Although not a major hit, 1980’s Prom Night did well enough to spawn a handful of sequels, and it now seems regarded as a slasher genre classic. A remake became inevitable, and one came via 2008’s Prom Night.

High school teacher Richard Fenton (Johnathon Schaech) becomes obsessed with a student named Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow). When he murders her family in a deranged attempt to win her affection, Richard ends up in prison.

Three years later, Donna remains traumatized by these events, but she slowly starts to bounce back psychologically. She looks forward to her senior prom but her past comes back to haunt her and creates a night of bloody terror.

As I’ve related in other reviews, my Dad let me see “R”-rated movies circa 1980 even though I turned a mere 13 that year. However, this meant I only saw “R” films that he wanted to see as well.

Probably because it became a cultural sensation, Dad took me to Friday the 13th but not to any of its slasher brethren. This meant I didn’t see the 1980 Prom Night back then – or ever, as by the time we got a VHS player, I didn’t care about a horror flick from a few years earlier.

Due to this lack of familiarity with the original, I can’t state that the 1980 Prom Night works better than its 2008 remake. However, I find it next to impossible the prior flick fares worse than this stinker.

The 2008 Prom makes almost literally no attempts at character development. We get a crude snapshot of the “obsessed teacher” concept and the vague references to Donna’s trauma but otherwise it’s a story of just pretty people who get stalked and slashed.

Even that side of things seems contrived and feeble. Prom comes up with flimsy reasons to separate the characters from their friends and thus leave them open for murder.

Granted, most horror flicks don’t live in a particularly reality-based environment, but the basic premise here just seems like a tremendous stretch. We simply get little to no logic in regard to events.

This also means a near-complete absence of tension. We know where the story will go, and the filmmakers can’t find any way to create anxiety or really any form of emotional reaction from the viewer – not unless boredom counts.

Prom Night comes with a pretty good cast. In addition to Snow and Schaech, we find talented actors like Idris Elba and Ming-Na Wen.

All slum in this terrible excuse for a horror flick. Even by the low standards of this era’s slashers, 2008’s Prom Night remake becomes a complete dud.

Note that the Blu-ray provides an unrated version of Prom Night. A “PG-13” flick theatrically, this cut doesn’t run much longer, and it just brings more blood and gore to the proceedings.

Prom Night appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie boasted a pleasing image.

Overall sharpness worked well. Some wider shots veered a smidgen toward the soft side, but they remained in the minority during this largely accurate presentation.

I saw no shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also failed to become an issue.

Like most modern movies, Prom went a lot of amber and teal, as those tones dominated the presentation. Predictable as the colors tended to be, the Blu-ray rendered them in an appropriate manner.

Blacks looked dark and deep, while shadows seemed smooth and concise. I felt happy with this high-quality presentation.

As for the film’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack, it added involvement to the proceedings. The five channels used music in an involving manner, and various effects also broadened the soundscape in a winning way.

While not a film packed with action, Prom came to life enough to work the speakers well. Various horror elements moved around the room in a convincing pattern to contribute information to the tale.

Audio quality worked well. Speech seemed concise and distinctive, while effects appeared accurate and natural. Louder moments boasted fine punch.

Music was warm and full, with a good level of punch from percussive elements. All of this left us with a satisfactory “B” soundtrack.

The disc comes with an array of extras, and we begin with an audio commentary from director Nelson McCormick and actors Brittany Snow and Johnathon Schaech. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific discussion of story/characters, cast and performances, photography and editing, sets and locations, music and related domains.

Though occasional insights emerge, most of the commentary seems banal. Expect a lot of bland happy talk and only sporadic elements that bring value.

Another feature that runs alongside the movie, we find a Picture-in-Picture Storyboard Track. During the entire film, we see storyboards in the lower right corner of the screen. It becomes a cool way to compare this art to the final feature.

“Where Is the Best Place to Hide A Body?” gives us an Interactive Poll - apparently. It caused my player to freeze, so I can’t comment on it.

In addition to an Alternate Ending (0:35), we find five Deleted Scenes (4:55). These mix some banal moments with a bit more exposition.

We do see specifically how Fenton escaped, and that seems interesting. The rest feel less compelling.

As for the “Alternate Ending”, it doesn’t vary from the existing finale much, though it gives the film a creepier finish. It probably should’ve been used.

We can view the “Ending” and the deleted scenes with or without commentary from McCormick, Snow and Schaech. They give us some basics but don’t tell us a lot of interest.

A Gag Reel spans one minute, 59 seconds. It brings the usual goofs and giggles, so don’t expect anything especially interesting. At least it’s brief!

Next we find a Bridgeport High Vikings Video Yearbook. It lasts five minutes, 36 seconds and presents the fake tape shown in the background at prom. It’s fun to see it in its entirety.

Four featurettes follow, and A Night to Remember goes for 12 minutes, 41 seconds and includes remarks from McCormick, Snow, Schaech, producer Toby Jaffe, executive producer Marc Forby, cinematographer Checco Varese, actors Jessica Stroup, Dana Davis, Kelly Blatz, Collins Pennie, Idris Elba.

“Night” looks at story/characters, cast and performances, photography and visual design, pacing and violent scenes, and McCormick’s impact on the production. Expect a mix of fluff and good observations.

Profile of a Killer occupies five minutes, 59 seconds and brings info from Schaech, Snow, McCormick, Elba, Forby, Stroup, Davis, and writer/executive producer JS Cardone.

“Killer” offers thoughts about the Fenton character. A few decent notes emerge.

After this we see Gothic Spaces, a four-minute, 47-second show with McCormick, Jaffe, Snow, Blatz, Stroup, executive producer Glenn S. Gainor and actor Rachel Specter.

Here we learn about the movie’s main hotel location. It becomes another decent but unexceptional discussion.

Finally, Prom Night Photo Album takes up six minutes, 12 seconds with info from Snow, Davis, Blatz, Stroup, McCormick, Elba, Schaech, Pennie, and actors Scott Porter, Kellan Lutz and Jana Kramer.

All involved provide their personal prom memories. It becomes a surprisingly entertaining reel.

The disc opens with ads for You Don’t Mess With the Zohan and Made of Honor. Previews adds promos for Vantage Point, The Other Boleyn Girl, 21, Persepolis, Across the Universe, Married Life, 30 Days of Night, Wind Chill, I Know Who Killed Me, Walk Hard, Starship Troopers 3 and Resident Evil 3: Degeneration. We also get a trailer and a TV spot for Prom Night.

A 1980s genre classic gets an update via this 2008 take on Prom Night. It offers a pretty lousy take on the property, as it seems limp and dull. The Blu-ray brings positive picture and audio as well as an array of bonus materials. Skip this poor stab at a horror flick