April Fools Day is Satisfying for the Fan of the 'Slasher Flick'.
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Still, April Fools Day is still being accessable enough to not put off the novice (too much). Read this review from the Zombie Master Lee.
Written by The Zombie Master, Lee Roberts
2006
Buy on Amazon
Release: 1986
Written by: Danilo Bach
Directed by: Fred Walton
Starring:
Deborah Foreman as Muffy/Buffy St. John
Ken Olandt as Rob Ferris
Leah Pinsent as Nan Youngblood
Clayton Rohner as Chaz Vyshinski
Thomas F. Wilson as Arch Cummings
Amy Steel as Kit Graham
Deborah Goodrich as Nikki Brashares
The 80’s could be classified as the “decade of the slasher.” Freddy came after you in your dreams, Michael had issues with his family, Jason was a little over protective of his territory, and there wasn’t a holiday on the calendar that was immune from the affliction of having a maniac killer staking claim to it. April Fools Day was one of many, but was better than most.
April Fools Day starts with a group of college students that have been invited to a weekend gathering to celebrate there final year at school. The invitation comes from a fellow classmate and heiress Muffy St. John (Deborah Foreman) and the festivities will take place on Muffy’s family’s summer island mansion that is only accessible by ferry.
While on the ferry, there are a few April Fools pranks played that are all in good fun until that fun leads to a serious accident while docking on the island side, and one of the ferry hands has to be rushed back to the mainland hospital. Now everyone is serious as they make their way up to the mansion.
The mood begins to lighten up when Muffy plays a few pranks of her own at the dinner table, and the pranks continue when everyone is shown to their rooms.
The fun and games end, however, when one of their group comes up missing and Kit Graham (Amy Steel from Friday the 13th fame) believes that she has seen his dead body. The rest of the group decide to split up (of course they do) to search for their missing comrade. Upon returning to the house they discover that there are now two guests missing. They are later discovered to have lost there heads and now everyone is freaking out and guests are dying off left and right.
Somehow, this film snuck in under the radar and a lot of horror fans don’t even know that it exists. That is sad because April Fools Day is actually a very good addition to the genre. Writer Danilo Bach (Beverly Hills Cop) and director Fred Walton (When a Stranger Calls 1979) did a good job of taking the model slasher film and adding twists, turns, red herrings, and surprise endings (yes that’s plural) to create a mystery that is reminiscent of Agatha Christie on steroids.
With its DVD release in 2002, April Fools Day is more accessible than it used to be and, though lacking any special features besides wide screen, is not that bad of a transfer. I recommend this film to anyone that is trying to introduce newbies to the horror genre. In fact it is on my list of “starter films” for just such an occasion. Questions or comments about April Fools Day? Discuss it on The Ossuary Forums!
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