Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II

Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bruce Pittman
Produced by Peter R. Simpson
Written by Ron Oliver
Starring
Music by Paul Zaza
Cinematography John Herzog
Edited by Nick Rotundo
Distributed by Norstar Releasing
Alliance Atlantis
The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date
 October 16, 1987
Running time
 97 min.
Country Canada
Language English
Budget $1,500,000 - $2,000,000 (estimated)
Box office $2,683,519 (domestic) [1]

Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II is a 1987 Canadian slasher film, the second installment in the Prom Night saga. It introduced the killer ghost Mary Lou Maloney, who returned in 1989's Prom Night III: The Last Kiss.[2]

Plot

In 1957, seventeen-year-old Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) enters a church, where she confesses her sins to the priest (Jay Smith), claiming to have disobeyed her parents, used the Lord's name in vain and had sinful relations with various boys. The pastor tells her that "these are great sins and she should prepare herself for the consequences." Before leaving, Mary Lou tells the priest that she loved every minute of it and leaves her phone number in the confession booth along with a written message: "For a good time call Mary Lou."

Later, at the 1957 prom at Hamilton High School, Mary Lou is attending with rich Billy Nordham who gives her a ring with her initials on it. Shortly after receiving Billy's ring, Mary Lou sends him off to get punch while she sneaks backstage with Buddy Cooper, where the two are found making out by Billy. Storming off after Mary Lou claims she used him, Billy, while in the washroom, overhears two boys preparing a stink bomb and, when the boys abandon the bomb in the trash due to a teacher approaching, Billy grabs it. When Mary Lou is crowned prom queen, Billy, having snuck up onto the catwalk, drops the bomb on her before she is crowned. To the horror of Billy and everyone in attendance, the fuse of the bomb ignites Mary Lou's dress and she dies after going up in flames, but not before seeing that Billy is the one who killed her.

Thirty years later, high school student Vicki Carpenter (Wendy Lyon) goes looking for a prom dress in the school prop room after being denied a new dress by her overly religious mother. While searching, Vicki finds an old trunk containing Mary Lou's prom queen accessories (her cape, sash, ring and crown) and takes them, releasing Mary Lou's Hell-bound spirit. After Vicki leaves Mary Lou's clothes in the art room after school, Vicki's friend Jess Browning (Beth Gondek) finds them and, after wedging a jewel out of the crown, is attacked by an unseen force and hung from a light by Mary Lou's cape. Jess's death is deemed a suicide caused by her despair over her recent discovery that she was pregnant.

After Jess's death, Vicki finds herself plagued by nightmarish hallucinations caused by Mary Lou and she confides in Buddy Cooper (Richard Monette), who is now a priest and, after hearing Vicki's stories, believes Mary Lou may be back. Going to Mary Lou's grave, where his bible bursts into flames, Buddy afterwards tries to warn Billy (now played by Michael Ironside), who is now the principal of Hamilton High and the father of Vicki's boyfriend Craig (Louis Ferreira); Buddy's warnings fall on deaf ears, with Billy refusing to believe that Mary Lou has returned to reclaim her title as prom queen and to take revenge on those who wronged her.

During a detention caused by her slapping her rival Kelly Hennenlotter (Terri Hawkes), who she envisioned was Mary Lou, Vicki is dragged into the classroom chalkboard, which turns to liquid. Taking control of Vicki's body, Mary Lou visits Buddy at the church and, revealing her identity to him, kills him by stabbing him in the face with a miniature crucifix. Disposing of Buddy's corpse, Mary Lou makes over Vicki's body, her new mannerisms and style of dress arousing the concern of Vicki's friend Monica Waters. After confronting Mary Lou in the girls locker room, Monica is murdered by Mary Lou when, after hiding from Mary Lou in a locker, she is crushed when Mary Lou makes the locker collapse in on her, causing Monica's brain to spurt out through the locker ventilation slits.

After Monica's murder, Mary Lou seduces Craig and lures him away under the pretense of having sex, only to knock him unconscious and afterward confront and taunt Billy, revealing her identity to him. Finding the injured Craig, Billy takes him home and knocks him back out when Craig tries to go after Mary Lou. With Craig unconscious, Billy digs up Mary Lou's grave and finds the dead Buddy in the coffin, which prompts him to acquire a gun and head to the prom. At Vicki's house, Mary Lou seduces Vicki's father Walt and is found kissing him by her mother Virginia, who tries to stop Mary Lou/Vicki from leaving for the prom, only to be telekinetically smashed through the front door.

Arriving at the prom, Mary Lou enjoys the festivities while Kelly, in order to become prom queen, fellates tally counter Josh as a bribe. When Josh changes the outcome of the votes to make Kelly winner instead of Vicki, Mary Lou, sensing this, electrocutes Josh through his computer and changes the outcome back. When she is crowned prom queen, Mary Lou goes up on stage, but is shot moments before getting her crown by Billy. Arriving after the shooting, Craig, reaching what appears to be the dying Vicki, is knocked back when Vicki changes into a charred corpse and then into Mary Lou. In the havoc caused by Mary Lou's appearance, Kelly is killed by a falling light fixture and Craig is chased into the school prop room by Mary Lou, who opens a vortex to the Underworld that begins to suck Craig in. Before Craig is pulled through the gateway, Billy arrives and places the crown on Mary Lou and kisses her, apparently appeasing her spirit, which vanishes, releasing Vicki.

With Mary Lou gone, Vicki and Craig leave with Billy, getting into his car. When Billy turns on the radio, Mary Lou's signature song "Hello Mary Lou" plays and Billy, revealing he is wearing Mary Lou's ring (apparently as revenge for killing her in the first place thirty years ago, Mary Lou had possessed him, making him her new host), drives off with the terrified Vicki and Craig.

Cast

Production

The film was originally titled The Haunting of Hamilton High, and includes many references and homages to past horror films in its script, including A Nightmare on Elm Street, Carrie, and The Exorcist. In addition, several characters were named after popular horror film directors, including John Carpenter, George Romero, Wes Craven, and Tod Browning.[3] The film was filmed on location in Alberta at Archbishop O'Leary High School. Producer Peter Simpson and The Samuel Goldwyn Company re-shot half of the film before it completed production. The film was later retitled by Alliance Films to build on the success of Prom Night, which Simpson feels hurt the film.[4]

Reception

The film grossed $911,351 in its opening weekend, and ended up making $2,683,519 at the U.S. box office. The film was more of a success on home video.[5] It currently has an approval rating of 38% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 reviews.[6]

DVD releases

As a tie-in for the release of the 2008 remake of Prom Night, MGM Home Entertainment (distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) released a new widescreen DVD of Hello Mary Lou on April 1, 2008.[7] The film had earlier been released in Canada in 2003 as a full-screen DVD from Alliance Atlantis, who has since regained rights to release Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II again, as part of a 5 horror movie collection DVD set from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment in 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  2. ↑ Saturday Nightmares: Hello Mary Lou - Prom Night II (1987)
  3. ↑ http://www.canuxploitation.com/review/promnight2.html
  4. ↑ http://www.terrortrap.com/interviews/petersimpson/02/
  5. ↑ Canuxploitation Review: Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II
  6. ↑ "Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/sd-dvd-film-documentary/269979-mgm-press-release-hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii.html


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