I saw Prison in 1988, when I was a young and impressionable child, and it really freaked me out. Did you ever see horror movies when you were a kid and think "how could anyone make anything so horrible?" This was one of these movies where I was even afraid to look at the video box in case actual evil came out of it. That's how my mind worked.
Flash-forward 31 years and I'm now a smart and intelligent grown-up (!) ready to properly watch the film with an analytical mind and I assure you it is one of the best, if perhaps a little obscure, 80s horrors. The decade belonged to Freddy and Jason with a few classic Carpenters and studio productions, but a few schlocky horrors managed to sneak in there. Prison, while not groundbreaking, definitely deserves a lot of appreciation.
Viggo Mortensen plays a car thief sent to do some hard time in the fun house, only the construction of a new super-max facility has fallen behind and the authorities decide to re-open the ramshackle Wyoming State Penitentiary and reinstate the hardcore old warden Sharpe (Richard Nixon lookalike Lane Smith). As soon as the doors are locked the men are tormented by a vengeful spirit that turns the slammer into a hell on Earth.
I was surprised at how much characterization there was. The cons are not just disposable meat but men with personalities and are well acted. The production design, lighting, and photography are genuinely spooky with a believable, earthy realism. How could Renny Harlin show this much enthusiasm early in his career only to become lazy and workman like by the end of the 90s?
With awesome make-up and gore effects, a little bit of mystery, and a surprising (if flatly handled) twist, Prison rightfully earns distinction in a decade that is filled with a lot of cheap horror trash. I do object to Charles Band's score, which is a straight-up rip-off of the suspense tracks from James Horner's score to Aliens. Other than that, Prison ought to be on every horror fan's list.
Flash-forward 31 years and I'm now a smart and intelligent grown-up (!) ready to properly watch the film with an analytical mind and I assure you it is one of the best, if perhaps a little obscure, 80s horrors. The decade belonged to Freddy and Jason with a few classic Carpenters and studio productions, but a few schlocky horrors managed to sneak in there. Prison, while not groundbreaking, definitely deserves a lot of appreciation.
Viggo Mortensen plays a car thief sent to do some hard time in the fun house, only the construction of a new super-max facility has fallen behind and the authorities decide to re-open the ramshackle Wyoming State Penitentiary and reinstate the hardcore old warden Sharpe (Richard Nixon lookalike Lane Smith). As soon as the doors are locked the men are tormented by a vengeful spirit that turns the slammer into a hell on Earth.
I was surprised at how much characterization there was. The cons are not just disposable meat but men with personalities and are well acted. The production design, lighting, and photography are genuinely spooky with a believable, earthy realism. How could Renny Harlin show this much enthusiasm early in his career only to become lazy and workman like by the end of the 90s?
With awesome make-up and gore effects, a little bit of mystery, and a surprising (if flatly handled) twist, Prison rightfully earns distinction in a decade that is filled with a lot of cheap horror trash. I do object to Charles Band's score, which is a straight-up rip-off of the suspense tracks from James Horner's score to Aliens. Other than that, Prison ought to be on every horror fan's list.