Years after the murder of her mother, a prostitute, Olivia (Suzanna Love) is plagued by feelings brought bubbling to the surface thanks her abusive and unloving husband. Searching for answers on the dark streets of London, Olivia meets Mike.
The only thing more schizophrenic than Olivia herself is this movie. Either that or…this is yet another slasher from 88’s Slasher Classics Collection that is NOT a goddamn slasher. Dead of Winter (1987)? Nice, but no dice! The Children of the Corn “trilogy” raised more than a few sceptical eyebrows on its announcement. And Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988)? It’s funny as fuck. But seriously?
That said, just when I’m about to write director Ulli Lommel off as a one-hit wonder on a whim of careless ignorance a little known gem such as the awfully named Prozzie emerges. He himself calls it Olivia – the perfect title – in his featured interview. He looks exactly as you’d expect him to, and sporting THE coolest Mexican sugar skull cowboy hat.
Aside from the opening sequence basically being a rehash of the beginning of The Bogeyman (1980), what Lommel presents us with is a competent and atmospheric romantic thriller. Shrouded in shadow with a melancholy piano-laden soundtrack, this film succeeds in delivering the seldom-achieved perfect mix of sex and violence. You can favour Basic Instinct (1992) all you want, and although that elevator scene is pretty gross, mostly people just remember the fucking. Oh, and Sharon’s open legs.
Despite its strong horror leanings, Prozzie presents one of the more plausible depictions of a woman struggling with the tragic death of her mother, as well as what she can do and where she can find justice. She is a human being, not a cold-blooded killer. And for that she has her limits. While its surprisingly small body count will disappoint some, I am actually impressed. Quite frankly, the hype on the back of its brand new blood-red 88 cover only serves to hinder the quality of this movie. Why blemish a film that makes such a sweet reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958).
LAST WORDS:
I’ll admit I did not expect to like Prozzie. But I thoroughly enjoyed this particular Lommel movie for all the reasons that I would presume not to. And for that reason – plus Bogeyman – I just might check out The Devonsville Terror after all.