"Prison" first came to my attention years ago when I read about it in a Fangoria publication titled "101 movies you have never seen" upon reading the article I thought it sounded fantastic and instantly hopped onto amazon to purchase the DVD, to my d... (read more) "Prison" first came to my attention years ago when I read about it in a Fangoria publication titled "101 movies you have never seen" upon reading the article I thought it sounded fantastic and instantly hopped onto amazon to purchase the DVD, to my disappointment the movie was unavailable on any format! After years of trying to hunt this movie down I finally laid my hunts on a dutch import and my of my what a let down!!! "Prison" is a pretty bog standard 80's supernatural horror, often showing moments of promise but never fully capitalizing on the decent premise. My advice is if you really must watch a movie where a dude executed on death row returns to cause supernatural havoc then check out Wes Craven's superior movie "Shocker".

finally released on dvd. at least in norway. buying it soon.

Several years back, prisoner Charles Forsyth is wrongfully executed for a murder he did not commit, thanks in part to a shady guard (the late, great Lane Smith) which is clouded in controversy, thus resulting in the shutdown of the prison. Now, after... (read more) Several years back, prisoner Charles Forsyth is wrongfully executed for a murder he did not commit, thanks in part to a shady guard (the late, great Lane Smith) which is clouded in controversy, thus resulting in the shutdown of the prison. Now, after several years, the prison is re-opening, with Smith as its Warden, and 300 prisoners are moved in to help renovate the prison, including then-unknown Viggo Mortenson (Lord of the Rings Trilogy, A History of Violence, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3), who resembles the executed prisoner. When the old electrocution chamber is reopened, the evil spirit of Forsyth roams the prison (via a combination of ectoplasm and electricity), killing off inmates and guards alike. This Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4) directed film is an absolute gem that DESPERATELY needs a transferal to DVD and Blu-ray. Thanks to excellent direction from Harlin and a surprisingly good cast, which also includes Tommy "Tiny" Lister (Wishmaster 2, Friday), Tom Everett (Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3, Friday the 13th 4), Chelsea Field (The Birds II: Land's End), and the great Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th Parts 7-10, Hatchet, a million other movies), Prison manages to exceed on many levels, delivering a fun story, surprisingly decent effects, good kills, and an overall fun movie. Like I said, this needs to be put on DVD badly. A terrific, underrated, hidden gem. I highly recommend people to seek this one out.

An interesting premise gets lost in a poorly connected story. The sad thing is that there are tons of great character actors in this film. It could have been so much more. However, one can only take so many meaningless deaths before you begin to w... (read more) An interesting premise gets lost in a poorly connected story. The sad thing is that there are tons of great character actors in this film. It could have been so much more. However, one can only take so many meaningless deaths before you begin to wonder if you should bother watching the rest.

Not bad, but it's never quite able to build up tythe suspense, and the final act feels a bit rushed.