The Prowler (1981)

In 1946, a year after Rosemary breaks up with her World War II fighting beau, she and her boyfriend and brutally murdered at Lovers' Lane after their graduation ball.  The 1980 graduating class of Pritcher College is planning their graduation ball, the first to be held in 35 years.  A mysterious and particularly violent prowler dressed in WWII gear begins decimating the student bodies, later to be revealed as Sheriff Fraser.

The Prowler was released in the 1981 deluge of slasher movies.  If gore is your thing, then this film should satisfy your needs.  Unfortunately it doesn't have much more going for it, except for its filming locations.  The beautiful Victorian-style homes of Cape May, New Jersey are a nice contrast to the blood and guts.  Director Joseph Zito and Special Effects Supervisor Tom Savini would later reunite on Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter (1984).

The Prowler was filmed in Cape May and Ocean View, NJ

Location: The Graduation Dance

Address: 7 Ocean Street, Cape May, NJ   Inn of Cape May

The Inn of Cape May was undergoing renovations at the time of my visit, but I was able to grab a shot through the door...

Location: Lovers' Lane

Address: 3100 Shore Road, Ocean View, NJ

Location: Kingsley Market

Address: Ocean Street & Columbia Avenue, Cape May, NJ

Location: The Dormitory

Address: 720 Washington Street, Cape May, NJ

Location: Major Chatham's House

Address: 1048 Washington Street, Cape May, NJ

A few shots of charming downtown Cape May...

Locations Visited: January 2021

Locations Master List

Unsolved Mysteries (1987-2002)

What you are about to see is not a news broadcast.  NBC's documentary series Unsolved Mysteries portrayed reenactments of real life crimes, missing persons, UFO sightings among other unexplained phenomena.  Versatile actor Robert Stack, who was later known for his comedic roles, took over hosting duties from Raymond Burr and Karl Malden when the show began airing weekly.  With an eerie theme song reminiscent of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and the creepy delivery of its host, Unsolved Mysteries scared the shit out of me as a kid.  Having to watch TV in the basement didn't help the situation.  It wasn't all grim, however; as updates were occasionally given and the country slept a little better knowing a murderer had been caught or a child had been found.  Matthew McConaughey makes one of his first appearances as a murder victim.  The series aired on multiple networks and later saw a reboot on Spike TV, and more recently, Netflix.

Location: Robert Stack's Intro
Address: 100 Garfield Avenue, Pasadena, CA   Pasadena City Hall

Location Visited: June 2021

Locations Master List

 

The Amityville Horror (1979)

The Lutz family settle into a seemingly idyllic house in Amityville, NY that was previously home to a brutal mass murder the year before.  Things immediately start going awry when Father Delaney tries to bless the dwelling.  A series of unexplained events unfold and patriarch George Lutz descends into madness.  The Lutzes eventually flee the possessed house, never to return again.

The Amityville Horror was based on the 1977 book of the same name by James Anson, which was based off the supposed real life experience of the Lutz Family, who were the first owners to move into a Long Island home after Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed his parents and four siblings inside.  Ronald DeFeo Jr. died in March of this year.  Controversy surrounds the legitimacy the Lutz's experience at 112 Ocean Avenue, most notably DeFeo's lawyer claiming he and The Lutzes concocted the story after consuming copious amounts of alcohol, a practice John Carpenter would later adopt while writing Halloween II (1981).  The movie scared up 86 million dollars at the box office and spawned multiple sequels.  But the critics and myself were less impressed.  I personally find the film not well-paced and rather tepid.   Amityville has nothing over Amity Island.  

The Amityville Horror was filmed in Toms River, Point Pleasant Beach and Lakewood, NJ

Location: The Lutz House

Address: 18 Brooks Road, Toms River, NJ

The Amityville Horror house is one of the most recognizable in the horror movie genre, and the movie world at large, with its two quarter round attic windows acting as malicious eyes.  The actual Lutz house was not allowed to be used for filming, but a very similar-looking one was found two and a half hours away in Toms River, NJ.

Location: The Real Amityville House

Address: 108 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY

The original address was 112 Ocean Avenue, but was later changed to deter tourists and future filming location enthusiasts such as myself.  Nice try though...

Location: The Church

Address: 406 Forman Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ   

St. Peter's Church

Location: Riding To Town Hall

Address: 405 Washington Street, Toms River, NJ 

Location: The Town Hall

Address: 33 Washington Street, Toms River, NJ 

Toms River Township Municipal Building

Location: The Library

Address: 101 Washington Street, Toms River, NJ 

The Ocean County Library

Location: Witch's Brew Bar

Address: 24 W Water Street, Toms River, NJ

Location: The Garden

Address: 7th Street & Lakewood Avenue, Lakewood, NJ

Access to the Sunken Garden at Georgian Court University was closed due to Covid but I was still able to get a few shots from a distance...

Location: The Car Crash

Address: Hooper Avenue & Oak Avenue, Toms River, NJ

Location: The Hospital

Address: 99 NJ-37, Toms River, NJ

Parts of the building have been renovated since filming but one are is still recognizable...

Location: The Newspaper Building

Address: 8 Robbins Street, Toms River, NJ

Location: The Bridge

Address: near 3410 NJ-37, Toms River, NJ

Thomas A Mathis Bridge

Locations Visited: December 2020

Locations Master List