Prom Night, 2008

Prom Night, 2008

By: Erica Montagna

Prom Night, directed by Nelson McCormick in 2008, is about a highschool girl named Donna (Brittany Snow), who is looking forward to her prom night with her amazing boyfriend Bobby, even after the tragic events that have led up to this very night. Donna had a science teacher, Mr. Fenton, at her high school, who quickly became obsessed with her and the idea of being with her. Donna’s parents immediately got him fired and got a restraining order against him, but that still didn’t stop him from getting what he wanted...Donna. One day, while Donna was out with her mother, she came home to find her father sprawled on the couch with his throat slit. She then tried waking up her little brother, who was also found dead in his bed. Suddenly, she heard her mother wailing from her bedroom. Donna quickly realizes that the killer is in her home and he’s looking for her. As the killer interrogates her mother, she climbs under the queen sized bed to hide and keep an eye on her mom and Mr. Fenton. He asks her once and for all, “Where is she?!” Her mother wails and says over and over that Donna isn’t home. The killer then stabs her mother five times in the abdomen. Donna locks eyes with her mother as she falls to the floor. Donna cried into the palm of her hand to keep from making any sounds. She slowly watched her mother’s eyes close and she dies on the carpet. Donna thinks the killer has left, so she runs outside to flag down a police officer driving by, then suddenly hears the killer whisper softly in her ear from behind her, “I did this for us”. This scene truly sends chills up your spine.

The movie then fast forwards three years later, Donna’s Senior Prom night. Donna was preparing for her big night the way every teenage girl does, spending all day at the hair salon, getting pampered from head to toe. While at the salon, she hallucinates, thinking she saw Mr. Fenton out the window. Once she is home from the salon and her dress is on, she is primping in the bathroom mirror. Her aunt startles her from behind, so her aunt asks if she remembered to take her anxiety medicine. Donna begins to explain to her that tonight she doesn’t want to take her anxiety medicine because for once, she doesn’t want to feel “numb”. She wants to remember every detail of her prom night… or does she? Here foreshadows just how much anxiety she will endure throughout the one night she doesn't think will cause her any stress whatsoever. Being surrounded by friends and a boyfriend who love her helps Donna feels safe, but not for long. The camera captures a stunning image of her as she stands in her white gown in the powder room, about to leave for the prom. Her white dress represents purity and innocence, two traits that appeal most to the killer. Minutes later, Bobby, Donna’s boyfriend, arrives to pick her up, and they are off. Little do they know that Mr. Fenton has been released from jail and he is out on the loose. Once they leave Donna’s residence that evening, the night doesn’t go as they planned.

During the course of this movie, Donna is portrayed as the helpless main female character who knows someone is after her. The killer is driven to stalk Donna and eventually kill people by a mix of serious psychological issues, lust, and sexual desire. He wants Donna all to himself, so in his crooked mind, he thinks that by eliminating those closest to Donna one by one, he will get her all to himself once and for all. His actions are similar to an “obsessive or abusive relationship” between a male and female partner in a relationship. Most of the time, the partner being abused doesn't know how to escape it Donna is trapped and once she realizes this in the film, she knows she has to change all together. She knows that the only way to survive is to know what move the killer is going to make, before he actually makes it. She becomes stronger and more aware as the film progresses, continuously finding ways to survive until the end. We do not know much about the background of the killer, but it is safe to assume that he didn't have a mother-figure in his life growing up, or was abused physically or sexually, so going after Donna is filling the empty gap in his life. All of the characters who play dominating positions of authority are all played by males, proving that women aren’t typically viewed as strong individuals in situations as serious as this one (the Killer, Police, FBI, Swat Team, the man who works at the front desk of the hotel, Ronnie, one of Donna’s friends, who checks in and gets the room keys for all the couples). These male characters control the way this movie unfolds, Donna is the helpless girl they are all trying to protect, besides the killer himself. (Similar to Dracula, Mina plays a large part in the take down of Dracula, but the novel still ends with males getting credit for being heroic). The killings of the female characters in this film are drawn out longer than the male killings, as they slowly scream, moan, and their eyes roll back slowly shut.

Slasher films aren't always realistic, but this slasher film is so eerie because of how truly realistic this storyline is. A young girl being stalked could very well happen to anyone, making this film so terrifying. There is something very disturbing about the concept of a man who can simply obsess over a young girl, grab a knife, and go on a rapid killing spree. Picking a night such as prom night to center this movie around was very clever on the movie director’s part. Prom is supposed to be a fun, carefree night, which is why these killings are able to happen so easily. When watching this film you want to say, "No, don't open that closet!" or "Don't walk up to your hotel room alone!" but without these vulnerable, almost unrealistic moments in the film, the killings wouldn't be able to happen so quickly and easily, leading the killer to the next victim on his list. None of these characters expect what ends up happening to them, because they are so caught up in their excitement of their prom night. 

Like most typical slasher films, the killer’s vengeance was centered around an attractive young women whom he tortures/victimizes through random acts of violence. As the movie is ending, the idea of “The Final Girl” comes into play. The final girl starts off in the beginning of the film as helpless and hysterical, but by the end and after she endures many conflicts throughout the film, this female figure takes on masculine traits, showing bravery, endurance, and power, in order to survive. Prom night is a great example of your typical "Slasher film", and many gender related stereotypes are embedded in this storyline.