Week-end de terreur

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-

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.

Heiress Muffy St John invites a group of college friends to spend the weekend on her island estate. But it is the First of April and some of the jokes begin to get out of hand.

Slasher film of the 80's without a copious amounts of blood is rare, and April Fool Day is one of those rarity. It's a slightly offbeat film, comes across as more of a mystery than a slasher and the last minutes in particular is quite tense. It can be a bit slow and non-event with some characters acting silly in the beginning but it progressively gets watchable and ends with a twist. One thing though the characters come across real even if they are the usual nerd, lusty or nutty teen.

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 ****

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.