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Fatal Exam

  • 1990
  • R
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
3.7/10
538
YOUR RATING
Fatal Exam (1990)
Slasher HorrorSupernatural HorrorCrimeDramaFantasyHorrorMystery

A group of university students are invited by their parapsychology professor to investigate a haunted house for the weekend.A group of university students are invited by their parapsychology professor to investigate a haunted house for the weekend.A group of university students are invited by their parapsychology professor to investigate a haunted house for the weekend.

  • Director
    • Jack Snyder
  • Writer
    • Jack Snyder
  • Stars
    • Mike Coleman
    • Terry Comer
    • Carol Carlberg-Snyder
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    3.7/10
    538
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jack Snyder
    • Writer
      • Jack Snyder
    • Stars
      • Mike Coleman
      • Terry Comer
      • Carol Carlberg-Snyder
    • 11User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos6

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    Top cast27

    Edit
    Mike Coleman
    Mike Coleman
    • Nick Krader
    Terry Comer
    Terry Comer
    • Roger Ellington
    Carol Carlberg-Snyder
    • Dana Krader
    • (as Carol Fitzgerald Carlberg)
    Paul Steger
    • Dave
    Gilio Gherardini
    • Stephen Hughes
    Joe Midyett
    Joe Midyett
    • Syd
    Maureen Lampert
    • Sharon
    Greg Rhodes
    • Jim
    Teresa Nienhaus
    • Stacy
    Mike Suzor
    • Malcom Nostrand
    Dave Mayer
    • Kurt
    Karen Greer
    • Jill
    Joan Lang
    • TV News Reporter
    Walter Otten
    • Cloaked Man
    • (as Walter Otten Jr.)
    • …
    Shirley Snyder
    • Head in the Coffeetable
    Ted Burke
    • Radio Announcer
    • (voice)
    • …
    John Misuraca
    • Student in Hallway
    Scott Burch
    • Student in Hallway
    • Director
      • Jack Snyder
    • Writer
      • Jack Snyder
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    3.7538
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    Featured reviews

    4tichy_cnp

    Oof

    This movie is excruciatingly long. I think there's a fun low budget so bad it's good film somewhere in there but it turned into an endurance exercise.
    1BA_Harrison

    The Fatal Exam exam...

    You have two hours. You may begin...

    Q.1 (5 marks) Director Jack Snyder's total rejection of established film-making techniques renders Fatal Exam a dull and worthless experience. Discuss.

    Q.2 (2 marks) Who do you think gives the most lifeless performance in Fatal Exam? Give the reasons for your choice.

    Q.3 (3 marks) Examine three characters from the film and describe the personality traits that render them thoroughly obnoxious.

    Q.4 (5 marks) How do Snyder's editing decisions affect the mood of the film? In your opinion, does his holding on seemingly irrelevant shots for longer than is necessary add to the atmosphere, or make the film as boring as hell?

    Q.5 (1 mark each). Give an example of how each of the following adjectives are applicable to Fatal Exam: moronic, amateurish, soporific, illogical, laughable

    Q.6 (5 marks) You are given the task of reducing the film's unbearable 1h 54min runtime to a slightly more palatable 84 minutes. Which scenes would be first to go? Give reasons for your decisions.

    Q.7 (4 marks) Explain the symbolism of the doll's house. Please!

    Q.8 (5 marks) The painting in the film looks like it was done by a six-year-old. Discuss how a particularly awful prop can render a scene unintentionally funny. Give suggestions of how a far better painting might have been acquired while still keeping within budgetary constraints?

    Q.9 (2 marks) The Pepsi cans: a really bad decision by the soft drink's marketing department, or simply a case of free advertising? Discuss.

    Q.10 (4 marks) Some films are regarded as being 'so bad, they're good'. Do you think that Fatal Exam is one such film, and if so, what is wrong with you?

    Please leave your paper face down on the table in front of you when you have finished.
    2juderussell-84094

    No Lost Classic

    College students explore a haunted house as per their professor's wishes and many of them are killed one by one.

    Fatal Exam's crime isn't the bad acting or amateurish filmmaking, but the plodding and uninteresting script that seems to go nowhere and, when a film with no point pushes the two hour mark, you know you're in trouble. I'm not sure if a shorter run time would have helped all that much, but it would have made it a lot more tolerable.
    1jakerchief

    Why is this 2 hours long?!

    Awful ADR, boring, and should never be watched by anyone. There is no "so bad it's good" here. It's so boring it's painful. Stay away from this movie. I have had more fun in a hospital waiting room.
    6equiribeau

    Chaotic plot, but great score and great characters

    Real cool movie. The actors made some pretty interesting characters, though the acting could be a bit better as evidenced by the nonchalant tone of voice many of them had, even during dire moments. This ironically worked well with the character of Jim (or at least I believe that was his name; names weren't particularly established well). For awhile, Jim is the only one that notices strange happenings around, but yet unlike the typical character who screams and tries to convince himself that what he saw was fake, Jim insists that he was right all along. He says this very casually and adamantly, even though the others refuse to believe him. This is the type of spin on slasher movies characters I love to see, and adds to the comic relief of the movie, even though it doesn't seem like it was intentional.

    The plot seemed all over the place at first, but despite the chaos of it, all was explained at the ending and left no loose ends. I wouldn't consider Fatal Exam a supernatural film because while it does contain supernatural elements, they don't necessarily contribute to the main plot directly and instead build up the tension. The first half of the movie is a mystery film while the second is a slasher, so even though it's almost 2 hours long, you get the best of both worlds with two different genres. Score was well composed as well and it's a shame no soundtrack was released!

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    Related interests

    Roger Jackson in Scream (1996)
    Slasher Horror
    Daveigh Chase in The Ring (2002)
    Supernatural Horror
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was shot in its entirety in 1985, but due to budget constraints post production was not completed until 1990.
    • Goofs
      At 1:31:11 when Nick & Kyle are fighting, a crew member is seen in the right side of the frame.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Fatal Examination (2021)

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    FAQ13

    • How long is Fatal Exam?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 19, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Роковой экзамен
    • Filming locations
      • St. Louis, Missouri, USA
    • Production company
      • Snyder Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 54m(114 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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