treat to begin with.

Sound is presented in Dolby Digital Mono and although a bit low sounds exceptionally well. Dialogue is crisp and clear with nice separation between music and effects. No, this mix won't blow you away, but it most certainly does The Prowler well.

It's great just to have The Prowler on DVD finally, but Blue Underground has done us all one better by including some mouth-watering extras. We start things off with a theatrical trailer which is in unusually great shape along with a still gallery that is chock full of advertising materials, poster artwork and behind the scenes photos. Now it's time for the money shot folks, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. We are given a 10 minute reel of behind the scenes video footage from Tom Savini's personal collection. This is great stuff as it covers just about every major special effects shot in the film, good stuff indeed. Last, but not least is a highly entertaining audio commentary with both Tom Savini and Joseph Zito. These guys are obviously buds (they have ALWAYS worked together) and it really shows. It's like having these two awesome (and extremely talented) gentlemen in your living room reminiscing about the good times. This commentary track is worth its weight in gold. The Prowler fans rejoice, we're home.

It's really easy to wrap this one up folks, so let's do this thing. Fans of The Prowler need this disc. Fans of 80's slasher films who have not seen this film need this disc. Lastly, if you're a fan of the 90's slasher boom (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Valentine, Urban Legend) first of all, shame on you! What were you thinking? Explore your roots, you need this disc as well.