View source for Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II



{{Infobox film
| name           = Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II
| image          = Prom Night 2.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Bruce Pittman]]
| producer       = [[Peter Simpson (film producer)|Peter R. Simpson]]
| writer         = [[Ron Oliver]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Michael Ironside]]
* [[Wendy Lyon]]
* [[Louis Ferreira|Justin Louis]]
* [[Lisa Schrage]]
* [[Richard Monette]]
}}
| music          = [[Paul Zaza]]
| cinematography = John Herzog
| editing        = Nick Rotundo
| studio         = Simcom Limited<ref name=dambrofsky/>
| distributor    = {{unbulleted list|Norstar Entertainment (Canada)<ref name=Adilman>{{cite news|date=June 15, 1987|last=Adilman|first=Sid|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star/192182214/|work=[[Toronto Star]]|title=Waxman cops caper with comic Jay Leno|page=D3|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>|[[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] (United States)<ref name=Adilman/><ref name=State/>}}
| released       = {{Film date|1987|10|16}}
| runtime        = 97 minutes{{sfn|Stine|2003|p=143}}
| country        = Canada
| language       = English
| budget         = [[Canadian dollar|CA]]$2.5 million<ref name=dodd>{{cite news|work=[[Edmonton Journal]]|last=Dodd|first=John|date=August 22, 1986|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37146767/edmonton_journal/|title=Flick puts city on horror map|page=25|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=October 13, 2019|archive-date=October 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013232834/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37146767/edmonton_journal/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross          = [[United States dollar|US]]$2.7 million<ref name="boxmojo">{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=promnight2.htm |title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987) |access-date=September 20, 2017 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305105527/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=promnight2.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

'''''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II''''' is a 1987 Canadian [[Supernatural horror film|supernatural]] [[slasher film]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movingimage.us/event/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii/|work=[[Museum of the Moving Image]]|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202050739/https://movingimage.us/event/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii/|archive-date=December 2,  2023}}</ref> directed by [[Bruce Pittman]], written by [[Ron Oliver]], and starring [[Michael Ironside]], [[Wendy Lyon]], [[Louis Ferreira]], and [[Lisa Schrage]]. It follows Vicki Carpenter, a high school student who becomes [[Spirit possession|possessed]] by Mary Lou Maloney, a student who died at her high school prom in 1957. A sequel to the slasher film ''[[Prom Night (1980 film)|Prom Night]]'' (1980), it was originally made as a standalone film titled ''The Haunting of Hamilton High'', but was retitled in order to capitalize on the success of the original ''Prom Night'', also produced by [[Peter Simpson (film producer)|Peter R. Simpson]]. The sole narrative connection between the two films is that they are set at the same high school. 

Filmed in [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]] in 1986, the film was retitled ''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' by its Canadian distributor, Norstar Entertainment. It was released theatrically in the United States by [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] in October 1987, and grossed nearly $3 million at the U.S. box office. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with many drawing stylistic comparisons to various other films of the era, ranging from [[David Lynch]]'s ''[[Blue Velvet (film)|Blue Velvet]]'' to its horror contemporaries ''[[Carrie (1976 film)|Carrie]]'' and ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]''.<ref name=canby/>{{sfn|Mayo|2011|p=284}}

The film went on to develop a [[cult film|cult following]] in the years after its release.<ref name=Mahoney/> The character Mary Lou Maloney would also appear in the next installment in the franchise, ''[[Prom Night III: The Last Kiss]]'' (1990). 

==Plot==
In 1957, at a high school senior prom, student Billy Nordham discovers his date Mary Lou Maloney making out with another boy named Buddy Cooper. Mary Lou breaks up with Billy and infuriates him when she reveals that she was just using him. Shortly after, Mary Lou is announced prom queen, and Billy, looking for revenge, throws a [[stink bomb]] onto the stage as a prank. However, the fuse of the bomb accidentally ignites Mary Lou's dress, and she burns to death in front of the horrified students, but not before looking up and seeing who was responsible.

30 years later, student Vicki Carpenter goes looking for a dress in the school prop room after being denied a new dress by her extremely religious mother Virginia. There, Vicki finds an old trunk containing the cape and crown that Mary Lou was supposed to wear during the crowning ceremony. She takes the accessories and leaves them in the school overnight, inadvertently releasing Mary Lou's spirit in the process. That night, Vicki's friend Jess Browning is killed by Mary Lou's ghost after she tries to remove the jewels from her crown. Jess's death is ruled as a [[suicide]] brought on by an unexpected pregnancy.

Vicki begins experiencing surreal, nightmarish hallucinations involving Mary Lou and informs Buddy, who is now a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] priest. The following night, Buddy's bible spontaneously combusts after he attempts to bless Mary Lou's grave. Worried, Buddy approaches Billy, who is now the high school principal. He tries to warn Billy that Mary Lou has come back from the grave, but is dismissed as crazy. Later, Vicki winds up in detention after she inadvertently slaps her rival Kelly Henenlotter during another hallucination. There, Vicki is [[spirit possession|possessed]] by Mary Lou after she pulls her through a blackboard that transforms into a [[whirlpool]]. That night, Vicki confronts Buddy at the church and murders him after revealing her possession.

The next day, Vicki's friends notice that her personality and fashion style have suddenly changed drastically. One of Vicki's friends, Monica Waters, privately confronts Vicki in the locker room, but is killed quickly after doing so. Vicki then reveals her possession to Billy and taunts him. That night, Billy finds Mary Lou's corpse missing from her grave, with Buddy's corpse in its place.

At the prom, Kelly, desperate to become prom queen, [[fellatio|fellates]] her classmate Josh since he is in charge of the voting results. When Josh changes the outcome to make Kelly the winner, Vicki electrocutes him to death through his computer and reverses his changes. Once announced as prom queen, Vicki goes up on stage and eagerly waits for her crown. Before she can get it, Billy shoots her multiple times to the horror of the crowd. Shortly after, the now-fully resurrected Mary Lou bursts out of Vicki's body, and uses her powers to wreak havoc on the prom, killing Kelly in the process. Billy tries to shoot the undead Mary Lou, but falls and injures himself.

Mary Lou sets her sights on Billy's son and Vicki's boyfriend Craig, whom she chases into the prop room. She attempts to use the trunk that held her spirit to open a vortex to suck Craig into the [[underworld]], but before she can, Billy arrives with her crown and finally gives it to Mary Lou, seemingly bringing an end to her murderous wrath. Vicki, now free of possession, comes out of the trunk and reunites with Craig. Billy offers to drive them both home after making sure they are both okay. After they get into his car, however, Billy reveals that he is now possessed by Mary Lou, before driving off with the terrified Vicki and Craig.

==Cast==
{{cast list|
* [[Michael Ironside]] as Principal Bill "Billy" Nordham
** Steve Atkinson as Young Billy Nordham
* [[Wendy Lyon]] as Vicki Carpenter
* [[Louis Ferreira|Justin Louis]] as Craig Nordham
* [[Richard Monette]] as Father Buddy Cooper
** Robert Lewis as Young Buddy Cooper
* [[Lisa Schrage]] as Mary Lou Maloney
** Lorretta Bailey as Mary Lou Maloney {{small|(creature)}}
* [[Terri Hawkes]] as Kelly Hennenlotter
* Beverley Hendry as Monica Waters
* Brock Simpson as Josh
* Beth Gondek as Jess Browning
* [[Wendell Smith (actor)|Wendell Smith]] as Walt Carpenter 
* Judy Mahbey as Virginia Carpenter 
* [[John Pyper-Ferguson]] as Eddie Wood
* [[Vincent Gale]] as Rejected Boy
* Michael Evans as Matthew Dante
* Dennis Robinson as Mr. Craven
* Larry Musser as Mr. O'Bannon 
* Glen Gretzky as Robert
* David Robertson as Mr. King
}}

==Production==
===Development===
The project, originally titled ''The Haunting of Hamilton High'',<ref name=blumhouse>{{cite web|url=http://www.blumhouse.com/2017/03/24/high-school-retrospective-a-look-back-at-hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii/|work=[[Blumhouse Productions]]|title=High School Retrospective: A Look Back At Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II|author=Castor, Phil|date=March 24, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326065948/https://www.blumhouse.com/2017/03/24/high-school-retrospective-a-look-back-at-hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii/|archive-date=March 26, 2017}}</ref> marked [[Ron Oliver]]'s first screenplay.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nanarland.com/interviews/entretiens/en/interview-with-ron-olivier.html|work=Nanarland|title=Interview with Ron Oliver|date=September 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123093123/https://www.nanarland.com/interviews/entretiens/en/interview-with-ron-olivier.html|archive-date=January 23, 2025}}</ref> Oliver incorporated many references and homages to past horror films in the script, including ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' (1984), ''[[Carrie (1976 film)|Carrie]]'' (1976),<ref name=canby/> and ''[[The Exorcist]]'' (1973).<ref name=Mahar>{{cite news|work=[[The Oregonian]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oregonian/192486049/|date=January 11, 1988|last=Mahar|first=Ted|title='Hello Mary Lou' among contenders for 'worsts'|page=4M|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In addition, several characters were named after popular horror film directors and other cult figures, including [[John Carpenter]], [[George A. Romero]], [[Wes Craven]], [[Frank Henenlotter]], [[Stephen King]], [[John Waters]], [[Dan O'Bannon]], [[Ed Wood|Edward D. Wood Jr.]] and [[Tod Browning]].<ref name=blumhouse/><ref name=can/>  

[[Peter Simpson (film producer)|Peter R. Simpson]] and his [[Toronto]]-based production company Simcom Limited produced the film;<ref name=dambrofsky/><ref name=pecchia>{{cite news|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37148302/the_los_angeles_times/|title=High Hopes|last=Pecchia|first=David|date=August 3, 1986|via=Newspapers.com|page=30|access-date=October 13, 2019|archive-date=October 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013232836/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37148302/the_los_angeles_times/|url-status=live}}</ref> Simcom had also produced ''[[Prom Night (1980 film)|Prom Night]]'' (1980).<ref name=Unveiled/>  The media company [[Western International Communications|Allarcom]] also co-funded the production.<ref name=dodd/><ref name=Lacey/> Supervising executive producer Ray Sager had previously served as an executive producer of several other Canadian-produced horror films, including ''[[My Bloody Valentine (film)|My Bloody Valentine]]'', ''[[Terror Train]]'' (both 1981), and ''[[Humongous (1982 film)|Humongous]]'' (1982).<ref name=Lacey/> Sager likened the film to a "horror version of ''[[Back to the Future]]''."<ref name=dambrofsky/>

===Filming===
[[File:Day 54 Westmount School (8121110883).jpg|thumb|right|upright=.9|Filming took place partly at Westmount Junior High School in Edmonton]]
[[Principal photography]] took place on location in [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]] on a budget of approximately [[Canadian dollar|CA]]$2.5 million.<ref name=dodd/> Filming began in early August 1986.<ref name=dodd/><ref name=pecchia/> The production chose Edmonton due to the local school board's enthusiasm about shooting a film in the city, as well as the fact that the local schools had the [[Gothic Revival architecture|neo-Gothic]] architecture the producers had envisioned.<ref name=dodd/> Filming locations included Westmount Junior High School and Highlands Junior High School in Edmonton.<ref name=Lacey>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-globe-and-mail/192468969/|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|last=Lacey|first=Liam|date=September 20, 1986|pages=F1, {{url|https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-globe-and-mail/192469412/|F4}}|via=Newspapers.com|title=The Class Cut-Up}}</ref> Other portions of the film were shot inside an abandoned furniture store.<ref name=pittman>{{cite web|url=http://blog.tvstoreonline.com/2014/06/interview-director-bruce-pittman-on.html|work=TV Store Online|title=Interview: Director Bruce Pittman On Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)|date=June 5, 2014|access-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719030533/http://blog.tvstoreonline.com/2014/06/interview-director-bruce-pittman-on.html|archive-date=July 19, 2014}}</ref> 

To distinguish the 1950s-set portions of the film from the contemporary 1987 setting, director Bruce Pittman used long shots and "fifties"-style camera angles for the former, while employing "flashy" techniques for the latter.<ref name=Lacey/> Filming was completed by October 1987.
 
===Special effects===
Jim Doyle, a special effects designer based in [[Los Angeles]], served as the effects coordinator on the film.<ref name=dambrofsky>{{cite news|work=[[The StarPhoenix|Star-Phoenix]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37147294/starphoenix/|title=Movie stuntwoman has flaming desire|date=October 4, 1986|via=Newspapers.com|last=Dambrofsky|first=Gwen|page=C-11|access-date=October 13, 2019|archive-date=October 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013232834/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37147294/starphoenix/|url-status=live}}</ref> Doyle had previously worked on Wes Craven's ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984), and [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s ''[[One from the Heart]]'' (1982), and ''[[WarGames]]'' (1983).<ref name=dambrofsky/> Some sequences required elaborate set-ups to film, such as the surrealistic sequence in which Vicki Carpenter ([[Wendy Lyon]]) collapses into the chalkboard, which becomes a metallic liquid: Though only a 45-second sequence,<ref name=dambrofsky/> the production crew scheduled five days to complete the scene, at an estimated cost of $2,000 per hour.<ref name=dodd/> Doyle designed the set with the blackboard lying flat on the floor, and filmed it so as to appear that it was standing on end.<ref name=dambrofsky/>

For the sequence in which Mary Lou Maloney ([[Lisa Schrage]]) is lit on fire during the opening prom sequence, stuntwoman Leslie Munro was hired to perform the stunt.<ref name=dambrofsky/>

===Post-production===
Producer Peter Simpson and [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] reshot a significant portion of the film before it completed production, employing screenwriter Ron Oliver to direct the new scenes himself on a budget of $100,000.<ref name=Mahoney>{{cite web|work=[[Toronto Life]]|last=Mahoney|first=Maddy|date=October 29, 2024|title=Quality Trash|url=https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/quality-trash-director-ron-oliver-hallmarks-king-of-schmaltz/|issn=0049-4194|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251129123455/https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/quality-trash-director-ron-oliver-hallmarks-king-of-schmaltz/|archive-date=November 29, 2025}}</ref> Oliver sought advice from director Wes Craven when undertaking the reshoots.<ref name=Mahoney/>

After reshoots were completed, the film rebranded as a sequel to the [[Slasher film|slasher]] ''Prom Night'' and retitled ''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' by its production company, Simcom, peripherally connecting the films.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Record|date=October 19, 1987|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37147890/|title=Teen horror movies: One's witty, the other witless|page=B-6|author=Lumenick, Lou|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=October 13, 2019|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520002845/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record/37147890/|url-status=live}}</ref> Simpson later stated that he felt branding the film a continuation of ''Prom Night'' damaged its reception.<ref name=Unveiled>{{cite web|url=http://www.terrortrap.com/interviews/petersimpson/02/|work=The Terror Trap|title=Curtains Unveiled: An Interview with Peter Simpson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052720/http://www.terrortrap.com/interviews/petersimpson/02/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Music==
The musical score for ''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' was composed by [[Paul Zaza]], who had composed the score for the original film as well as numerous Canadian-produced horror films.{{sfn|Harper|2004|page=141}} The score was released for the first time on vinyl LP and cassette<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.terror-vision.com/store/p/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii-ost-cassette|work=Terror Vision|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II OST Cassette|access-date=March 3, 2026}}</ref> on April 22, 2003, by Terror Vision Records.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shugarecords.com/products/paul-zaza-hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii-original-motion-picture-1987-new-lp-record-store-day-2023-terror-vision-usa-rsd-neon-pink-white-swirl-vinyl-soundtrack?srsltid=AfmBOop9V9gFDcth8j0jSmERTrWdXqIRaHf0pA7o6wYvh_yfVoAB4hUi|work=[[Shuga Records]]|title=Paul Zaza - Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (Original Motion Picture 1987) - New LP Record Store Day 2023 Terror Vision USA RSD Neon Pink/White Swirl Vinyl - Soundtrack|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260303033219/https://www.shugarecords.com/products/paul-zaza-hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii-original-motion-picture-1987-new-lp-record-store-day-2023-terror-vision-usa-rsd-neon-pink-white-swirl-vinyl-soundtrack?srsltid=AfmBOop9V9gFDcth8j0jSmERTrWdXqIRaHf0pA7o6wYvh_yfVoAB4hUi|archive-date=March 3, 2026}}</ref>

==Release==
Norstar Entertainment distributed ''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' in Canada, releasing it on October 16, 1987.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Vancouver Sun]]|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun/192182012/|date=October 16, 1987|p=C3|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> [[The Samuel Goldwyn Company]] distributed the film in the United States,<ref name=Adilman/><ref name=State/> releasing it the same day in New York City,<ref>{{cite news|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II – Starts Today|date=October 16, 1987|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/192486130/|work=[[New York Daily News]]|page=51|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Philadelphia,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/192486159/|title=Neighborhood|date=October 16, 1987|page=62|via=Newspapers.com|work=[[Philadelphia Daily News]]}}</ref> and [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times/192486178/|work=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]]|title=Movies: New this week|date=October 16, 1987|page=10D|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The release expanded to other U.S. cities on November 13, 1987, including [[Houston]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-houston-post/192486238/|date=November 13, 1987|page=13E|title=Movie times|work=[[Houston Post]]|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Los Angeles,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/192486299/|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II – Starts Today|date=November 13, 1987|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|page=106|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]].<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II – Starts Tonight!|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-spokesman-review/192486265/|date=November 13, 1987|page=19|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

===Home media===
Norstar Home Video released a [[VHS]] edition of ''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' in Canada in April 1988.<ref>{{cite av media|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II|medium=[[VHS]]|year=1988|publisher=Norstar Home Video|id=1136A}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-hamilton-spectator/192257376/|work=[[The Hamilton Spectator]]|date=April 30, 1988|title=Movies|page=190|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> [[Virgin Media|Virgin Vision]] concurrently released the film on VHS in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|title=''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II''|last=Naureckas|first=Jim|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-05-15-8803170195-story.html|date=May 15, 1988|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013222509/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-05-15-8803170195-story.html|archive-date=October 13, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> 

[[Alliance Atlantis]] released the film on [[DVD]] in Canada on June 24, 2003,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Hello-Mary-Lou-Prom-Night-II-DVD/99566/|work=Blu-ray.com|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II DVD|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260227052526/https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Hello-Mary-Lou-Prom-Night-II-DVD/99566/|archive-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> in a [[pan and scan]] edition sourced from a video transfer.<ref name=McGaughy/> [[MGM Home Entertainment]] and [[20th Century Home Entertainment|20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] later acquired the rights to the film and released a remastered [[widescreen]] [[DVD]] edition on April 1, 2008.<ref name=McGaughy>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/33384|work=[[DVD Talk]]|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II|date=May 28, 2008|last=McGaughy|first=Cameron|archive-date=February 27, 2026|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260227052930/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/33384}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dreadcentral.com/reviews/6790/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii-dvd/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901115812/https://dreadcentral.com/reviews/6790/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii-dvd/ |archive-date=September 1, 2017|work=[[Dread Central]]|author=Barton, Steve|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (DVD)|date=April 10, 2008 }}</ref> [[Echo Bridge Home Entertainment]] released the film as part of a 10-film DVD collection in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/10-Movies-DVD/108342/|work=Blu-ray.com|title= 10 Movies DVD: Meadowoods / Howling IV: The Original Nightmare / The Nurse / Dire Wolf / KillerKiller / Killjoy / The Familiar / Prom Night / Prom Night II Hello Mary Lou / Occupied|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260227052423/https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/10-Movies-DVD/108342/|archive-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref>

In March 2025, [[Synapse Films]] announced that they were preparing a [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K UHD Blu-ray]] release of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.joblo.com/prom-night-2-4k/|work=[[JoBlo.com]]|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II is coming to 4K, Prom Night III: The Last Kiss and Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil releases also in the works|last=Hamman|first=Cody|date=March 7, 2025|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250309065947/https://www.joblo.com/prom-night-2-4k/|archive-date=March 9, 2025}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' [[United States dollar|US]]$911,351 during its opening weekend in the United States at 343 theaters, ranking number 10 a at the U.S. box office.<ref name=boxmojo/><ref name=State>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state/192182051/|work=[[The State (newspaper)|The State]]|title='Fatal Attraction' holds down top spot for fifth week in a row|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=October 23, 1987|p=4-B|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The film went on to gross a total of $2.7 million at the box office.<ref name="boxmojo"/> The film was more of a success on [[home video]].<ref name=can>{{cite web|work=Canuxploitation|url=http://www.canuxploitation.com/review/promnight2.html|title= Canuxploitation Review: Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II|last=Miller|first=Rhett|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213192306/http://www.canuxploitation.com/review/promnight2.html|archive-date=December 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Critical response===
====Contemporary====
[[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' gave the film a positive review, praising Lyon's performance and drawing comparisons to ''[[Blue Velvet (film)|Blue Velvet]]'', adding: "You don't ... have to take ''Hello Mary Lou'' at all seriously, and it probably would be a mistake to do so. Certainly, it's not on the deeply personal, highly idiosyncratic artistic level of the [[David Lynch]] film, but it is a splendid example of what imagination can do with formula genre material."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-17-ca-21961-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|author=Thomas, Kevin|author-link=Kevin Thomas (film critic)|title=Movie Reviews – 'Hello Mary Lou': Enriching a Genre With Imagination|date=November 17, 1987|access-date=September 20, 2017|archive-date=October 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016185611/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-11-17/entertainment/ca-21961_1_mary-lou|url-status=live}}</ref> According to screenwriter Ron Oliver, the favorable review in the ''Los Angeles Times'' inspired him to relocate to Los Angeles two years later: "I remember sitting back down at my desk and thinking, I’m going to move to America—because they understand the sensibility of quality trash."<ref name=Mahoney/> Critic [[Joe Bob Briggs]] championed the film, heralding it as "probably the finest pure-dee old-fashioned dead-teenager movie of the last two years."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times/192486447/|work=[[The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana)|The Times]]|title=Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In|page=53|via=Newspapers.com|date=December 11, 1987|last=Briggs|first=Joe Bob|author-link=Joe Bob Briggs}}</ref> 

Juan Carlos Coto of the ''[[Sun-Sentinel|South Florida Sun-Sentinel]]'' also reviewed the film favorably, writing that "despite its lack of original material, this film is well-scripted, directed, and acted{{en dash}}and surprisingly entertaining."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Sun Sentinel|South Florida Sun Sentinel]]|title=Sequel to 'Prom Night' surprisingly entertaining|date=October 20, 1987|page=6E|author=Coto, Juan Carlos|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22377482/south_florida_sun_sentinel/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520003347/https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel/22377482/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|The Atlanta Constitution]]''{{'}}s Eleanor Ringel similarly noted, "for all its rip-offs, ''Hello Mary Lou'' is never a total chore to sit through. As vengeance-minded females go, Ms. [[Lisa Schrage|Schrage]] makes [[Glenn Close]] in ''[[Fatal Attraction]]'' come off like a [[Girl Guides|Girl Scout]] leader," adding that it serves as a "[[Dark comedy|black-comic]] commentary on the whole notion of prom queens."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|The Atlanta Constitution]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22377340/the_atlanta_constitution/|page=4|author=Ringel, Eleanor|title='Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II' exorcises old high school demons|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520003347/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution/22377340/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Joe Baltake]] of ''[[The Sacramento Bee]]'' noted that part of the film's "lurid appeal [is] its presentation of teen girls as evil narcissists," and "high school life as the ultimate sociopathic playpen."<ref name=Baltake/> He went on to describe the film as a "hack-'em-up version" of ''[[Cinderella]]''.<ref name=Baltake>{{cite news|work=[[The Sacramento Bee]]|last=Baltake|first=Joe|author-link=Joe Baltake|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sacramento-bee/192547675/|date=November 16, 1987|page=B12|title=Plot wraps teens in a web of horror|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Soren Andersen of ''[[The News Tribune]]'' praised the film's special effects and horror sequences, concluding: "The inventiveness of ''Mary Lou''{{'}}s effects and the anger coursing through it make it an effective schlock shocker. It proves that there are still some genuine shudders left in a seemingly threadbare formula."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune/192552284/|work=[[The News Tribune]]|date=November 18, 1987|last=Andersen|first=Soren|title=Formulaic 'Mary Lou' quickly moves from schlock to shock|page=F15|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> 

[[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' gave the film a mixed review and described its extended "grand guignol" finale, writing: "Bruce Pittman, the director, and Ron Oliver, who wrote the screenplay, have constructed the movie as if it were a gourmet banquet for toddlers. From the first course to the last, it's all ice cream."<ref name=canby>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/17/movies/film-hello-mary-lou.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Film: 'Hello Mary Lou'|date=October 17, 1987|author=Canby, Vincent|author-link=Vincent Canby|access-date=September 20, 2017|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520003757/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/17/movies/film-hello-mary-lou.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bill Cosford from ''[[The Arizona Republic]]'' called it "a badly made film, as awkward as can be, and long stretches of it make no sense whatsoever. Nor does it manage, as the better slasher films do, to re-create a high-school milieu of even passing authenticity."<ref>{{cite news|title=Blackboard bungle: Hello Mary Lou, Prom Night II|page=51|author=Cosford, Bill|work=[[The Arizona Republic]]|date=November 13, 1987|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22377217/arizona_republic/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520002853/https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/22377217/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ted Mahar of ''[[The Oregonian]]'' expressly disliked the film, awarding it a one-star rating and describing it as "not so much a story as an occasion for a glut of not necessarily related special effects."<ref name=Mahar/> ''[[TV Guide]]'' awarded the film one out of five stars, praising the special effects and Pittman's direction, but ultimately deemed the film "all too predictable."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii/review/125833/|work=[[TV Guide]]|title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II|access-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321194154/http://www.tvguide.com/movies/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii/125833/|archive-date=March 21, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Numerous critics noted parallels and homages to other horror films, such as ''[[Carrie (1976 film)|Carrie]]'' (1976), ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]'' (1973), and ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984).{{efn-lr|Attributed to multiple critical reviews.<ref name=Mahar/><ref name=Baltake/><ref name=Sherman/><ref name=Harrington/><ref name=Yagoda/>}} Betsy Sherman of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' gave the film a mixed review, describing it as a "miserly slice-and-dicer: ''Carrie'' without the bucket of blood," though she conceded it is "somewhat livened by the presence of Michael Ironside."<ref name=Sherman>{{cite news|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=December 5, 1987|title=No thrills or chills in 'Prom Night'|author=Sherman, Betsy|page=14|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22376847/the_boston_globe/|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520002846/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/22376847/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Stephen Hunter]] of ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'' alternately described Ironside's talents as "waste[d]" and criticized the screenplay as "rudimentary."<ref>{{cite news|page=48|title='Hello Mary Lou,' goodbye sincerity, wit and talent|date=October 20, 1987|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22377076/the_baltimore_sun/|author=Hunter, Stephen|author-link=Stephen Hunter|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520002846/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/22377076/|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]''{{'}}s Ben Yagoda panned the film, writing that it "can be credited with nothing other than providing temporary employment for a group of untalented individuals," and drawing comparisons between ''[[Peggy Sue Got Married]]'' (1986) and ''The Exorcist'' (1973).<ref name=Yagoda>{{cite news|work=[[Philadelphia Daily News]]|title=Horror-Film Sequel Has Little Prom-ise|author=Yagoda, Ben|date=October 19, 1987|page=46|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22376980/philadelphia_daily_news/|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520002846/https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/22376980/|url-status=live}}</ref> Richard Harrington of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' drew similar comparisons, writing that the film "may be derivative, but for the most part it's clever enough to trade on its sources with humor and class. It's ''Peggy Sue Lives on Elm Street'', with dollops of ''Carrie'', ''The Exorcist'' and a half dozen other genre stalwarts."<ref name=Harrington>{{cite news|last=Harrington|first=Richard|title='Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/hellomaryloupromnightiirharrington_a0aa6e.htm|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=October 22, 1987|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222195445/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/hellomaryloupromnightiirharrington_a0aa6e.htm|archive-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref>

====Modern appraisal====
''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' went on to develop a [[cult film|cult following]] in the years after its original release.<ref name=Mahoney/> {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|56||16|consensus=|access-date=March 2, 2026|ref=y}}

In a retrospective assessment, film scholar and critic [[John Kenneth Muir]] wrote, "In the annals of unnecessary sequels, ''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' rates high. Contrarily, in the ranks of 1980s horror movies, it's merely a mediocre effort."{{sfn|Muir|2011|pages=578–580}} Film scholar Mike Mayo said the film is only a ''Prom Night'' sequel by title, and that it in fact bears more similarity to ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984).{{sfn|Mayo|2011|p=284}} Writing for [[Syfy]] in 2017, Rebecca Pahle praised the film's special effects and acting, and deemed it a "slasher masterwork."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Syfy]]|last=Pahle|first=Rebecca|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii-is-the-feminist-slasher-classic-you-probably-havent-heard-of|date=October 17, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124175347/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii-is-the-feminist-slasher-classic-you-probably-havent-heard-of|archive-date=November 24, 2017|title=''Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' is the feminist slasher classic you probably haven't heard of}}</ref> 

Jacob Knight of [[Mandatory (company)|ComingSoon.net]] similarly praised the film in a 2015 retrospective, writing: "It's a shame ''Hello Mary Lou'' never became a bigger hit, because it's an oft-forgotten gem of the horror genre, standing the test of time nearly thirty years on. An amalgamation of national tax shelter weirdness, brazen borrowing from better films, and the tossing of creative caution to the wind, Pittman's picture evokes numerous classics while indubitably carving its own identity."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[CraveOnline|ComingSoon.net]]|title=De Palma Daydreams: On Hello Mary Lou Prom Night II|last=Knight|first=Jacob Q.|date=July 20, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027113411/https://comingsoon.net/horror/news/746705-de-palma-daydreams-hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii|archive-date=October 27, 2017|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/746705-de-palma-daydreams-hello-mary-lou-prom-night-ii}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist-lr}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |last=Harper |first=Jim |year=2004 |title=Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies |publisher=Critical Vision |location=Manchester, England |isbn=978-1-900-48639-2}}
*{{cite book|last=Mayo|first= Mike|title=The Horror Show Guide: The Ultimate Frightfest of Movies|publisher=[[Visible Ink Press]] |year=2011 |isbn= 978-1-578-59459-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QXWDBwAAQBAJ}} 
*{{cite book|last=Muir|first=John Kenneth|author-link=John Kenneth Muir|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|title=Horror Films of the 1980s|isbn= 978-0-786-45501-0 |year=2011|volume=1}}
*{{cite book|last=Stine|first=Scott Aaron|title=The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1980s|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|year=2003|isbn= 978-1-476-61132-7}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{Prom Night}}

<!-- Please do not remove the 3 primary film categories -Year, Country, Language -->
[[Category:1987 films]]
[[Category:1987 black comedy films]]
[[Category:1987 Canadian films]]
[[Category:1987 English-language films]]
[[Category:1987 horror films]]
[[Category:1987 independent films]]
[[Category:Canadian comedy horror films]]
[[Category:Canadian ghost films]]
[[Category:Canadian high school films]]
[[Category:Canadian independent films]]
[[Category:Canadian sequel films]]
[[Category:Canadian slasher films]]
[[Category:Canadian supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:English-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:Films about Catholic priests]]
[[Category:Films about pranks]]
[[Category:Films about proms]]
[[Category:Films about school violence]]
[[Category:Films about spirit possession]]
[[Category:Films directed by Bruce Pittman]]
[[Category:Films scored by Paul Zaza]]
[[Category:Films set in 1957]]
[[Category:Films set in 1987]]
[[Category:Films shot in Edmonton]]
[[Category:Historical horror films]]
[[Category:Prom Night (film series)]]
[[Category:Supernatural slasher films]]
[[Category:1980s ghost films]]
[[Category:1980s high school films]]
[[Category:1980s slasher films]]
[[Category:1980s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:1980s teen horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II|access_date=2026-03-03}}