Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil

The Prom Night series comes to a close with this expectedly ineffective entry, which, oddly enough, has absolutely nothing to do with its three predecessors (a brief reference to Hamilton High is about the extent of it). Saddled with a completely styleless and bland visual sensibility, Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil follows four interchangeable teens (Nicole de Boer’s Meagan, J.H. Wyman’s Mark, Joy Tanner’s Laura, and Alle Ghadban’s Jeff) as they embark on a weekend of fun and debauchery at a desolate cabin – where they’re eventually stalked by a demented priest (James Carver’s Father Jonas) whose modus operandi is never made entirely clear (aside from the fact that he really, really hates teenagers). Screenwriter Richard Beattie initially places a pronounced (and entirely unwarranted) emphasis on the exploits of Carver’s egregiously pointless character, and there’s subsequently little doubt that one’s patience is continually tested by the interminable series of sequences revolving around his almost hilariously over-the-top shenanigans. The film only worsens as it progresses, as director Clay Borris includes exceedingly few elements designed to hold the viewer’s interest – with one notable exception being a scene in which one of the teens momentarily thwarts her pursuer with the old bug-spray-to-the-face trick.

* out of ****