Cinema Canada (Oct 1979)

IN PROGREI... Prom Night d. Paul Lynch asst. d. Steve Wright sc. William Gray ph. Bob New sp. ph. effects Al Cotter ed. Brian Ravok, cfe sd. Brian Day stunt co-ord. Terry Martin set dec. Joanne Chorney cost. Kat Moyer I.p. Leslie Nielson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Steven, Eddie Benton, Antoinette Bower p. Peter Simpson assoc. p. Richard Simpson pub. Elizabeth Blomme/David Novek, Berger and Asso. Inc. p. manager Daniel Nyberg p.c. Simcom Ltd. 1979. It was pitch black, but you could feel the energy and anticipation in the air. They had just loaded a van full of explosives and gasoline and were about to push it over the Scarborough Bluffs. Everyone was tired after the long, intense shoot, but you could tell that they were up for this. Stuntman Terry Martin carefully went over his game plan: by the time he reached his cut off point (marked only by a tiny light) he had to jump clear of the van before it was pushed over the cliff. Al Cotter had so much nervous energy that he was biting the end of his hammer. It was his job to rig the van with explosives and a radio detonator, so that the van could be exploded in the air. The question was, Could he make it work? A retake would be very costly indeed. The cameras were hauled down the slope with a huge crane and the crew precariously scrambled down after them. Bob New was in charge of arranging the four-camera set-up. He, of course, picked the hot seat, and placed his Panaflex down the bluff where the first and largest explosion was to take place. Finally, after every detail has been checked a dozen times theyre ready to shoot. The luxury of a rehearsal is impossible. Steve Wright, the first A.D. calls for the cameras to roll, and when they are all turning over he motions the van for action. It almost gets up to speed, then jumps out of the special track that was designed to keep it on course. The take is cut and everyone takes a deep breath. Casey Stevens and Jamie Lee Curtis in a pensive scene from the musical, mystery thriller, Prom Night : a moment camouflaging the horror that awaits... When Paul Lynch, a part time graphic artist and two-time feature director, roughed outa graphic ad for Prom Night and stuck it on the wall in his office, he had little idea that it would be the springboard to his third feature production. “It all happened in a couple of weeks. Actually, we only started preparing at the beginning of March. The script was written in about six weeks...” The film which commenced principal photography August 7, under D.O.P. Bob New, was scripted by Bill Gray from a story by Bob Gouza. Prom Night is being produced by Peter and Richard Simpson of Simcom Limited. Simcom is the organization that was responsible for producing the Sea Gypsies and The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams in the U.S. Prom Night is their first feature in Canada, and although they refer to it as their only Canadian production, rumour has it that they might be responsible for at least three more features in Canada next year. Prom Night seems designed, primarily, to fill the feature gap that occurs between the April to May slump. During that time the major distributors are caught between their large pre-Christmas and summer releases, and the hope is that Prom Night will fill the product shortage that occurs then. It is also slated for release when most of the proms take place across North America, and this could be a factor at the box office. The story is set in Ohio, and involves a group of teenagers who are attending their high school graduation. During the day that surrounds the prom a number of the students are murdered by a mysterious killer who is seeking revenge for an accidental death that occurred years before. The killer plans to murder all those that he feels were connected, or responsible for this death. Major roles are being played by Leslie Nielson (the principal of the school), Antoinette Bower (his wife), Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Tough (their children), as well as Casey Stevens and Eddie Benton. Lynch was delighted to work on the project because it allowed him to do some Cinema Canada/3