Jordan Gustafson and Phil Tice neatly package their love of horror films and musicals in Prom Party Massacre, a high school musical slasher. Scott (Phil Tice) has a plan that will change his life forever. Step one is throwing the biggest prom party his high school has ever seen. His best friend Ruby (Ashley Campbell), the student body president, is there to help make it happen. Step two is harder: Jesse (Theo Tiedemann), the football captain Scott has been pining after all year, must walk through those doors. Scott can’t shake the feeling that this party is a huge mistake, but he’s come too far to back out now. Oh, and one more thing — this is a musical, so every feeling Scott and his classmates can’t say out loud eventually comes out in a song.
Immediately following Prom King Jesse’s arrival, Bobbi Jean (Julia Davo), the prom queen, walks in like the whole party was thrown in her honor, and she makes sure everyone knows the queen has arrived. Jesse doesn’t leave her side all night, which leaves Scott stuck watching from across the room. Ruby has her own problems. She gets into it with Wayne (Jake Ellsworth), calling him out for his grades and his lifestyle, and he fires back that she doesn’t have a single real friend. The party keeps going, but something is starting to crack underneath it.
A heartbroken Scott dashes upstairs, and Jesse follows. Scott reads it as a sign and kisses him. Jesse pulls back…and a song bursts out between the two. For Jesse, this is not the right time. As if that weren’t problem enough. Someone at the party is killing off the popular kids, one by one, and the partygoers are beginning to understand that the slasher didn’t wander in off the street. Whoever it is, they know everyone in that room.
The body count climbs at the prom party in Jordan Gustafson’s slasher musical Prom Party Massacre.
“Someone at the party is killing off the popular kids, one by one…”
Director Jordan Gustafson and writer Phil Tice made Prom Party Massacre with one clear goal: to create a queer retro-horror musical that actually puts LGBTQIA+ characters front and center. As queer creatives, they were tired of the old trope of watching queer characters get killed off, written inauthentically, or left out entirely in the genre films they loved. They drew inspiration from campy horror musicals like Little Shop of Horrors and Heathers, blending 50s doo-wop with an 80s slasher structure to create something unlike anything else in the genres they love. For Gustafson and Tice, it was a chance to tell a queer story their way, with a cast and crew full of queer and trans talent.
First, yes, this is the story of Scott coming out with his feelings for Jesse. Not exactly unique…that is, until you throw a horror musical on top of that. This is where the story takes off. There’s a great scene where tough guy Johnny Cross (Tommaso Di Blasi) gives us our Little Shop of Horrors moment.
I’ll share one musical pet peeve about Prom Party Massacre. Not all the songs need to be conversations set to music. In my humble opinion, there should be songs with verses and a chorus with a tagline. The moment between Scott and Jesse should have been an expression of feeling and emotion for the two…a forbidden love. That’s my preference at least.
Otherwise, I truly enjoyed this little slasher musical and you will too…if you happen to like musical anythings.
For screening information, visit the Prom Party Massacre official website.
"…until you throw a horror musical on top of that."
