अप्रैल फूल्स डे

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 ****

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!

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 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.

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.