April Fool's Day

Holidays. I love them in a twisted way. I don’t actually enjoy the holidays themselves (unless we’re talking about Halloween), but I love the horror movies made about them. Halloween, My Bloody Valentine, Friday the Thirteenth, Silent Night Deadly Night, Black Christmas, and New Year’s Evil all fill me with holiday cheer. April Fool’s Day is probably the one that makes the most of its holiday though.

Muffy St. John has invited her friends to her family’s island home for a weekend getaway on April Fool’s Day. Her friends are your usual 80’s slasher film victims. They’re in for a weekend full of alcohol, drugs, sex, kickball, and April Fool’s gags. Unfortunately their pranks start off with the accidental maiming of a ferryman on their way to the island.

Geez… that guy can’t take a joke.

After a night of fun (that accidental destruction of a guy’s face doesn’t bring these kids down), the group realizes that one of their friends is missing. What follows are the best jokes of the weekend. April Fool’s Day proves once and for all that murder is the most awesome prank of all. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen for the ol’ decapitation gag. I don’t even need to mention my unfortunate experience with the ol’ castration prank. Oh… the shenanigans!

April Fool’s Day is a pretty fun 80’s slasher. It’s a little weak on the gore, but it makes up for it with the suspense and comedy. The cast is strong all the way around with Deborah Foreman (yummy Valley Girl) and Thomas F. Wilson (aka Biff Tannen) being the standouts. Director Fred Walton deftly handles the amusing script and balances the horror and the comedy pretty damned well. The infamous ending probably racks up as one of my few complaints, but I also consider it to be a fitting end the film. April Fool’s Day is good stuff.

NOTE: DO NOT WATCH THE INCREDIBLY HORRIBLE REMAKE STARRING SCOUT TAYLOR-COMPTON (AKA QUEEN OF THE SHITTY HORROR REMAKES)!

NOTE: I'M VERY BUMMED AT THE LACK OF AN ARBOR DAY FILM.