April Fool's Day (1986)

Before I could shuffle into Shutter Island last night, I decided to take a jaunt down memory lane when I saw April Fool’s Day was on Showtime. In many ways it seems like yesterday when I first saw this film and I was amazed at how much better I felt about the film these years later!

Plot/ A group of eight college friends gather together at an island mansion belonging to heiress Muffy St. John to celebrate their final year of school. They soon discover that each has a hidden secret from their past which is revealed, and soon after, they turn up dead. Yet, are they dead? Or is it just part of some very real and cruel April Fool's jokes? The hostess, Muffy, is the only one who apparently knows what's going on. Then again, is it really her doing the killing?

I remember going to see this movie back in the 1980s as a teenager, I was excited by the way it looked in the pages of Fangoria only to be disheartened by how the cinematic adaptation differed from the articles. I soon learned exactly how common this would be within the horror genre. Today, looking back all of these years later, this film is really much more than I initially had thought. Yes, the film lacks gore and nudity, a couple of the staples of 80s slasher flicks. However, this may be one of the most well thought out movies of the era combining an interesting (not yet overdone) storyline with some outstanding acting, creating a very cool and intelligent horror film. What the movie lacks in gore, it more than makes up for it with characterization and mood, with an eerie soundtrack that is a perfect addition. This is one great film and one that I highly recommend.