April Fools on a Friday Summer Night

Bohner getting some head in April Fool's Day 

On the blog, I return over and over to movies that just find their way onto the flat (no longer, do we call it "the tube", right?) again. We have Starz and Encore on DirecTv this weekend, and Aprils Fool's Day (1986) was on at 8pm here in the ole M'ssip. You will see the film mentioned from time to time on the imdb Horror board, too. It is often debated about by slasher fans on whether or not it has any merit. If it is a cheat to the viewer. Again, and perhaps I have said this in writing on a post or two, but the title pretty much tells you the finish of the film. So, should you really feel cheated by the end result? At least the Deborah Foreman character (gosh, does she play it weird here) gives us a decent explanation for all that happens as to lessen the blow. If anything, I imagine Paramount was happy with how this film turned out considering how much they hated the Friday the 13th franchise (it made them money, but it was like the little private sin they tried to keep in the shadows and out of the conversation), with its violence. The cast of familiar faces in these kinds of films helps. Amy Steel once again the "final girl" might be pleasing for her Friday 2 fans to see her in one of these *types* of films. It isn't as much a *body count* film as *body vanish*.

This really isn't an R-picture. After I watched this, I noticed that there was more blood and gore on an episode of Joe Kenda: Homicide Hunter (On Investigation Discovery) than in April Fool's Day. There is the Kama Sutra scene with Goodrich and Dohner that might constitute the R, but I think it is safe to say that the rating today could be reduced to PG-13.

Still, this film is like some others that literally show us the "special effects" ("Just say to yourself, 'It's only a movie. It's only a movie..'"), thus giving away tricks of the trade which diminishes the horror of the very Friday franchise this film mocks joyfully. That's the point, I imagine. Paramount wanted to dig the knife in a bit to the cash cow that moos loudly but they so tried to ignore.

Still, I consider this one of my "play the movie as background noise" pleasures. It is really harmless, and I think plays well on television. It isn't all that distinguished, but because it was made through a major studio, April Fool's Day got exposure. I saw it a few years ago doing the "5 dollar bin" rounds, often in a double feature with the heavily edited version of My Bloody Valentine (which also played easily on the telly prior to the much in-demand fully complete gore-version). I guess I should have picked it up, but I rather like catching it by chance on the dish whenever time permits.