April Fool's Day
(1986)
Directed by: Fred
Walton
Starring: Jay Baker,
Deborah Foreman, Deborah Goodrich, Ken Olandt, Griffin O'Neal, Leah Pinsent,
Clayton Rohner, Amy Steel and Thomas F. Wilson
Genre: Horror,
Slasher, Mystery, Horror Comedy
Rated: R
It's April Fool's Day and a group of college seniors are
embarking on a fun weekend at Muffy St. John's secluded island mansion. These
young twenty-somethings are prepped for a weekend of good food, good company, a
bit of partying and a bit of sex. What they are not prepared for: being picked off one by one by an unseen assailant.
The plot is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then
There Were None, a story I absolutely adore. Both in this film and
Christie's novel, a group of people are invited to a secluded island mansion
where they receive clues pointing to character secrets and are slowly picked
off one by one. However, while Christie's novel is highly crafted and
suspenseful, this film takes a more relaxed, fun-loving approach with the
characters hanging out, having dinner and pranking each other well into the evening.
The kills don't begin to happen until
well after most of the characters are tucked into bed and the characters don't begin to realize anything is wrong until
the first body is discovered the following afternoon.
Despite the
easy-going air this film takes, the film is able to bring the suspense. The
secluded island setting and the fact that it can only be reached by boat gives
the film a claustrophobic feel, knowing these characters are trapped on the
island with the killer until help arrives. A score reminiscent of the Friday
the 13th films does well to remind the viewer that this is a horror movie
and sets a darker tone as people begin to disappear.
The best way to generate suspense is to have likable
characters. Here we actually have a rarity in the slasher subgenre where the
characters are seemingly more than just the cliches typically portrayed in
similar movies. These folks are relatable. These are young people realizing
this is their last big hurrah before they graduate and are forced into true
adulthood, and they honestly don't know what they're doing which is refreshing
and realistic. The girls talk openly and honestly about sex - the "virgin
survivor" trope is unwelcome here, as there isn't a single virgin among
them. Both Kit and Nikki are very open with their partners about what they do
and do not want in the bedroom, and Kit is even a little aggressive about
getting it. The girls also are self sufficient and don't hide behind the boys
when something needs to be done. The guys all seem like real friends that laugh
and joke around. They aren't afraid of being close to one another and even
jokingly show affection. Chaz and Arch have what can only be described as a
bromance, which isn't common among male characters in horror.
This is a film that is either loved or hated by those in the
horror community due to the twist ending - some find it clever, others find it
awful. Another complaint many have is the lack of gore and nudity. I am of the
former school of thought. I find the ending to this movie a little farfetched, but
clever, fitting for the theme, and a refreshing change of pace for the genre. Also,
while I am a lover of creative kills and gore, the lack thereof does not ruin
the film for me as the timing and locations of the discovery of the bodies was
almost perfectly done. This is just one of many films that prove offscreen
deaths can work just as well as onscreen kills if the cast and atmosphere are
strong enough.
Overall, this is an under-rated 1980s gem with likable
characters, a good mix of humor and suspense, a lack of gore, and a twist
ending that you'll either enjoy or despise. It is worth at least one watch for
all horror fans.
6.5/10
April Fool's Day
(2008)
Directed By: The
Butcher Brothers
Starring: Taylor
Cole, Josh Henderson, Scout Taylor-Compton, Joe Egender, Jennifer Siebel Newsom,
Samuel Child, Joseph Mckelheer and Sabrina Aldridge
Genre: Slasher,
Horror
Rated: UnratedApril Fool's Day 2007: the Cartier siblings Desiree and
Blaine are hosting the Debutante Ball for their new friend and aspiring
actress, Torrance. When Desiree's rival, Milan Hastings shows up, Desiree
devises a prank to ruin Milan, a prank that inadvertently goes horribly wrong
and results in Milan's death. One year later, someone knows the truth behind
Milan's death, and will stop at nothing to destroy those involved.
This "remake" is more like a cross between I
Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions than the original
film. Aside from the twist ending, this could almost be listed as a remake in
name and theme only.
The likeable, somewhat realistic characters of the original
have been replaced by arrogant, self-absorbed and filthy rich little shits
young people in their late teens or early twenties. There isn't a single
likable character among them, and quite frankly, I wanted them all to die. The
only somewhat decent character was killed in the 2007 "prank."
Desiree is a venomous bitch who craves money and being the center of attention.
The film tries to redeem her from the heinous person she is in the beginning of
the movie by subjecting her to the deaths of her friends, but her reactions to
these deaths are so stupid the viewer just finds another reason to dislike her.
In fact, none of the characters find redemption, and those that weren't so bad
in the beginning find a way to make themselves unlikable by the end. Then,
SLIGHT SPOILER, in the end, you find out the killer's motive wasn't to avenge
the death of Milan at all, but as revenge for something far more selfish and pathetic.
The setting has been moved from a secluded New England
island to in-town in one of the Carolinas. While the move from the north to the
south doesn't bother me, the complete removal of the secluded claustrophobic atmosphere
does. Instead of being stranded and having to await the arrival of the
constable from the mainland for help as the characters in the original had to
do, the remake's characters are literally running and/or driving all over town.
They could have sought help from anyone at any time, but due to a cryptic
warning from a package delivered to them at a Milan's grave, they decide not to
do the one thing that could actually save them - going to the police. Yes,
before anyone brings it up in the comments, Blaine does make an attempt at
phoning the police, but only to report Charles's murder, not to get help for
the danger he and Desiree are in.
The death scenes provide more gore and substance than those
of the original, but that doesn't necessarily make them better. Sure we see
someone get electrocuted (in an elaborate scheme impossible for a human killer to
enact), hit by a car, drown, get their throat slit and take a gunshot to the
head at close range. However, these deaths are not effective because the viewer
cannot bring him/herself to care about any of the victims. I was glad to see
each of these vindictive, self centered assholes get taken out, and,
considering their personalities, the deaths weren't fitting enough - especially
when the twist ending is taken into account.
While the twist ending in the original lightened the tension
and brought the film to a close on a happy note, the remake uses it as a tool
to prove just how painfully privileged, conceited and greedy the characters
really are. As stated above, the killer's motive wasn't about avenging Milan's
death at all, but centered around his/her own selfish gripe with Desiree that
relates to the night Milan died.
Over all, everyone in this movie needs a punch in the face.
There are no likable or relatable characters, the death scenes are alright
effects wise, but not moving in any other way, and the setting removes any atmosphere
the original achieved. The story is something resembling the demented spawn of I
Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions crossed with the
brats from My Super Sweet 16. Despite all this, it's not even so much
anger inducing as it is bland and forgettable. Skip this and watch the original
instead.
3.5/10
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