Apparently even this obscure ass movie wasn't safe from the 2000s remake wrath.
for awhile there was this nameless movie rolling around in my head. a FUNNY GAMES sort of thing where someone invites people to a dinner party that ends in some type of death game. whatever movie i was thinking of is lost to history (assuming it was real at all), but April Fools Day is as close as it gets.
When a group of college students decides to spend spring break at the secluded island estate of their wealthy classmate, Muffy St. John (Deborah Foreman), what starts out as a fun, hedonistic weekend turns into something more sinister. Muffy is very fond of practical jokes, and sets up numerous gags throughout her mansion. But, when friends begin going missing and turn up dead, they realize that they're trapped on the isolated isle with a mysterious and brutal killer.
right of the bat i found myself really loving this movies characters. the found footage style opening is a PERFECT way to introduce the key players, and every character in this movie is amazing. the standard introducing all the characters/settings and traveling to the spooky location is always the slowest part of movies like these, but i could watch these characters do literally anything for all time. and that's not all folks! i certainly wouldn't expect an 80s slasher to have a good director, but this movie has a great one. it feels like everyone involved with this movie is always giving 110%, and I'm so glad this is one of those movies that never really feels like a movie.
if your one of those people who are simply waiting for the kills to start, the first kill will leave you disappointed. its off screen 37 minutes in, and definitely lets you know that this movie is far less interested in kills and far more interested in dragging out the mystery. at least that first kill starts a reaction where the whole movie suddenly feels like a horror movie. The camera stalks its characters instead of following them, the soundtrack starts becoming more spooky, and of course the party slowly starts to fall apart. also Muffy may have lost her mind overnight, but I'm sure that wont come back at all...
long story short this movie slaps. the ending is definitely weird as hell, but such is life
10/10
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