Bunch of college kids stopping on at a dorm just before the Xmas holidays are stalked and slashed by an unknown killer. Released as Pranks in the UK it found itself deemed to be a Video Nasty and subsequently got banned, despite being the cut R version. A few year later it was granted an 18 certificate by the BBFC, but with 10 seconds of cuts.
As for the film itself I found it to be a pretty routine slasher. To it's credits it has a good, creepy musical score (obviously inspired by Psycho), there are some brutal deaths (sadly cut on all but the relatively recent director's cut) and it has that all important feel to it, that of the Golden Age of the slasher movie. It's 81 minutes running time never drags either. And considering the film's obvious low budget overall the makers did a decent enough job. On the downside the actors playing the students look older than the parts that they are playing (not unusual, to be fair), some of the acting is wooden and, despite a red herring as to the identity of the killer, it is predictable.
Quite why Pranks got banned in the UK I just don't know, but thankfully times have changed for the better. It won't challenge the grey matter, Pranks is best watched with a few beers!
Review of The Dorm That Dripped Blood
