April Fool's Day
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Movie Reviews of April Fool's Day
Movie Review: Wish there were extras...
Summary: 4 Stars
"April Fool's Day" is yet another one of those holiday themed slasher films that emerged in the wake of the "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" successes. You know all about them if you follow the genre in any substantive way--movies with names like "Mother's Day," "Graduation Day," "My Bloody Valentine," and "Silent Night, Deadly Night." O.K., the last two don't specifically refer to dates, but it doesn't take a genius to infer that the two films play on Valentine's Day and Christmas. The slasher genre never died out thanks in large part to the billion plus sequels in the "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" franchises, but their poorer cousins did fade into obscurity until DVD resurrected them. All I can say about that is thank goodness! I'm the first to admit that some of these films fail to rise above mediocrity, but several of them are quite good. "April Fool's Day" definitely falls into the latter category. The film doesn't contain a lot of gore we stalk and slash lovers have come to know and love, but the central plot of the film and its amazing twist ending makes the movie well worth watching. There is no other way to say it--"April Fool's Day" is actually a spoof of the entire slasher phenomena, and it spoofs the genre years before "Scream" appeared on the scene.What makes "April Fool's Day" so different from the other slasher films? You won't notice anything amiss for most of the film. The plot is quite basic: a gang of college students accepts an invitation from a rich classmate to spend a few days at her opulent house on a remote island. The girl inviting all of her friends, Muffy Saint John (great name, eh?), is a bit of an oddball. She's rich, though, so all of her pals don't hesitate to accept the invite. Besides, who wouldn't like to spend some time rambling around a huge house out in the sticks? It could be fun. Trouble rears its ugly head from the start. An accident on the ferry trip out to the house, the result of a prank gone horribly wrong, seriously injures a local and causes some heavy guilt amongst Saint John's guests. The tension never lets down once the group arrives at the house, as Muffy shrewdly installed a series of April Fool's type gags in the various rooms of her guests. Even worse, subplots in the main story reveal relationship problems and uncertainties about the future among several of the visitors. The whole vacation teeters on the edge of total disaster before plunging into an abyss of murder, mayhem, and sheer insanity.
The next morning after the young adults arrive something sinister happens to Muffy. She appears to assume an entirely different personality by changing her dress, her mannerisms, and her relations with the guests. As if that's not bad enough, some of the youths start to disappear. It becomes obvious very quickly that a killer is on the loose in the house and on the grounds. No one is safe from this crazed wacko, not any of Muffy's friends or any of the locals unfortunate enough to venture onto the property. As people disappear one by one, two of the guests begin to uncover the madness behind Muffy Saint John's house and her private life. The picture isn't pretty; it appears that Muffy had a twin who went stark raving mad as a child, and now BUFFY Saint John has returned to wreak bloody havoc on her sister and her friends. It could very well end up that no one will escape the wrath of this warped sibling. As the surviving pair attempts to get away from the house, they finally come face to face with Muffy's alter ego in a conclusion that is sure to get your goat. Perhaps you will be one of those astute viewers who saw it all coming before it happened, but I didn't. Then again, I'm one of those sheep who blithely accepts nearly everything I see on the screen at face value. I did not see this ending coming at all, which is ridiculous considering the title of the film.
"April Fool's Day" is a fun movie even if you don't enjoy watching horror movies. The gore is mostly non-existent, the characters are lots of fun, and the conclusion will have you hitting yourself upside the head in "Gee, ain't I stupid" glee. I liked most of the actors, especially the always beautiful and enjoyable Deborah Foreman in the role of Muffy Saint John. Foreman has a real girl next door quality that I find irresistible. The movie plays on that quality to deliver a few shocks towards the end of the film as her character threatens her surviving guests. The look on her face--a look of cold, detached murder--was downright chilling to watch. The other actors and actresses did a good job as well. Look for Griffin O'Neal playing a troubled young man (what a stretch there!), Thomas F. Wilson as the group cut up (he played Biff in the "Back to the Future" trilogy), and B movie fave Ken Olandt as one of the survivors who battles Saint John in the end (he starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in the first "Leprechaun" film).
The only problem I had with the movie was the DVD version. The extras are non-existent. Too bad considering the price of the disc, but the film has such a neat ending it hardly mattered. I remember when this one came out and unfortunately I was not old enough to see it (and still hesitant to attempt a sneak in at the theater). At least the DVD gives us a nice widescreen picture transfer with good audio. Give this one a shot if you love slasher flicks. You'll like it!
Movie Review: It's a Cut Above Many '80s Slasher Flicks. No Foolin'!
Summary: 4 Stars
Another teen horror film whose creators hoped to garner a few drops from the lucrative post-HALLOWEEN slasher-flick fount of the 1980s, APRIL FOOL'S DAY is surprisingly a cut above many of its contemporaries. The film contains relatively little graphic gore, no actual nudity, and some pretty good actors, thereby going against the cookie-cutter recipe and, instead, concentrating on the development of likable characters, eerie atmosphere, and some genuinely effective spook-show scares.The plot unfolds at a sequestered island estate, familial home to wealthy college student Muffy St. John. Having the big house to herself the weekend of April 1st, Muffy has invited some of her fellow ivy-league students to spend a few days partying with her. Get a bunch of college kids together on April Fool's Day and, of course, the practical jokes abound. But this is a slasher flick, remember, so it isn't too long until the kiddos start turning up dead. But who's responsible for the bloodshed? Hostess Muffy? The boatman who ferried the group over to the island? One of Muffy's remaining guests? Or is there some other secret hiding behind the doors of the old family mansion?
APRIL FOOL'S DAY offers a successful combination of mystery, horror, and humor, and the talented young cast delivers both the suspense and the laughs without taking it too far over the top. The film's subtle scares and toned-down gore make it more akin to older psychological spook films like THE HAUNTING (1963) and THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE (1973) than to typical slasher fare, and this, combined with the good writing and good acting, make it stand out above many of the other teen horror flicks of the 1980s. Admittedly, the twist ending might be a letdown for some horror fans, and those gore hounds who watch slasher flicks solely for the blood and guts will probably find the entire film too tame. But true horror aficionados who enjoy the entire range and history of the genre should at least give APRIL FOOL'S DAY a once-over.
Avid filmgoers will enjoy seeing the film's familiar faces from the 1980s and 1990s. Deborah Foreman, who plays Muffy, is probably best known for her roles in comedies like 1983's VALLEY GIRL, 1985's REAL GENIUS, and 1986's MY CHAUFFER. Film fans will no doubt recognize Clayton Rohner from his appearance in the comedy JUST ONE OF THE GUYS (1985), as well as from genre films such as THE RELIC (1997) and SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK...FOR MORE (1999). Hardcore genre fans will be delighted to see Amy Steel, known for her appearances in some of the FRIDAY THE 13th films, and SF fans will get a kick out of spotting Thomas F. Wilson, who is probably better known as bully Biff Tannen in the BACK TO THE FUTURE film series.
As with many DVDs from Paramount, the disc is short on extras. However, it offers a beautifully crisp and clean digital transfer in anamorphic widescreen at the film's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. And at the very reasonable amazon.com price, horror fans can easily afford to add this one to their growing DVD collections.
Movie Review: When Death Is A Joke
Summary: 4 Stars
Due to a perceived lack of decent modern horror, I found this old title that, as a kid, I'd always been intrigued by. (Perhaps it was the ponytail-noose from the front cover.) I popped it in last night, expecting some cheesy, low-grade 80's gore. Too smug to be scared, I watched the movie, thinking I had the whole thing figured out, only to be delightfully surprised by the ending. In fact, the ending was such a surprise, I was a little turned off ("How unlikely is THAT!" I wondered aloud), only to have my doubts dispelled by what would normally be an annoying "killer explains all" moment at the end.
The story follows a group of young college kids who are invited for a Spring Break type weekend at a remote island mansion by their wealthy friend, Muffy St. John (the name, believe it or not, is not one of the movie's many pranks). The ferry ride over is punctuated by a horribly violent event that foreshadows the gruesome events to come. After the guests settle into their prank-ridden rooms (and one couple demonstrates the oddest sexual position I've ever seen), bodies start piling up, the hostess begins to act odder and odder, and the local sherrif begins dropping hints that the guests are in more danger than they thought.
Although for a time the only thing I noted was that one of the guests was a horndog played by the same fellow who was every incarnation of Biff in the Back to the Future Trilogy, in fact, this is a cheeky and witty movie that is as fun (and sometimes off-putting) as a typical April Fool's Day gag. After all, it's not funny (or scary, for that matter) unless someone somewhere has no idea what's going on, and for most of the movie, that someone will probably be you.
Movie Review: Modern Slasher Version of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians"
Summary: 4 Stars
The great slasher frenzy of the 1980's was winding down when "April Fool's Day" was released in 1986. This gem was produced by Frank Mancuso, Jr., who brought us "Friday 13th Parts III through V." Though the critics, and many fans, reviled it, I thought it was an ingenious piece of film making.
In the vein of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians," a group of people - in this case, hormonally charged college preppies - are invited for a weekend on a secluded island. It is April Fool's Day and everyone must endure tasteless, immature jokes, including whoopee cushions, exploding cigars, collapsing chairs, and dribble glasses. Unfortunately, there is a maniac in their midst who begins dispatching the guests in various means that are not funny.
The murders are done off screen and the killer's identity remains a mystery until the end. Could it be the ferryman who was injured in a freak accident, eccentric (perhaps deranged) Muffy, the constable, or one of the guests, pretending to be dead? As it was with "Ten Little Indians," red herrings and dark secrets abound in this thrill fest.
The feisty, tom-boyish Amy Steel ("Friday the 13th Part II") leads an ensemble cast of talented young actors. Steel is Kit, the heroine of "April Fool's Day," who scrambles to learn the identity of the killer. Meanwhile, the corpses of her friends begin to pile up. This is one holiday she will never forget.
"April Fool's Day" is a giallo-like film recommended for anyone who collects good holiday slasher fare such as "Black Christmas," "Halloween," and "My Bloody Valentine." Lovers of good mysteries will also appreciate it. For those who are nostalgic about the great slasher frenzy era, they should watch "April Fool's Day."
Movie Review: Watch it. You Know You've Been Wanting To
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm willing to bet you've put this film off for years. I'm sure you've seen it at the video store numerous times throughout the years, and you may have been intrigued by the cover with the chick holding the knife behind her back with her hair in a noose. Well, it may not be worth all those years of putting it off, but you'd might as well take that plunge now that the film is out on dvd. Ya know, this movie is actually pretty good considering it's a slasher flick. Slasher flicks aren't exactly the mark of quality, but this one has some decent performances and a good script that actually conjures up a few scares. Don't get me wrong, this movie isn't gonna keep you up all night or anything, but with a formulatic genre like this, April Fool's Day manages to be kinda spooky. And it's actually funny too! Alot of slasher flicks can't quite pull off the humor thing, but this movie actually manages to be laugh out loud funny. The humor and scares can be put down to some very good performances by the young cast. Most slasher flicks have acting that leaves much to be desired, but I'd have to say this movie has the best acting of any slasher flick I've seen(and I've seen many). The ending of this film gets mixed opinions. Some people see it as a letdown, while others find it quite original. I'm in the latter category, but it's one of those endings that's only gonna work once. Similar to Primal Fear or The Sixth Sense, the twist is good for the first viewing only, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy watching it again. Just make sure you watch it with someone who hasn't seen it before.