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!

This is one of those "almost" movies. April Fool's Day has a very likable cast, a good plot and wonderful setting what is doesn't have is a lot of suspense and scares.

It looks like a lot of time was put into this film to make it a classy horror picture. Perhaps that's the reason that none of the kills are very interesting, while there is some gore the death scenes themselves seem to have been edited out. Perhaps this was due to the print used on the DVD, maybe there's a better version...I don't know.

The ending itself may put off hardcore horror fans but I found it quite amusing and it helped to make the rest of the movie gel together and answers some questions/concerns I had about about the movies story.

Overall April Fool's Day is quite enjoyable. The young cast is a lot of fun to watch and a few notches above other 80's horror fare, the story is original and the local, a secluded beach house is quite nice. However, it could have been much, much creepier! With more suspense and good scares April Fool's Day could have rated higher. April Fool's Day rates a 6 out of 10.

I saw this for the first time over 35 years ago (and have seen it several times since then), and have always liked it!

It's quite an intricate whodunit, with a youthful touch - giving it the appearance of being a cheap Friday The 13th ripoff.

But there are good actors here, who play interesting characters that you want to know more about, and a story that for the first time viewer is pretty damn exciting!

In a large house on an isolated island, a group of young college students gather, invited there by Muffy St John, the future heir to a family fortune. She has planned a weekend full of April fools pranks, and so have the participants.

After a while, it seems that someone is hell bent on taking the pranks to a whole other level...

Deborah Foreman, Amy Steel, Ken Olandt, Jay Baker, Deborah Goodrich, Clayton Rohner, Leah Pinsent, Tom Wilson and Griffin O'Neal inhabit the island, and it is they, and Danilo Bach's story, that make this as watchable as it actually is.

Charles Bernstein's music adds to the mood, and I wish it had been used more.

-But, having said that, the lack of music during the first half of the movie is also what creates the atmosphere. The muffled sounds of footsteps, drawers being opened, and doors being closed, as the party-goers familiarize themselves with their rooms, feel uncomfortable.

And letting them make various unpleasant discoveries in their rooms, during complete silence, is effective.

The whoduni-story should mean that the replay value is low, but I've seen this a number of times, and still think it's pretty damn entertaining.

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.

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.