April Fool's Day (1986)
[Deborah Foreman; Deborah Goodrich; Ken Olandt; Griffin O'Neal; Clayton Rohner; Amy Steel]
Plot: A group of college friends gather together at rich heiress Muffy's island mansion to celebrate their final year of school. They soon discover that each has a hidden secret, but as the secrets are revealed, those people end up dead. But are they r
eally dead, or just part of a very cruel April Fool's joke? The hostess supposedly knows what's going on, but maybe she's not the one orchestrating the deaths.
This is one horror slasher flick I had kept putting off over the years. I loved Amy Steel in Friday the 13th: Part 2, but somehow never ended up watching this film until this year.
It is good, definitely an 80s flick, but not as bad as some of the Friday or Halloween clones out there. That said, there is something missing. I feel like the writer was either lacking in some plot development, or that the director skipped over some scenes that could possibly have helped pull the whole thing into a more cohesive whole. Just felt, at the end, like it could have been so much more.
A fun flick, and definitely recommended for fans of 80s slasher/horror flicks and fans of Amy Steel herself. While she was better as Ginny in F13: Part 2, she is good here as well. How she never became a bigger movie star still puzzles me.
I can't see the font!
ReplyDeleteMe neither. Background is too dark...
ReplyDeleteThe gray text against the dark background prevents me from reading your review.
ReplyDeleteFixed the font, not sure what was going on there! Sorry!
ReplyDeletenice review...have not seen this one...perhaps i will check it out...i tend to like the 80s....
ReplyDeleteI'm captivated by the box. My hair is long, but not long enough to do THAT.
ReplyDeleteNice review. If I get the chance, I'll take a watch at it. :)
-Carrie Mae
Thanks for the great review. I always like this movie, one of my favorites fromt the 80's. Thanks for giving it the attention it deserves.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
whatever happened to deborah Foreman? After Valley Girl & My Chaffeur she seemed poised to be the next big thing, but she kinda fell off the face of the Earth soon after April Fools Day.
ReplyDelete****SPOILER ALERT***
ReplyDeleteFrom wikipedia (though I've heard different rumors about this for years):
"...Jeff Rovin's novelization features the notorious ending in which Skip sneaks back onto the island after everyone has left to kill Muffy for her share of the family money, though he fails and winds up dead himself. This ending has never been released, but stills of it have surfaced.
A revised draft of the script included another version of the above-mentioned ending in which Skip sneaks back onto the island to slay Muffy. He springs out of a closet and slits her throat, and she at first panics but realizes it is all a joke when she sees her friends standing around. The script then states that Skip stays on the island to help Muffy with the bed and breakfast."
Maybe that's why it feels like something's missing?
Brian: DEFINITELY an 80s flick!
ReplyDeleteCarrie Mae: Yeah, that is one hell of a hairstyle!
Frog Queen: Glad you like it! :)
Professor Chaos: No clue, she wasn't bad as an actress, either.
Rob: Maybe! Very interesting. Never read the novelization, maybe I should look it up!
Thanks!
I have always felt that this one was unjustly crucified for killing the genre, I am a huge fan of APRIL FOOLS DAY, the premise is excellent and I enjoy each of the performances. Amy Steel's patronizing laughter when she discovers the truth has always stuck with me =D
ReplyDelete