April Fool's Day (1986)

April Fool's Day (1986) Dir. by Fred Walton

A group of nine college students staying at a friend's remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool's day weekend.



I can't believe it has taken me this long to see this movie, and I'm kind of sad I didn't see it sooner. It is over the top in every way possible. The acting is over the top. The comedy is over the top. The story is over the top. The ending is over the top. You get the point. Don't get me wrong though, I didn't say it was over the top in a bad way. The movie is insanely fun, and never takes itself too seriously. While at times it is a strong 80's slasher flick, it also almost seems like a satire of 80's slasher flicks. An entire movie based around April fool's jokes. I think the comedy added in actually keeps the tension at a manageable level, and neither genre really steps on the other one's toes so to speak. Walton was the original choice to direct Halloween The Curse of Micheal Myers, and I can see why they wanted him. He knows how to direct a story. I and no clue this was written by Danilo Bach. The same guy who wrote all three Beverly Hills Cop movies, and his comedic style carries over to AFD.



The acting in this movie was absolutely horrible, haha, but I loved it. As a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, its really easy to look past stuff like bad acting. Deborah Foreman does do a great job as the host of the weekend, Muffy St John. The other characters are mediocre, but the are all distinct in their own way, and that gives the story diversity. Its hard to really call this a full fledged horror flick because it doesn't have much of a true body count, or any real hardcore gore, but it is scary at times. I like to think of it as more of a thriller mystery. The first fifty minutes of the movie is treated more like a who-dun-it, and I loved that. It almost felt a bit like Clue. The last thirty-some minutes are treated like more of a slasher, then the very end is a huge twist, then a lame twist. It was just an exciting film to watch.

Entertainment Value: 9/10 Creepy Ferrymen
Cinematic Value: 6/10 Creepy Ferrymen