April Fool's Day

With the IMDb October Horror Challenge taking place,I decided to take a look at the Horror section on Netflix UK. Hearing about the movie after catching the tense Slasher/Giallo crossover Happy Birthday To Me,I was pleased to find that the title had recently been put on the site,which led to me getting ready to perform a vicious April Fools. The plot: Celebrating the start of April over the weekend,pals Harvey, Nikki, Rob, Skip, Nan, Chaz and Kit decide to spend time on Skip's sister Muffy's isolated island mansion. Playing April Fools on each other as they take the last boat to the island,which leads to deckhand Buck getting hurt and being rushed to hospital. Shaken by the accident,the gang soon discover that Muffy has transformed the island into a deadly April Fools. View on the film: Talking about Agatha Christie when they find dolls round the dinner table, (for being "dumb kids" their quoting of Christie/James Boswell and John Milton sure looks like a mature reading taste!) the debut screenplay by Danilo Bach holds back on diving into the full-on Slasher gore to instead stab the psychological fear of the Giallo. Opening up the Slasher box of "mommy issues",Bach wonderfully uses the title for a jack in the box Giallo mystery,leaping round via the "jokes" that Muffy has left round the mansion,to the (off screen) Slasher killings cleverly being placed for a completely different perspective being revealed in the richly macabre,Christie/Giallo-style twist ending. Losing its entire third act, (which Jeff Rovin's novelisation shows to be a much darker final to the "upbeat" studio final) director Fred Walton and cinematographer Charles Minsky impressively hold things together by casting an eerie Giallo atmosphere over the title,as gliding shots stylishly display the isolation of the Christie-style mansion. Running on a classy note which keeps all the sexy girls dressed (boo!) Walton gives the Slasher murders tantalisingly brief glimpses,that are finely balanced between offering a body count,and being vague enough to quietly place clues towards the sharp twist ending,as Muffy gives everyone an unforgettable April Fools Day.

This is one of those "almost" movies. April Fool's Day has a very likable cast, a good plot and wonderful setting what is doesn't have is a lot of suspense and scares. It looks like a lot of time was put into this film to make it a classy horror picture. Perhaps that's the reason that none of the kills are very interesting, while there is some gore the death scenes themselves seem to have been edited out. Perhaps this was due to the print used on the DVD, maybe there's a better version...I don't know. The ending itself may put off hardcore horror fans but I found it quite amusing and it helped to make the rest of the movie gel together and answers some questions/concerns I had about about the movies story. Overall April Fool's Day is quite enjoyable. The young cast is a lot of fun to watch and a few notches above other 80's horror fare, the story is original and the local, a secluded beach house is quite nice. However, it could have been much, much creepier! With more suspense and good scares April Fool's Day could have rated higher. April Fool's Day rates a 6 out of 10.

Here we have your usual assembly of would be slasher victims along with the spooky old house near the shore bit. But the noticable difference here is the amount of laughs injected into this that you dont see in 80s horror. And an ending never seen in any other typical slasher film. The cast is perfect; a wise cracking bunch constantly pulling gags on each other. Wilson (far from his "Biff" character he played in Back to the Future) is great, Foreman is spooky as the weirdo hostess, Baker as the stuck on himself southern guy, and Goodrich as the outspoken cutie, to name a few. Most have wavered about the ending; some say good, some say stupid, so just be prepared for something different.

I saw APRIL FOOL'S DAY when it was released during the slasher craze of the 1980s and I was disappointed by this almost pointless cinematic experience. It's not funny enough to be considered a comedy. It's not gory or horrifying enough to be considered a horror movie (those who saw the movie know what I mean). The characters are flat and boring and a film like this needed fun, real characters in order for the whole surprise ending thingy to have been perceived as being worthwhile. Instead, the characters are just stock characters seen in every whodunit or slasher flick. Only Amy Steel, from FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2, is worth mentioning. When the surprise ending happens (being familiar with horror films and I can figure out what will happen according to what they show and don't show, the surprise ending wasn't really surprising to me), I felt like I wasted my time on this gimmicky flick. A letdown. APRIL FOOL'S DAY indeed.

April Fool's Day is really something special to me as a horror fan. In fact, most people I know have never even seen it or heard of it. But I have. And I love it. The casting is superb, delightful, and entertaining. The plot is mysterious, the acting is average, and jokes, accusations, and decapitations (real or not?) galore in this one-hour and twenty minute uninspired horror movie. There is even a scene in the end that unravels everything that you believed the movie to be in the first place. Amy Steel (from Friday The 13th 2) stars in this homage to crafty horror films, alongside the charming, sexy Deborah Foreman (Waxwork). It is really good to see at any time, and nothing about it should disappoint you. It is not your average horror movie. It's really more funnier than scary. April Fool's Day provided horror fans something a little more tasteful than was expected back in mid-80's. It's nice to have a mystery every now and then, and this movie will have you wondering what's up the sleeves of each character. True, it's not The Green Mile or The Shawshank Redemption, but it is truly underrated as a horror film. It's great. Nine stars.

One of the more fondly remembered horror entries of the '80's is this unique gem that's much more clever and amusing than the average slasher film. Young woman invites her beloved college friends to her island home for a weekend of fun, but everything goes wrong. A freak accident occurs, mysterious things appear in the guests rooms, our hostess starts acting strangely, and bodies are starting to pile up! With its clever combination of Agatha Christie-type mystery, teen horror film conventions, and quirky humor - it's not hard to understand why this film has developed a bit of a fan base. Even viewers who don't like horror films may find themselves enjoying this witty and twisted little venture. Director Walton does well in giving the film an air of mystery and spookiness. All the more adding to the atmosphere is the lovely music score of Charles Bernstein. The film is nicely shot in beautiful British Columbia. The true highlight of this film though is its above-average cast. While there are really no known actors in the cast, they all deliver great performances and bring their characters to a wonderfully likable light! Deborah Foreman, in probably her best performance, is great as hostess Muffy. Ken Olandt and Amy Steel are great as a couple trying to solve the mystery of it all. Clayton Rohner and Thomas F. Wilson are a joy as two joke-happy friends. Jay Baker, Leah Pinsent, and Deborah Goodrich are equally good in their supporting roles. As the tagliner says, April Fool's Day is certainly a 'cut' above the rest of its kind. It's a fun watch whether you enjoy the horror genre or not. *** 1/2 out of ****

April Fool's Day has just the right smarts about it that it holds up extremely well, even all these years later. While the cast may be youthful, the characters and story set this film way above "teen" slasher or horror flicks. Mainly, because this is really a mystery in the vein of Ten Little Indians. It's a good thing I saw this film in a theatre when it was first released in 1986 -- because the VHS cover has something on it that would have kept me AWAY if I had not seen the film already: "It's just what you'd expect from the producer who brought you Friday the 13th -- Parts Two, Three, Four, and Five." You just can't put April Fool's Day in the same category as those films! This is far superior in story and intelligence. It's clever, well-written, and has great characters that you like even if they are not so nice! These days it seems it's more important to find the most popular actors, and that is usually distracting and doesn't guarantee a good film. April Fool's Day had lesser known stars for that time (Deborah Foreman, Amy Steel, Clayton Rohner, Griffin O'Neal) and that worked as an advantage. The basic premise of a group of college students stuck on an island in a big house and one by one they disappear, yes, it's been done in many variations before. But the clever execution of the story, red herrings, and the underrated Deborah Foreman's delightful portrayal of Muffy/Buffy all make for a really fun viewing experience. Foreman has just the right amount of sweetness and can go right into being just plain quirky with such ease. The touch of having dolls on the dinner table, sort of like name tags, will bring a giggle and a smile for sure! One plus for this film is the fact that it didn't sink into the tiring T & A route. Sure, a few of the characters have sex on the brain but their actions and dialogue never really wander off into the gratuitous area. Guys, if you really want lots of breasts than just go ahead and get some * or a Playboy video, okay? Let the rest of us enjoy a good story once in a while! After the body count rises and things escalate into a tense and frenzied chase through the house, you'll be surprised at what happens next. April Fool's Day is one of the few films of this kind that actually had a very surprising reveal and I was even caught off guard, left with my jaw agape at what the whole deal was about. The BIG surprise just happens so...abruptly, that you feel just like the character that runs into the room -- just stuck for a second! After about 90 minutes of mystery, the payoff BETTER be good, and sure enough, this one doesn't disappoint! I'm especially thrilled to have picked up the eerie soundtrack by Charles Bernstein on vinyl when it first came out, and to this day love to give it a spin on the turntable. Paramount has a vast library of films that just NEED to be given great treatment on DVD, and I'm crossing my fingers that films like April Fool's Day, Let's Scare Jessica To Death, and Polanski's film The Tenant will be given their glory. >

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 *), 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.

While most of the Friday the 13th movies (that came around the same time period this one did) were cheap knock offs, at least they had some mystery or excitement to them. This one was boring from start to finish. Not scary, not funny or even entertaining. The movie looks like its trying to come off as some big mystery, when in reality its not interesting enough to keep the audience involved in the film. The ending, while was a surprise was a disappointment. April Fools Day is one of the reasons why slasher movies got such a bad name.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs n was totally surprised. This movie came during the era of slashers but the kills were offscreen n the nudity nada. Revisited it recently n liked it very much. A group of friends take a trip on an island estate, on their way due to a prank gone wrong, a deckhand gets seriously injured. Later on the estate, one by one starts disappearing. The film has lots of twists n turns n a solid ending which was very surprising for those days. The location of the island estate is done well n the mansion really beautiful. It is a very different take on the slasher genre n a very clever one. I think Michael Douglas' The Game is inspired by this movie.