September Drive-In Super Monster-Rama is back at The Riverside Drive-In Theatre, September 19 and 20, 2025. Two big nights with four feature films each night include:
- Friday, September 26: Hellraiser, Phantasm, Prom Night, Hello, Mary Lou: Prom Night 2
- Saturday. September 27: The Exorcist, The Shining, the Grindhouse Releasing 4K restoration drive-in premiere of Scream Bloody Murder and Gargoyles
If I’ve learned anything from Cathy’s Curse, it’s that when someone in Canada gets possessed, they just get rude and swear a lot. This movie—no relation to Prom Night—only adds to my theory.
Originally entitled The Haunting of Hamilton High, this film is rife with horror trivia, such as lockers that look exactly like A Nightmare on Elm Street, allusions to Carrie and a character who references The Exorcist. Several characters are named after famous horror folks, too.
Back in 1957, Mary Lou Maloney goes to confession and doesn’t follow the rules. She’s disobeyed her parents, used the Lord’s name in vain and had sex with many boys — and she loved every minute of it. Then, she leaves her number for the priest.
At the prom that night, her boyfriend Billy (soon to be played by Michael Ironside) gives her a ring, but she just tells him to get her some punch. That’s so she can have sex with Buddy Cooper. Billy discovers them, grabs a stink bomb and throws it at her when she gets crowned prom queen, à la Carrie. Her dress goes up in flames, and she dies in front of the entire class.
In 1987, thirty years later, Vicki Carpenter has a rough time getting ready for prom. Her mother refuses to allow her to buy a new dress and doesn’t approve of her boyfriend. She searches the school’s prop room for a dress and finds Mary Lou’s doomed gown. It starts claiming victims right away, like Vicki’s best friend Jess, who is killed by a beam from the tiara. Seeing as how she was despondent about being jilted while pregnant, everyone figures her death was just a suicide.
Vicki has nightmares every night and confides in her priest, who ends up being Buddy. He believes Mary Lou may be back, a fact that’s confirmed when a Bible bursts into flames at her grave. He tries to warn Billy, who isn’t the principal and is the father of Vicki’s boyfriend, Craig.
Vicki is at war with Kelly Hennelotter (Terri Hawkes, Killer Party), the meanest girl in school. Mary Lou takes over Vicki’s body at a detention caused by a fight between the two girls. She goes to confession at Buddy’s church and unleashes a torrent of obscenities before stabbing him in the face with a crucifix.
Mary Lou makes Vicki into a 50s girl, just like she was. When Monica tries to get to the bottom of everything, she’s killed by being crushed inside a locker.
Mary Lou seduces Craig, something that the virginal Vicki would never do. His father rescues him just as Mary Lou reveals herself. He knocks out his son once he ensures that he is safe and digs up Mary Lou’s grave. Inside? Buddy’s dead body.
Then it gets really crazy. Mary Lou takes Vicki home, makes out with her father, then tosses her mother through a door.
At the prom, evil girl Kelly gives Josh, the geeky horror movie fan, a blowjob to win the prom queen crown. Too bad for Josh, as Mary Lou electrocutes the poor geek and switches the outcome. As she takes the stage, Billy shoots her. That’s when all hell breaks loose, as Mary Lou turns into a charred corpse and tries to bring Craig into hell. His father saves him at the last minute by returning Mary Lou’s crown and kissing her.
That’s not the real ending, though. It turns out that Mary Lou is now inside the principal, and he drives off with his son and Vicki!
I wasn’t expecting much from this movie, yet it entertained me more than I expected. It surprised me with its sheer lewdness and language in the confession scene. There haven’t been many horror movies with a villain that doesn’t punish those who have sex but wants more of it.
Here’s a drink for this movie.
Prom Night Virgin (from Tipsy Bartender)
- 1 oz. Southern Comfort
- 1/2 oz.peach schnapps
- 3 oz. Mountain Dew
- 1/2 oz. grenadine
- Fill a glass with ice and pour over the Southern Comfort, schnapps and soda.
- Drizzle in grenadine…like blood.
