MovieChat Forums > The Prowler (1981) Discussion > The Prowler vs. My Bloody Valentine

The Prowler vs. My Bloody Valentine


Which of these 1981 slashers do you prefer?

I figured I'd ask because when one film is being reviewed the other is very often mentioned due to their release dates and very similar plots.

I saw MY BLOODY VALENTINE first when I was much younger, and found it to be pretty creepy, but what I enjoyed the most about it was the thrilling chase scenes and escape attempts that the leads endured during the last act of the film.

THE PROWLER I saw much later, and honestly didn't like it very much at first. However, it has really grown on me over time. Now clearly the uncut version of PROWLER is much, more gorey than the cut version of MVB, so the gorey death scenes definitely managed to unsettle me.

PROWLER has a much slower pace than MVB which is where it suffers a little.

While the cut version of MVB is heavily edited, the thrilling chase scenes in the last act make up for it.

In PROWLER the killer isn't really targeting anyone in particular, so the fact that he just wanders about the campus killing random targets makes the film more suspenseful IMO... while MVB simply had the killer trapped in the mine with the kids picking them off one by one.

Therefore, I think MVB works better as an action/thriller type film, while PROWLER works more as a mystery/suspense type film.

Anyway after hearing me ramble for ages, what do you guys think?
Which of the films do you prefer?

I'd like to say that I love them equally, but despite their many similarities, they are both quite different, for some of the reasons I've mentioned above.

I'm gonna have to choose "The Prowler" personally. It's the exceedingly dark/depressing atmosphere that does it for me. The final confrontation with the killer is much more satisfying than the one in MVB.
Plus it has a very downbeat, albeit unoriginal, final scene. The gore effects are sensational. And I love the score.

OK, I'm done... now it's your turn.

(PS... I've posted this thread in the MVB forum as well.)

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[deleted]

I like THE PROWLER more. Never was a huge fan of MY BLOODY VALENTINE, but I still haven't seen the uncut version.

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My Bloody Valentine for me, I find it much more entertaining and has better re-watch value. The Prowler however wins in terms of the murder sequences as it did the near impossible and made gore scary, only other film to have pulled that off is High Tension.

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[deleted]

my bloody valentine

I hated Jaws, it had too much shark, and dont get me started about King Kong, waaay too much gorilla

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I prefer My Bloody Valentine and even though it was severely cut upon original release, it still played out as a more exciting and well shot creepy slasher. The Prowler is still a goody though, if only just for Savini's graphic make-up effects. It still has a good early 80's slasher vibe and atmosphere to it. I saw a censored version of this before I got to see the uncut one and it was still bloodier than what MBV had on offer.

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I'd have to go with My Bloody Valentine

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I can never pass up a chance to reply to a 16 year old post.

I really enjoy both movies, but I do think My Bloody Valentine is better. It's my second-favorite slasher (after the OG Halloween), so it's not a fair match, really.

That said, I still find The Prowler quite good, and the pair would make a fair double feature (or triple feature, if you throw in The Burning).

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Both are great but I'd have to vote for MBV.

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My Bloody Valentine is a better, more entertaining film.

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