Week-end de terreur

Definitely not the typical slasher fare you might expect from the 1980s, April Fool's Day takes the ordinary slasher formula and spices it up - and in the process makes a much more palatable film than most of the films it initially imitates. A group of nubile teens(OK, not so different to begin with)go to their friend's remote island home somewhere in the Northwest. Here, they laugh, have sex, joke around because it is April Fool's Day, and, oh by the way did I mention, have sex. Although this part of the movie is pretty typical, it is well-shot compared to other films of its ilk and we do get some character development(not a lot) but some. Soon, people begin to die and things get serious. For a slasher film, this movie is very well-paced and, more importantly, is not over-the-top in blood and guts. The acting is uniformly average(something a Friday the 13th films craves!). What really takes this film beyond the mundane; however, is the stylish twist at the film's end. This, almost all by itself, allows this film to rise in the ranks. The ending is deftly done and does not look foolish or silly or forced; all of these things could have easily happened. So if you are up for some slasher fun, want to see some nice looking girls(Deborah Foreman and Deborah Goodrich), and are intrigued by a creative ending - April Fool's Day is for you!

Ten youths about to graduate college celebrate at a remote island mansion in the Great Northwest, soon to be inherited by one them (Deborah Foreman). Unfortunately, they start getting hacked one-by-one. Who's the killer?

"April Fool's Day" (1986) is a slasher/horror in the cabin-in-the-woods mold; it's just that the 'cabin' in this case is a magnificent mansion. The presence of Amy Steel, who played Ginny in "Friday the 13th Part II" (1981), brings to mind that series but, besides Amy, the female cast isn't as notable, although it's okay. You might remember Deborah Foreman from "Valley Girl" (1983) and "Real Genius" (1985).

On the other side of the gender spectrum, Ken Olandt is a Kevin Bacon lookalike while Clayton Rohner is reminiscent of Val Kilmer.

Regrettably, the pacing is off and so not enough suspense is worked up. Any "Friday the 13th" flick is all-around more entertaining, not to mention "Slumber Party Massacre II" (1987), which has similarities. But "April Fool's Day" gets points for the outstanding location and something revolutionary that happens, which I can't give away.

The film runs 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot at St John estate, Victoria, British Columbia, with additional studio stuff done in Los Angeles. It was rebooted or reimagined (not remade) in 2008.

GRADE: B-

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.

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.

Fred Walton's "April Fool's Day" is a bit of an anomaly in the slasher genre: there's very little violence. But even so, it's pretty fun, as a bunch of friends gather at an old house for April Fool's weekend...and they start getting picked off. Who's the culprit? The movie does have a few of the things that we expect in a slasher flick (namely a sex scene), but I literally did not see the ending coming. I'd say that the best thing about the movie is the scenery: it's filmed off the coast of British Columbia, one of the most beautiful places on earth. The whole thing is worth seeing if you're into the genre, and maybe even if you aren't. Watch for Thomas F. Wilson (Biff in the "Back to the Future" franchise) in a supporting role.