April Fool's Day (1986/I)

Director:

Fred Walton

Writer:

Danilo Bach (writer)

Release Date:

27 March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Last one out's... a goner.

Plot:

A group of nine college students staying at a friend's remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool's day weekend.

Plot Keywords:

Mansion | Island | Secret | April Fool's Day | Hot Dog

Cast

Jay Baker	...	Harvey 'Hal' Edison
Pat Barlow	...	Clara
Lloyd Berry	...	Ferryman
Deborah Foreman	...	Muffy / Buffy St. John
Deborah Goodrich	...	Nikki Beshears
Tom Heaton	...	Constable Potter / Uncle Frank
Mike Nomad	...	Buck
Ken Olandt	...	Rob Ferris
Griffin O'Neal	...	Skip St. John
Leah Pinsent	...	Nan Youngblood (as Leah King Pinsent)
Clayton Rohner	...	Chaz Vyshinski
Amy Steel	...	Kit Graham
Thomas F. Wilson	...	Arch Cummings

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | West Germany:18 (cut) | USA:R (Certificate #28085) | Netherlands:16 (DVD) (2003) | Italy:VM14 | UK:18 (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (theatrical rating) (cut) | Norway:18 (video rating) (uncut) | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2002) | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The film was inspired by the Agatha Christie novel [i]And Then There Were None[/i].

Goofs:

Continuity: When Rob and Kit rush out of the boathouse to find Skip, Rob's wet hair turns dry.

Quotes:

Chaz Vyshinski: [watching Kit and Rob through binoculars] Respectable young Quaker couple returning from a quiet afternoon of nonviolent sex.

Movie Connections:

References "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Too Bad You're Crazy

The underdog of 80s slasher films

APRIL FOOL'S DAY has just recently gotten a sort of cult status among horror film fans. Casual horror viewers or those who are diehard gore hounds haven't been kind to this film, but it is quite possibly the most intelligent, best-acted, and coolest of all the 80s slasher films.

A group of college friends venture to the island home of one of their classmates for the weekend and wind up being killed by an unknown assailant, believed to be the victim of a cruel practical joke played by one of the students. Amy Steel (my fave from FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2) is Kit, the "last girl", and Ken Olandt is her boyfriend Rob. They are both very good and are believable, likable characters that the audience can root for. Other notable performances include Griffin O'Neal (son of Ryan), Thomas F. Wilson (Biff from BACK TO THE FUTURE), Deborah Foreman, who is very good in dual roles, Leah Pinsent (the classic good girl), Deborah Goodrich (too cool as the slut), and Clayton Rohner (the typical horny guy). I can't think of a bad thing to say about this movie except that some viewers will feel cheated by the two surprise endings, like I did at first. But appreciate the fact that they are totally unexpected and work better than any other ending thought up for the film.

APRIL FOOL'S DAY is strongly recommended to serious horror film fans and even casual viewers. Not very gory, but that's a plus in this case. Notice the similarities to Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians", of which this is sort of a modern updating. A whole lots of fun and the best damn slasher film of the 80s.