Moving into a disused prison facility, the inmates quickly find themselves becoming involved in a series of freak accidents around the facility and realize that a former electrocuted inmate is haunting the prison and forcing them to find a way of stopping him.For the most part this here was quite the fun and enjoyable offering.most of what makes this one work quite well is the fact that there's a lot built on the incredibly freaky and quite exciting supernatural moments featured throughout here. That the majority of these scenes are shown taking advantage of the prison location with something way more illogical and fantastic that could possibly happen in real life makes for a fun time here with this one getting to utilize that in building up far more suspense than expected. There's some fun in the beginning here where the inmates are sent through their rounds and are put into the the prison itself which leads into the escape attempt that starts this one off nicely. Inside, the other scenes from the discovery of the execution chamber that holds the great release scene of the lights coming out of the hole and enveloping the group, the first attack on the two in solitary which is a huge scenes where the burning walls leading into the race to get them free while they're being burnt alive in grisly fashion. Other highlights include the attack on the escaping convict in the bowels of the facility where all the wiring and piping which is pretty bloody once it builds nicely to the fine finale of the body dropping in the middle of the mess-hall during dinner and the great prison riot scene where the inmates overrun and get into a big fight against the guards who get involved, making for a rather fun time as well. The big finale where they try to escape and get caught up in the actual revenge against the ghost going after the wronged parties is where this one again puts in some solid action with some solid and enjoyable scenes here against the crackling supernatural powers and big gruesome kills that give this a really overall good time here by adding the gruesomeness as well as the nice action. Given that there's a really impressive prison location that seems perfectly in tune with the type of setting that has some solid suspense and a fantastic pace that keeps things moving along without too much of a problem, and it holds up nicely over it's minor flaws. The biggest issue here is the overall lack of information given out over what's actually happening in the prison, with this one running through nearly until the end before it even really gets to any kind of attempting an explanation for what's happening and there's just a simple throwaway line about it which really gets lost in the chaos of the situation. It really should've been given earlier while also holding more of an importance of what's going on throughout here rather than how it holds up here. It does run into some clichés here in how it shows off the authority figure in charge and how the actual prison itself is run that makes it feel a little familiar without really attempting anything new, but the biggest issue is the lack of explanations really hurting this one.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, picture nudity and mild drug use.

Years after a Charlie Forsythe has been executed via the electric chair the state of Wyoming reopens the prison . During some renovation work a wall is knocked down releasing the spirit of Forsythe who is now bent on revenge This is a cross-genre film featuring prison exploitation movie mixed with horror . Before the credits role you know what to expect and no one is expecting the cerebral psychological horror dished out in John Hillcoat's GHOSTS OF THE CIVIL DEAD because this is more in keeping with ghost of the very uncivil undead Noticing the credit of director Renny who would give us DIE HARD 2 and DRIVEN strikes you that this is going to be a bit loud , noisy and exaggerated and guess what we get ? That said we also get an early starring role from Viggo Mortensen possibly the most underrated actor of his generation The story and style plays out as you expect it . A diverse group of cons split in to predators , prey and intelligent lone wolfs are sentenced to serious time in the penal system . You can't help thinking perhaps the conditions seen here are a bit to grim to be realistic but then you stop to consider that in real life convicted prisoners in some states live in tents in the yard then maybe no embellishment is given . It also noticeable how similar in some ways on a visual level this film is to Michael Mann's THE KEEP from 1983 but Mann did manage to make his film a bit more hypnotic than Harlin has done with PRISON

Hey man, this is where the bottom of the whole damn world drops out.Wyoming State Penitentery has been shut down for some time and is in dire need of repairs for it is to house a whole lot of prisoners. Hard-as-nails, pain-in-the-ass warden, Eaton Sharpe(Lane Smith) is still haunted by nightmares regarding an inmate put to death, via electric chair. In an attempt to soothe his guilty conscience(his role in the execution of an innocent man), Sharpe wishes to place a crucifix where the execution took place, having two prisoners break down a cemented door which led to the electric chair. In doing this, Sharpe contributes to the release of Forsythe's vengeful spirit. No one is safe from Forsythe's wrath. Chelsea Field is Katherine Walker, one of those prison reformers who fights for better institutions and rehabilitation for convicts. Katherine will have her hands full with Eaton who doesn't adhere to her philosophy in better living conditions for those who have broken the law. Viggo Mortensen, in one of his first starring roles, is Burke, a car thief who shares an eerie resemblance with Forsythe which sends chills to Sharpe. Lincoln Kilpatrick is elderly con Cresus, whose past history regarding Forsythe torments him, he had a role in the execution as well. Tom Everett has a memorable small part as a prisoner who tries to drive a bus out of the prison after most of the cons had unloaded, later suffering a grisly fate when he attempts a second escape (he narrowly survives a harrowing ordeal while locked in solitary as Forsythe's spirit set the water-logged cells a blaze with fervent heat). Ivan Kane is an Italian nicknamed Lasagna who befriends Burke, Tommy "Tiny" Lister is a seemingly mellow(but very scary)mountain of muscle actually named Tiny, and Stephen E Little is especially detestable as a rotund, scraggly homo brute, Rhino(he orders around a young man, a sort of lackey who probably services his sexual needs as well since they share a cell together).I can't really argue against those who would call PRISON essentially a special effects & light show, it is pretty much all style and little substance. But, I still thought it delivered for the crowd who enjoys movies about prisons containing evil presences. I can certainly see why director Renny Harlin landed the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET IV gig because there are some wild and effective supernatural murder sequences such as the "killer barbwire" scene and the exploding prison doors off their hinges, not to mention the computer monitors which eviscerate right before our eyes. Around this time, many filmmakers were using light as an effects tool and in PRISON we see electrical current controlling objects to destroy it's victims. This idea derives from the fact that the killer was executed in the electric chair..it's only natural that the condemned spirit would use this very power which ended his life to decimate others. And, anyone, including prisoners, who try to flee the penitentiary are denied thanks in part of a guard tower machine gun operated by the aforementioned electrical current. I loved the 80's because of the use of blood squibs and PRISON has plenty of moments where bullets blast through bodies, allowing make-up wizards a chance to show the damage of a shot gun or pistol. Probably the corniest scene involves Forsythe himself, making his grand appearance as Sharpe is trying to drive out of the penitentiary. There's a dandy of make-up effect regarding a prisoner being burned alive and the light optical effects are stunning visually. While the film spends a great deal of time with the prisoners and Sharpe(and his guards), Field's part is a bit underwritten in that she witnesses strange goings-on, but factors little in the grand scheme of things other than driving her car to the prison(and researching the history of Forsythe's execution, more than a bit motivated by his tricks to gain her attention )at the very end.

Prisons are not exactly renowned for their kind hospitality and 'happy vibes', what with stories of fights, chaos, murder and of course extreme male bonding! But the prison in this film is a different beast altogether. Horror films set in cells are, as you probably know, nothing particularly new as they emphasis and exaggerate the fear of claustrophobia and the inability of escape – two of the greatest themes in horror cinema. With such examples as THE CHAIR (Waldermar Korzeniowsky, 1988), THE GREEN MILE (Frank Darabont, 1999), ALIEN 3 (David Fincher, 1992)and of course the entire Women In Prison exploitation genre itself, another entry into this niche has to be something inventive and a lot of fun to boot in order to be recognised. Or at least that's what you'd have thought. PRISON is certainly an incredibly fun and enjoyable ride and it's somewhat of a shame that it isn't as well known as it should be.The film, in short, centres on an old prison (well, duh!) which has been reopened. However, it's not just fellow inmates and guards the prisoners have to fear, but also a mean ass demon ghost spirit with only one thing on its mind; death! And boy, are we treated to some awesome death scenes! I won't spoil anything here for you but there are plenty of innovative and enjoyable murders all done by invisible hands.Besides the special effects and the murders, this film also has another thing going for it; it's cast. Headlining, we have LORD OF THE RINGS (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003) star Viggo Mortensen (and for all those so inclined, yes, he does get naked) whose performance is not only highly believable, but is done with such skill that his Eastwood-esquire character is both bad-to-the-bone and likable (a very delicate mix). Add him to a cast of 'hey-wait-a-minute-I-know-that-guy' actors and you've got yourself one great set of stars. The characters themselves however lack three-dimensionality and more often than not come across as very stereotypical. We've got a black oculist, a hard-as-nails prison warden, a human-rights activist woman and plenty of other stock characters. But in all honesty, this 'fault' actually aids the film. Instead of boring character development in an over-long equilibrium, we are chucked, more or less, straight into the action and once it gets going (very early on) there's not a single scene that's a filler – it's balls to the wall plot. Unlike a certain SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (Frank Darabont, 1994 )! Sharing conventions with the slasher genre, this is somewhat of a convention itself, and, in good ol' slasher genre tradition, PRISON punishes those who have been bad.All in all this is an excellent little horror film and one which is sadly overlooked and unmentioned among the horror world. With an excellent cast and great special effects and rather original death scenes this film is highly recommended to horror fans. Don't be fooled into thinking it'll be a cheesy little film either, just because it was made in USA 1980s, it's far from cheesy (although the very end does ruin this) and, simultaneously, far from gritty and realistic (whilst it attempts to tackle issues such as prison rape, these are rather subtly done).I give it 3.5 out of 5 luvs. A very entertaining horror film with some very nice touches indeed.