April Fool's Day (1986)
Genre: Horror / Comedy
Duration: 89 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Fred Walton
Stars: Deborah Foreman, Ken Olandt and Amy Steel
IMDb score:
6,2 (20.386)
Releasedate: 27 March 1986
April Fool's Day plot
"Childish pranks turn into a bloody battle for survival!"
A wealthy college student invites a group of college friends to spend a weekend at her family's estate. They're in the mood for a party, but then an unknown killer kills them one by one.
Actors and actresses
Kit Graham
Rob Ferris
Muffy / Buffy St. John
Nikki Beshears
Chaz Vyshinski
Arch Cummings
Harvey 'Hal' Edison
Nan Youngblood
Skip St. John
Constable Potter / Uncle Frank
Reviews & comments
Shadowed
-
- 12014 messages
- 7038 votes
Bad.
No, this wasn't quite him. A slasher that wants to be somewhat surprising but ultimately doesn't get much further than a very boring event with a twist. I doubt there are any horror fans out there who don't already know him, and it's actually the only nice thing about the movie.
This time the slasher has a joke theme, not the most interesting subject to combine with bloodshed. Soon we also notice that the slasher has little to offer. Atmospheric, saltless and above all tensionless, and then for the entire 89 minutes. The result quickly becomes tiresome with it.
It was therefore difficult to keep the attention, because not much interesting happens in this film. Some fog machines and dark decors, but mostly very boring build-up and pay-offs. The acting is bad, but the killings are also pretty boring and uninspiring.
The twist is actually the only nice thing about the film, but the film itself hardly rises with it. It was a rather tiring hour and a half that sometimes didn't seem to end. It goes on and on, but without impressing anywhere. This movie really can't stand out anywhere in terms of execution, and that's where the sore point lies.
No, that wasn't him. Still one of the lesser, but more famous slashers I've seen. Little experience, little impressive and a pace that never really wants to shoot up. The result is a boring slasher that I quickly forgot about except for a single sequence.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Collins
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- 7638 messages
- 4558 votes
With teens just partying silly, acting rashly, and not wanting to see the seriousness of life, 1980s slasher movies are mercilessly cruel. They are accounted for appropriately. That is no different in this movie. Tasty and fun.
April Fool's Day is a professional production. The movie has good actors. The script is cleverly put together and offers the viewer less obligatory characterization than he is used to from an 80s skasher. The story even requires some thinking. Unfortunately, the kills are a bit disappointing. They are not very bloody, but on the other hand they are quite creatively executed.
The ending of the movie is surprising. Though I did consider the ending as a possibility while watching. Nevertheless, well done. In any case, the film does its best to get a little more out of the slasher genre than the usual interpretation. The rules that the subgenre must comply with are stretched somewhat. The preconceived expectations of the viewer do not quite come true.
The characters are what we are used to in a slasher. Stereotypically designed, with a little more roundness than the standard prescribes, but still not very interesting. Type of partygoer, fun, horny and of course serious and studious (and also spoilsport). It is the well-known composition of a group of students who are threatened and murdered. The surprising ending does not detract from that familiar concept.
April Fool's Day tries to be a little more than your standard slasher without breaking the foundations. As far as I'm concerned, the mission has been accomplished.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Bobbejaantje
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- 2365 messages
- 2119 votes
I have viewed this without prior knowledge and that is more than ever recommended for good effect. Very nice viewing. Everything is achieved with a minimum of resources. Certainly thanks to the creepy soundtrack by Charles Bernstein (known to me from Nightmare on Elm Street) for the atmosphere. Also a reunion with Amy Steel, old acquaintance of Jason Voorhees.
Definitely a refreshing film within a genre full of clichés (but no less effective). I immediately noticed that the murders are not shown and that is because of the low budget or something. But it just wasn't what it seemed. I also noticed that the props didn't look very convincing, but they were enough for a frightening effect. This 'amateurishness' fits completely into the story and in fact cannot be criticized as some do here. Just goes with the scenario. Furthermore, it is always enjoyable to enjoy the eighties feeling that this kind of film exudes. Really a topper and absolutely entertaining as far as I'm concerned.
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