As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
In 1986, the landscape of horror was much different than it is today. There weren't quite so many variations on the theme. You had slasher movies, possession movies, occult/demon films, zombie films, but not too many comedy or satirical horrors. When you went to see a scary movie, you were expecting just that.... to be scared. That's one of the reasons a film like 'April Fool's Day' stood out and became the cult classic that it is today. It surprised its audience with a twist ending like no one had ever seen before. Some people loved the idea and embraced it whole heartedly, but others walked away feeling a little cheated. For me, as a kid, when I first saw 'April Fool's Day', I was shocked at what happened in the third act. I wanted to see it again, to see if I could catch on to more, knowing what was in store in the last 10 minutes of the film. Sadly, I never got that chance, until recently. In a conversation with our Editor in Chief, Jeff, we talked about doing a two part review of the original and the remake. Since I'd been robbed of the chance of seeing it a second time as a youth, I jumped at the chance to take a look at again, with the eyes of a 42 year old man. From the moment the movie started, I was watching with eagle eyes to see if I could see the strings behind the puppet master, making the film. However, what I didn't take into account was the fact that the audience wasn't supposed to see the man behind the curtain. We were intentionally being led down a prim rose path to our ultimately shock and awe. But what did I think of it now? Would it hold up? Read on, Creeps, to find out.
Major *SPOILERS* ahead, if you've never seen it. 'April Fool's Day' tells the story of a young woman who has the idea to host a get together with several of her friends on her island. Her family owns a rather large estate there and she has it all to herself, in order to host this rather large gathering. From the beginning of the film, we get an almost found footage style intro to some of the main characters. As one of them has brought a camera along and is filming the event. It's not long after they arrive, that things start to go horribly wrong. One of the men on the boat, that brought them to the island, is injured and the rest of the crew have to rush him back to port. Now stuck on the island, the party goers head to the house.... only remorseful for a moment or so. All but one of them. It's not long after this, that the bodies start piling up, as one by one they're being killed off. By the end of the movie, only two of them are left standing, to face off against the unknown murderer, only to find out it was all a very clever ruse. Leading the charge, is their hostess, Muffy/Buffy. It was all a giant April Fool's Day prank, simply created to test out a concept for a murder mystery get away.
Seeing it all again, makes me wish I could have been in the audience when this was released in theaters. I would have loved to hear all the conversations as the people filed out of the theater. Sadly, it was only me, when the credits rolled this time. Left to think about all I had just seen. A couple of things about 'April Fool's Day' that really stood out for me. One of them was the large orchestral score. We just don't get that much anymore, in modern horror. Not that it was a mainstay of the 80's, but it always gives a film a much bigger scope, no matter what the budget was. Recent case in point, '10 Cloverfield Lane'. Even though it was made by a big budget studio, it was a rather low budget film and one that was made on a very small scale. Despite that though, they created a large scale Hitchcockian score that made everything feel much bigger than it was. This film did the same thing. The other thing that stood out for me, was how much it felt like the time it was made. It poured 80's slasher film cliches all over the place. Not that this was a bad thing, it was just a pleasant surprise to be taken back to that time in such a big way.
'April Fool's Day was directed by Fred Walton ('When A Stranger Calls') and written by Danilo Bach ('Beverly Hills Cop'). A truly odd couple. Fred, making such an intense film like 'When A Stranger Calls', paired with the writer of one of the more classic buddy cop comedies. Somehow they made it work and perhaps that's why they were paired together. This film needed a mix of true horror with that comedic twist. It starred the lovely and talented Deborah Foreman ('My Chauffeur' and 'Waxwork'). Along with Amy Steel ('Friday the 13th part 2') and Thomas F. Wilson (the 'Back to the Future' trilogy) and a cast of recognizable 1980's mainstays. There's nothing really not to like about this film, except that I walked away from it this time feeling less impressed. Not that I regretted going back and seeing it again, but I didn't get that same thrill that I did the first time. Perhaps, because I knew what was coming or perhaps it just did age as well as I'd hoped it would. Not that all films from my youth lose their charm and appeal over time, it's just that some age better than others. I still can't quite put my finger on what it was that left me feeling empty, when it was over. There was just something missing. All in all, it was still a solid 3 out of 5 stars and a film that's well deserving of its cult status. There's something to be said about a film that takes a genre and turns the tables on it's audience, so they get something different than they've ever seen before. Maybe I'll give it another go, 20 years down the road. Perhaps I'll watch it again with even another set of eyes and be reminded what made me love it in the first place.
If you like this film, check out some other films featuring some of the key players: 'Friday the 13th part 2', 'Waxwork' or 'Leprechaun'
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