Day 12: April Fool's Day (1986)



April Fool's Day is another forgotten slasher flick from the period when slasher flicks ruled the horror genre.  It's also a very divisive film.  Some people love it, others hate it.  Personally, I'm the former.  I think it's a great little deconstruction of a standard slasher.  It's got a unique premise (especially for the time) and a great twist that you won't see coming on first viewing.  That's the one problem with it though.  After watching it once, you don't need to watch it again.  It completely changes the entire movie.  That's not a bad thing though.  It's another whodunnit with enough twists and red herrings to keep you guessing.  There's not much gore and no nudity in it, so it's different than other slasher's of the time.  It's built mainly on atmosphere and story telling.  The characters are developed well enough that you care for them despite them being 80's cliches.  To me, it feels like a tamer version of Friday the 13th.  It all takes place in a house and the woods surrounding it. It gives the feeling of isolation and hopelessness until that final twist.  The guys behind it have a resume that you can't discredit.  You've got the director Fred Walton (When a Stranger Calls), producer Frank Mancuso, Jr (Friday the 13th Parts III-V), writer Danilo Bach (Beverly Hills Cop) and composer Charles Bernstein (A Nightmare on Elm Street).  These guys have their cred.  They combined to create a unique holiday themed slasher that should definitely be checked out at least once.  Oh, it also has Biff (Thomas F. Wilson) from Back to the Future and Ginny (Amy Steele) from Friday the 13th Part II.  


-BM

Our Rating:  3.5/5


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