Review of Prison (1949) by Shawn R — 06 Oct 2009

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.