April Fool's Day 1986 - REVIEW

What would an April Fool's Day be without a few practical jokes and watching none other than April Fools Day.  Paramount put together a young but fairly talented cast for this slasher film.  Notably Amy Steel from Friday the 13th Part 2.  I know I know it's hard to believe I am reviewing a Slasher film from the 80's.

Muffy St John (Deborah Foreman) is hosting a weekend getaway at her remote family home with a group of selected friends.  The only way to get to this location is by fairy.  It's April fools day and the practical jokes are running rampid on the fairy but soon go too far.  Skip (Griffin O'Neal) and Arch (Thomas F Wilson) are playing a game of stretch (a game were you throw a knife and have to stretch from your position to pick it up, also called Pivot) and Arch is tired of loosing and does not want to play anymore.  Skip wants one more game and tosses him the knife.  Arch wants none of it and throws the knife back with force, stabbing Skip in the stomach and falling overboard.  A dock hand Buck (Mike Nomad) and one of the guests Rob (Ken Olandt) jump in after him but soon realize this is a prank and it was not real.  Everyone gets out of the water except for Buck who stays to tie the fairy on the dock but he does not get it done in time and he is struck by the boat brutally mangling his face.

He is rushed to the mainland while the Constaple tells the group to stay put at Muffy's house.  This is only the start of a long weekend for Muffy's friends.  It will be a weekend they will never forget!

The first time that I saw this movie I was only about 8 years old.  I loved it the first time I saw it.  Back then I did not really know why i liked it, I just did.  Now there are so many things that stand out to me in this movie, namely the soundtrack. The creepy soundtrack is fantastic especially the opening music.  The opening really sets the tone for the rest of the movie and the other composed music for the film.

So many good young actors and actresses appear in this cast : Amy Steel from Friday the 13th part 2, Deborah Foreman who had been in the teen flicks Valley Girl and Real Genius, and also Thomas Wilson who played Biff in the Back to the Future movies.

 There are others but the ones listed above are the most known ones to this point in 1986.  Being a huge Friday the 13th fan Amy Steel is of course one of my favorite final girls and in this one she has another great performance as the final girl.  Always playing a very clever and tough character.

I did read on IMDB that there was an alternate ending that was filmed for this.  It dissapoints me they did not keep the original ending after having read what actually was meant to happen at the end.  The ending is still pretty clever though.  Paramount took a chance on this movie because it's not a slasher that all fans of the genre will enjoy.  Mainly the reason being the lack of blood and the fact that all the deaths occur off screen.  The surprise ending and how corny and awesome the movie is does make up for it though.  Stay Twisted everyone!