The Prowler (1981 film)

Infobox_Film
name = The Prowler aka Rosemarys Killer


caption = Poster art for THE PROWLER
director = Joseph Zito
producer = David Streit
writer = Neal F. Barbera Glenn Leopold
starring = Vicky Dawson Christopher Goutman Lawrence Tierney Farley Granger Cindy Weintraub Thom Bray
cinematography = Joao Fernandes (credited as Raul Lomas)
music = Richard Einhorn
editing = Joel Goodman
distributor =
released = flagicon|USA April 29, 1981
runtime = 89 min.
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:39549
imdb_id = 0082951|

"The Prowler" is an American slasher movie released made in 1981, directed by Joseph Zito. It features special effects and makeup by Tom Savini. The film has been praised by gore fans for its brutal and realistic murder scenes.

Plot summary

In 1945, a World War II veteran returns home to Avalon Bay, New Jersey to find a "Dear John letter" left by his girlfriend. He then murders her and her new boyfriend at the graduation dance. Thirty-five years later, at the first dance since the killings, the murderer is back, decked out in battledress and with an assortment of weapons, to kill again. Meanwhile, Sheriff George Fraser (Farley Granger) is on his annual fishing trip and has left the town to his deputy Mark London (Christopher Goutman), who investigates the killings with his (almost) girlfriend, Pam MacDonald (Vicky Lawson).

Trivia

* The Prowler is known as "Rosemary's Killer" in Australia, Europe and The United Kingdom, and is missing almost a minute of Savini's gore effects.
* The film has close connections with "Maniac" directed by William Lustig, which was made a year earlier.
* Tom Savini referred to The Prowler as some of his best work as a special effects artist.
* Peter Giuliano played the killer while masked, though he was uncredited.
* Peter Giuliano went on to be First Assistant Director on the films "Ghostbusters", "Ghostbusters II", "Twins", "Kindergarten Cop", and Francis Ford Coppola's Film "Bram Stoker's Dracula".
*Joseph Zito and Tom Savini would work together again in the similarly toned 1984 slasher film, "".
*Some of the film's notorious kill scenes were heavily edited in the American version, including: Some of Rosemary and her boyfriend's double pitchfork impalement, a graphic shot or two from the sword, shower, and pool deaths, and a longer extra shot of the head explosion at the end.

DVD

*DVD released: September 3, 2002
*Approximate running time: 89 minutes (Uncut Version)
*Aspect ratio: Anamorphic 1.85:1
*Rating: NR
*Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
*DVD Release: Blue Underground/Image
*Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC

The extras include a trailer, a still and poster gallery, behind the scenes gore footage with Tom Savini and an audio commentary with Joseph Zito and Tom Savini.