PopHorror Let's Get Scared
It’s the weekend of April Fool’s Day, 1986 and your friend, Muffy, invites you to a party she’s throwing on a remote island along with a group of your closest college buddies. Aren’t you just dying to go? Such is the premise for the 1986 ‘slasher’ film April Fool’s Day. I use quotes around the word ‘slasher’ because, not all is as it appears on this ‘gory’ ‘terrifying’ weekend of fun, sun and pandemonium.
Watch the trailer below:
April Fool’s Day, was directed by Fred Walton (When A Stranger Calls, 1979) and released in 1986 by Paramount and Hometown Films on March 27th, to welcome that years holiest of days for all pranksters. When compared to other classic slasher films of the 1980s, like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, which achieved phenomenal commercial success, April Fool’s Day stood out among it’s peers for it’s low-key gore and light-hearted twist ending. To many, considered more of a comedy, April Fool’s Day is more about the twists and turns that blur the lines between humor and darkness, than a straight up slasher flick. I recommend April Fool’s Day if you’re wanting something unique, nostalgic and fun, especially this time of year!
April Fool’s Day contains many favorite faces among the horror and sci-fi community, including Thomas F Wilson (Back to the Future 1985) Deborah Foreman (Waxwork 1988) Griffin O’Neal (Ghoulies 3 1990) Amy Steel (Friday the 13th Part 2 1981) Ken Olandt (Leprechaun 1992) Deborah Goodrich (Remote Control 1988) and Leah Pinsent (Virus 1996). These characters, combined with a soundtrack straight out of a carnival haunted house (or funhouse?) from the 1980s, provides the perfect indulgence for the upcoming weekend.
Sit back and reminisce of a time where it was ok to fake slash your friends neck with a rubber knife (or is it a real one?) leave drug paraphernalia in your friends dresser drawer as a joke…or is it a joke? You can even lose yourself in the warm, fuzzy memories of a time gone by where severed heads left floating around for your friend to find were considered the highlight of a wonderful weekend full of sunshine, lake views and bonding with those closest to you…..or were those heads made out of rubber?
Are these people even your real friends, or have they been replaced by their evil twin siblings? In April Fool’s Day, I suppose this pack of thrill-seeking, gullible (or are they?) teenagers will only know by the end of the day, if they survive.
April Fool’s Day was filmed with a small budget of $5 million dollars, but went on to gross $13 million, making the uniquely themed flick an unlikely box office hit. Critically, reviews were mixed, but isn’t that always the case? Many critics and fans were confused by the genre-bending movie, and labeled the plot ‘lackluster’. I personally enjoy the simplicity of April Fool’s Day, and it’s many surprises. So many slasher films from the 1980s follow a familiar formula, and we love them for what they are, but April Fools Day has always held a special place in my heart as being a one of a kind gem-or, at 40 years old, shining relic.
I will be seeking out the fuzzy scratchiness of its playback, hauntingly charming soundtrack and gleeful screaming talent, over this upcoming weekend. 40 years after it’s initial, and successful release, I recommend locating your old toy jack-in-the-box and whoopee cushion, and indulging in this dark horror comedy classic as well. April Fool’s Day can be purchased on You Tube and Amazon Prime.
