Prison (1987)

So much average

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Redundant and unnecessary.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Prison (1987)*** (out of 4)A rundown prison is about to re-open after twenty-years as Warden Sharpe (Lane Smith) plans to use the 300 new inmates to clean the place up and get it into working shape. One of the inmates (Viggo Mortensen) helps break down a sealed execution room, which unleashes the spirit of a previously killed convict and soon strange murders are happening throughout the prison.PRISON is a film I skipped for over two decades because I thought the story just sounded downright stupid. There's certainly egg on my face because while the story is lacking and there are some major flaws here and there, for the most part this is a pretty well-made film that manages to have some very good performance and a terrific atmosphere. A lot of credit has to go to director Renny Harlin who made this just before A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4 and three years before breaking into the mainstream with DIE HARD 2.What works so well with this movie is the atmosphere created by the director. The rundown prison makes for a wonderful setting and I thought the entire thing had a rather authentic feel. Just watching the film you could really feel yourself inside these prison walls thanks in large part to the atmosphere, which is perfectly captured by some very good cinematography. The cinematography also works extremely well during the murder scenes where all sorts of crazy stuff is usually happening. The death sequences here are original to say the least, although they're certainly a lot different than the type horror fans were wanting to see during this period.Speaking of which, it's easy to see why PRISON didn't get too much love when it was originally released. Released during the era of slashers, I'm not sure how many people wanted to see a haunted prison movie and especially one that didn't feature that many gory deaths. What death scenes are here are quite unique but I'm sure most people were wanting Jason and Freddy. Not some invisible killer. As much as I enjoyed the majority of the film, there are still some problems including the story that really doesn't add up to much. Another problem is that the 102-minute running time starts to drag a bit towards the end.Another good thing working for the film are its performances with Smith being extremely good in his role as the warden. I thought he did a very good job and delivered an intense performance, which is going to remind many of the one Tommy Lee Jones gave in NATURAL BORN KILLERS several years later. Mortensen also does a very good job leading the film and it's easy to see even here that he was destined to become a strong actor. Chelsea Field is good in the role of a social worker and supporting players Tom Everett, Ivan Kane and Lincoln Kilpatrick also turn in good work.PRISON is quite original when you think about it, although there are some flaws here that keep it from being much better. People who overlooked the film back in the day certainly deserve to give it a shot.

As prison movies go, "Prison" easily rises above expectations. Competent acting by Lane Smith, Viggo Mortensen, and a cast of prison stereotypical character actors carries the movie into above average territory. The abandoned Wyoming prison where it was filmed is interesting, and lends authenticity. Although the horror prison aspect has been done more recently, there is a certain quality to "Prison" that has not been replicated. I'm not sure what it is, but the combination of likable characters that have some development fighting an unleashed spirit is depicted quite well, in the tradition of great films like "The Keep". - MERK

Sometimes, more often than not, a movie's poster can make or break my enjoyment of the main feature itself. Back in 1988 when this movie came out, I kept seeing the poster advertising the movie in my local videostore, now as my love of everything revolving around Empire pictures had been in full throttle for a couple of years previous, I just knew I had to see this movie.Of course being directed by Renny Harlin and produced by Irwin Yablans, meant nothing to me at that time, I devoured every frame of the movie, and enjoyed it to the hilt, of course one of my main reasons for wanting to see the movie was because Charles Band Produced via his Empire Pictures production company.Now many many years later, I've been all to aware of the highs and lows of Renny Harlin's career(if we forget about the lows, let's remember the high that was 'The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane') and we followers of Charles Band all know what happened to Empire Pictures hence the involvement of Irwin Yablans as a co producer on this specific project.Some might say that haunted prison flicks are a dime a dozen, but back in 1988, I had never watched any, of course I've more than made up for that now, the vast majority have all skipped off into the mystic, but 'Prison' has long remained a firm favourite of mine.Having earned his directing stripes on 'Born American' director Renny Harlin honed his visual eye to great effect with many a creepy set piece, and ably assisted by a very literate script by the excellent C.Courtney Joyner(for an example of Joyner's prowess as a scriptwriter, check out 'Trancers 3 & 'Doctor Mordrid').The cast of characters whilst stock in trade, firmly uproot themselves from familiarity, and the actors involved really acquit themselves beyond all recall giving the unfolding scenario a real sense of reality, of course this all helps when they shot the movie in a real life prison somewhere in Wyoming.Special Effects supremo John Carl Beuchler adds his usual aplomb to the proceedings when it comes to the executing the special effects set pieces, somehow you can always tell when John Carl had a hand in the gruesome set pieces, one specific that comes to mind is when Larry Flash Jenkins meets his grisly demise within the confines of solitary confinement, the prop head used reminded of his character creation in the very excellent 'Cellar Dweller'.Such things of note should not diminish the finished product, because when John Carl Beuchler gets involved in any project you will always be guaranteed top quality on screen delights.When it comes to highs and lows or dare I say skeleton's in the closet, to think that Viggo Mortensen took on the starring role, I think he should be very proud of his involvement with this project.Also please note Lane Smith's involvement essaying the role of Warden Eaton Sharpe, his exchange with Chelsea Field near the beginning of the movie more or less sets the tone for the entire movie.Once again this is a classic example of when all the elements were in place, Empire Pictures really nailed the finished product.To borrow the line that Lane Smith speaks to Chelsea Field, 'Not a pleasant place to spend one's life, is it Miss Walker! If you spend eighty minutes plus of your life with this movie, you will find yourself just rewarded.In 1956 Charles Forsythe was sent to the chair.....Now he's back! with that in mind....come get some! A resounding 10 out of 10!

Prison is not often brought up during conversations about the best eighties horror films, and there's a good reason for that because it's not one of the best...but as you delve past the classic films that the decade had to offer, this is certainly among the best of the lesser known/smaller films. The film does have some connection to blockbusters; for a start it's an early directorial effort for Renny Harlin; the capable director behind a number of action films including Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and Deep Blue Sea; and secondly we have an early role for Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen. The film is not exactly original but the plot line is interesting. We focus on a prison that has been reopened after a number of years. This was the prison where a man named Charles Forsyth was sent to the electric chair after being framed by the prison's governor. Naturally, the spirit of the dead man is not resting in peace; and when the old execution room is reopened, the spirit of the dead convict escapes for vengeance.The film is not exactly The Shawshank Redemption, but it does take care to build up its various characters and while the main point of the film is always the horror, the prison drama behind it all does make for an interesting base. This is a good job too because other than the basic premise, the film doesn't really have a 'plot' to go from and we solely rely on the interaction between the characters to keep things interesting. The horror featured in the film is at times grotesque but it's never over the top, which might actually be the reason why this film is seldom remembered, being released in a decade of excess. The murders themselves are rather good and imaginative, however, and provide some major highlights. As the film goes on, we start to delve more into the back-story of the vengeful convict's ghost and while it's fairly interesting, some things about it don't make sense and it drags the film down a little. Still, everything boils down to an exciting climax and overall I have to say that Prison is a film well worth tracking down.