Truly Dreadful Film

Captivating movie !

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

I love horror movies - in particular slashers - that are holiday or calender related, so April the 1st is the perfect day/evening for sitting down and enjoying this one. Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians is very much evident regarding the plot here, which is no bad thing. In fact you could call her story the template for what was to become the slasher/body count movie. Those wanting a gory & nasty affair will be disappointed, this is very much a fun movie (though I would stop short of calling it a comedy) where most of the kills appear off screen, though there are plenty of mutilated corpses so it's certainly not gore-less. Filmed in Canada but with a mainly American cast it has some good characters and is well acted. Plus it has that wonderful and nostalgic 80's slashers look/feel about it, my favourite decade for the sub-genre. No spoiler here but it is called April Fools Day for good reason - watch it and enjoy.

I have a huge fondness for 1980s-era cinema in general and the slasher genre in particular, so my enjoyment of a film like APRIL FOOl'S DAY is a given. It has a typical set-up in which a bunch of vacationing teenagers end up at an isolated location before being bumped off one by one by persons unknown, Agatha Christie-style. What makes this one stand out are the unusual plot twists and turns along the way, particularly that big twist ending which is unlike anything else. The film is obviously low budget but the photography is crisp and sharp and director Fred Walton infuses the proceedings with the appropriate atmosphere. Watch out for Thomas F. Wilson, playing another jerk character much like his Biff in the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy.

A group of college buddies convene at a friends isolated abode and get killed off one by one…Great fun, Fred Walton, Frank Mancuso Jr. and Danilo Bach tap cheekily into the 1980s obsession with slasher films and produce a self aware horror movie of mighty dark comedy proportions. Quite often when film makers try to laugh as they bite the hand that feeds them they fall flat on their faces, not so here. OK! It's hardly genius film making but the makers instill their picture with interesting killings, twists and turns, and even an audacious narrative that would only be appreciated some years later. Horror movie conventions are adhered to with tongue stuck in bloody cheek, none more so than with an ending that will infuriate some, but conversely will bring on the chortles in others. 7/10

Muffy St. John (Deborah Forman) invites a group of college friends to her mansion on the island for the weekend. The ferry won't be returning until after the weekend. People are playing April Fool gags. However an accident with one of the Ferry's crew sets a bad tone. And then old stories haunt the guest as they get picked off one by one.It's a slasher movie on an island without a way to escape with a bunch of young people. It's also trying to copy the scary-date slasher movie concept like Halloween and Friday the 13th. They even got Amy Steel who survived Friday the 13th Part 2. The use of April Fool's as a jumping off point allows for that everything-is-a-joke idea. However it quickly becomes lame joke-arama. The violence is tame by comparison to others of its era, and is mostly restricted by the story's gimmick. In the end, the movie could never be truly violent or scary because of the gimmick.It has the feel of 'The Big Chill' but the writing isn't good enough. There are a couple of recognizable faces in the group. However none of them are outstanding in this slow moving story. This just doesn't have enough scary moments. It's a barely functional 80s horror. The ending provides the only interesting aspect to this movie.