Like the first Prom Night, Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II was a mild success. As a result of that, a second sequel was born two years later and would follow the storyline of II instead of I and instead of starting a new storyline like IV, but that’s a whole other can of worms. I like both I & II very much and for different reasons, but after that what else is there? What else can be done to keep the series fresh? Well in the case of Prom Night III: The Last Kiss, the filmmakers followed in the footsteps of the later Nightmare on Elm Street sequels and gave us a campy gorefest with plenty of visual style to boot. Whether or not if that’s a good thing is up to the viewer, but personally I was a happy camper.

Pros: Never a dull moment. Decent performances, the best from Cyndy Preston as the “hero’s” girlfriend. Plenty of creative and gory kills. Some OK gore, make-up, and visual effects. Directors Ron Oliver and Peter Simpson inject quite a bit of style into the film, making it a visual feast, especially in the second half. Some of the campy humor works. Lastly, this sequel has a kind of ending that’s rare in the horror genre.

Cons: Some of the humor falls flat on it’s face. Highly derivative of the later Nightmare on Elm Street films due to a wisecracking villain, over-the-top kills, and more style than substance (For this film this is both a plus and a minus). The score is mediocre for any film, but it’s also not fit for this one and feels more right for a straight comedy.

Final thoughts: In the long line of sequels to classic 80s horror films, Prom Night III is certainly one of the most entertaining. It is however vastly different than the first film and even the second which was somewhat campy, so if you don’t like dark comedy with your blood and gore then you might want to avoid this. Otherwise, get ready for an hour and a half of no-brainer entertainment.