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The Prowler

The Prowler

Horror · Thriller · Mystery · 1981

Thirty years after a murder on the night of Avalon Bay's graduation dance, the sleepy town's teens meet grisly ends at the hands of a prowler once thought to be a jilted soldier home from war.

Movie details

The Prowler

“If you think you're safe... you're DEAD wrong!”

1981 Horror · Thriller · Mystery 1h 29m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.8 / 10

Community rating

Thirty years after a murder on the night of Avalon Bay's graduation dance, the sleepy town's teens meet grisly ends at the hands of a prowler once thought to be a jilted soldier home from war.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Prowler?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Joseph Zito

Written by

Neal Barbera · Glenn Leopold

V

Vicky Dawson

Pam MacDonald

Christopher Goutman

Christopher Goutman

Mark London

Lawrence Tierney

Lawrence Tierney

Maj. Chatham

Farley Granger

Farley Granger

Sheriff George Fraser

Cindy Weintraub

Cindy Weintraub

Lisa

Lisa Dunsheath

Lisa Dunsheath

Sherry

David Sederholm

David Sederholm

Carl

Court is in session

Put The Prowler on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.