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April Fool's Day on DVD (1986)

April Fool's Day cover art
Average rating: 58%
235118208927
3.0
from 167 members
 
Starring: Deborah Foreman, Griffin O'Neal, Amy Steel, Deborah Goodrich, Ken Olandt, Clayton Rohner, Leah Pinsent, Tom Heaton
Director: Fred Walton
Studio: PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time: 86 mins
Certificate: 15
User collections: Dave's horror world, MAD MEN, PSYCHO'S, SERIAL KILLERS AND BOOGEY MEN
Genres: Horror
Languages: English
Dubbed: French, German, Italian, Spanish
Hearing-impaired: English
Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Released: 30/06/2003

Brief synopsis of April Fool's Day

When wealthy Muffy St. John (Deborah Foreman, VALLEY GIRL) invites her college friends up to her parents' secluded island home for Spring Break, they all accept, and arrive expecting a weekend of sun and sex. Things are fine at first, but when one of the guest goes missing, the weekend takes a turn for the worse and only get more horrible from there. But as bodies begin to pop up left and right, the guest have to remind themselves that Muffy always was a big practical joker--the trouble lies in trying to determine what is real and what isn't! A who's who of 1980s teen films, including Amy Steel (FRIDAY THE 13TH 2), Clayton Rohner, and Deborah Goodrich (both of JUST ONE OF THE GUYS) leads the cast of this gory, darkly comic cult favorite.

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Critics Reviews

Rating of 3 stars out of 5 Radio Times

Responsible for the seminal stalk-and-slash movie When a Stranger Calls, director Fred Walton made a belated return to the much-maligned genre he helped create with this amusing diversion, inspired more by Agatha Christie than by Friday the 13th. Who's the insane maniac gruesomely reducing the ranks of practical joker Deborah Foreman's college pals as they party on her island retreat? The answer comes courtesy of a surprising twist in the tail of this wittily inventive whodunnit.

Halliwell's Film Guide

A teenage slasher movie with an original twist, but one that does not alter the usual tedium of the genre.

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Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Rated - 1 starsSupposed to be a slasher flick?

Nickie from London , 21/05/2004

This film is supposed to be a bit of a slasher flick, but while it tries to scare, all it seems to do is make you think, why the hell did I decide to rent this!

If you want to be scared don't rent this film, if you want a good laugh then do.

  6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 3 starsVery 80's

Liz from Lancashire, UK , 01/02/2005

Even if you didn't know this film was from the 80's you could tell as soon as you started watching it (and I don't mean the fashion). Done around the same time as the Halloween and Friday 13th movies this film is a take on them. It's set on April the 1st hence the title and there are a lot of tricks played in the film but you are left to work out what is real and what isn't. Give it ago if you like your slasher movies, otherwise steer clear.

  4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 4 starsDon't Be Fooled

Paul Mayne from Nuneaton, England , 03/06/2004

This is one of those 'almost' movies. April Fool's Day has a very likable cast, a good plot and wonderful setting what is doesn't have is a lot of suspense and scares.

It looks like a lot of time was put into this film to make it a classy horror picture. Perhaps that's the reason that none of the kills are very interesting, while there is some gore the death scenes themselves seem to have been edited out. Perhaps this was due to the print used on the DVD, maybe there's a better version...I don't know.

The ending itself may put off hardcore horror fans but I found it quite amusing and it helped to make the rest of the movie gel together and answers some questions about about the movie's story.

Overall April Fool's Day is quite enjoyable. The young cast is a lot of fun to watch and a few notches above other 80's horror fare, the story is original and the locale, a secluded beach house is quite nice. However, it could have been much, much creepier! With more suspense and good scares April Fool's Day could have rated higher.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 5 starsGreat Film

A customer from Uk , 15/09/2004

I really enjoyed this as did my family, you will enjoy it too, you have to see it, it will play with your head.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Most Recent Reviews

Rated - 3 starsVery 80's

Liz from Lancashire, UK , 01/02/2005

Even if you didn't know this film was from the 80's you could tell as soon as you started watching it (and I don't mean the fashion). Done around the same time as the Halloween and Friday 13th movies this film is a take on them. It's set on April the 1st hence the title and there are a lot of tricks played in the film but you are left to work out what is real and what isn't. Give it ago if you like your slasher movies, otherwise steer clear.

  4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 1 starsYou have been warned

rodgerq from ayrshire , 27/01/2004

If I used 2 words to sum this film up they would be not recommended!!!! To give a bit more detail this is one of thee worst films I’ve ever seen, and the ending!!!........aw I feel sick. A bunch of unknowns badly acting out what can only be described as a shallow plotted weak storyline. Don’t waste your time folks. You have been warned.

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