Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2 (1987)

Director: Bruce Pittman

Starring: Lisa Schrage, Michael Ironside, Wendy Lyon

Thirty years after her accidental death at her 1957 senior prom, the tortured spirit of prom queen Mary Lou Maloney returns to seek revenge.

Take a generous dose of ‘Carrie’, add a dash of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, and a pinch of ‘The Evil Dead’, and you get ‘Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2’. With the amount of 80’s horrors I’ve seen I didn’t really expect to find another 80’s horror slasher gem, but here it is!

At the prom of 1957, Mary Lou – a naughty girl who loves every moment – ditches her prom date Bill Nordham for Buddy Cooper. When Mary Lou is crowned the Prom Queen, a jealous Bill aims to embarrass her in front of everyone, but it goes horribly wrong resulting in her death. (Off course it is impossible for a dress to go up in flames that quickly, but lets forget this technicality for the sake of the movie).

30 Years later preparations are in full swing for Prom Night. Bill Nordham is now the school principal. His son, Craig, is going out with Vicki. When Vicki’s over-religious mother refuses her a new dress for the Prom, Vicki goes looking for a dress in the school’s prop room. Opening an old trunk, she inadvertently releases Mary Lou’s spirit.

Soon after, one of Vicki’s friends die in an apparent suicide. Haunted by her death – and by stories of Mary Lou – Vicki starts having nightmarish hallucinations (in true ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ style). When she becomes possessed by Mary Lou, this allows for good character development.

When Bill starts suspecting the strange events are caused by Mary Lou, he contacts Buddy, who now is a priest. Initially dismissing the thought as crazy, Buddy decides to bless Mary Lou’s grave, but when he finds it empty, he realizes she indeed returned for vengeance.

With substance, good characters, some funny humour, and really cool practical and special effects, ‘Mary Lou: Prom Night 2’ is miles better than its predecessor, and a worthy addition to the 80’s slasher genre. This was surprisingly good, actually.

Would I watch it again? Yes.