Prom Night III: The Last Kiss (1990)

**_The most all-around entertaining installment of the slasher series_** Mary Lou returns from the Underworld to seduce a male student at Hamilton High (likable Tim Conlon) and wreak more havoc at the school. “Prom Night III: The Last Kiss” (1990) and the previous film, "Hello Mary Lou," "Prom Night II" (1987), are the only installments in the franchise that are directly related in that they involve the malevolent spirit of Mary Lou Maloney. The original “Prom Night” (1980) is a whodunnit slasher with Jamie Lee Curtis while “Part IV” (1991) involves a crazy puritanical priest. Yet all four films (not including 2008's "Prom Night") are connected in that they begin with the 1957 prom at Hamilton High School, near Cleveland, Ohio (this location is clearly established in the original film, for anyone who cares). The big difference with this chapter is that it adds a lot of droll, witty comedy. It’s surprisingly well-written (by Ron Oliver) and hilarious throughout. A couple of examples include the send-up of vintage VD scare movies for the classroom and the gut-busting PA announcements. Like the previous flick, it has pizazz that the prosaic first movie lacks and ups the ante in all-around amusement. I can imagine the director/writer gathering the cast & crew and saying something like, "Look, we're not making 'Citizen Kane' here, so let's have fun and make a really entertaining movie." It has the milieu of "Carrie" (1976), but with a tone & theme closer to “Christine” (1983) plus the addition of a great sense of droll humor in the manner of “Cutting Class” from the year prior (don’t expect an over-the-top spoof, like “Scary Movie”). The fact that the antagonist is a sinister specter that uses creative illusions recalls the first two "A Nightmare on Elm Street" flicks (1984/1985). Courtney Taylor stands out on the feminine front as the sly and seductive Mary Lou. Fetching Cynthia Preston (Sarah) and Juno Mills Cockell (Leah) are also worth a mention. The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Toronto. GRADE: A-