A group of eight privileged college friends gather at the isolated island mansion of Vassar student and heiress Muffy St. John (Deborah Foreman from Valley Girl) to celebrate their final year of school.
The gang includes the down-to-earth Kit (Amy Steel); her handsome but disturbed boyfriend Rob (Ken Olandt); a southern prep named Hal (Jay Baker), who hopes to add Muffy to his list of acquisitions; Arch (Tom Wilson), who hopes to add any woman to any list he can; a wise-ass vid-kid named Chaz (Clayton Rohner); Nikki (Deborah Goodrich), a sex-obsessed deb; an intense troublemaker named Skip (Griffin O’Neal); and a shy, repressed girl named Nan (Leah Pinsent).
Muffy enjoys playing pranks on her friends: exploding cigars, collapsing chairs, wine glasses that drip, bathroom sinks that spray water in your face…
But then the jokes get out of hand, and guests start disappearing, apparently stalked by a sadistic killer who may or may not be Muffy.
The first victim is Skip, who stumbles out into the garden at midnight to cut himself some fresh marijuana. He wanders off into the boathouse, and that’s the last we see of him.
Teen after teen is dispatched until there are just two left to figure out the killer’s identity and motive.
Of course, there’s no way off the islan,d and the phone isn’t working.
In between murders, the girls gather together and talk about their sexual fantasies. The boys huddle in another part of the house and brag about their potential weekend conquests.
Occasionally, a boy and girl get together and put into practice what they’ve been discussing, but couplings are interrupted by each successive murder.
But is everyone really being murdered by some crazed killer, or is this all some elaborate April Fool’s joke in very poor taste?
The big twist ending comes out of nowhere and aroused love/hate reactions from viewing audiences. Some felt cheated while others appreciated it as a novel approach.
There is less visual gore in April Fool’s Day than in most teen horror films nand the movie doesn’t fit the traditional slasher movie category. It’s milder, with offbeat camera angles, scary music, and unseen malice rather than horrific special effects.
Because it wasn’t gory, the film was frequently aired on late-night television, where it gained a large cult following.
The picture was shot entirely in British Columbia, Canada, with predominantly American actors.
Muffy St. John/Buffy St. John
Deborah Foreman Kit Graham
Amy Steel Rob Ferris
Ken Olandt Nikki Brashears
Deborah Goodrich Harvey ‘Hal’ Edison Jr.
Jay Baker Arch Cummings
Tom Wilson Chaz Vyshinsky
Clayton Rohner Skip St. John
Griffin O’Neal Nan Youngblood
Leah Pinsent Clara
Pat Barlow Buck
Mike Nomad Constable Potter/Uncle Frank
Tom Heaton Ferryman
Lloyd Berry
Director
Fred Walton
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The gang includes the down-to-earth Kit (Amy Steel); her handsome but disturbed boyfriend Rob (Ken Olandt); a southern prep named Hal (Jay Baker), who hopes to add Muffy to his list of acquisitions; Arch (Tom Wilson), who hopes to add any woman to any list he can; a wise-ass vid-kid named Chaz (Clayton Rohner); Nikki (Deborah Goodrich), a sex-obsessed deb; an intense troublemaker named Skip (Griffin O’Neal); and a shy, repressed girl named Nan (Leah Pinsent).
The first victim is Skip, who stumbles out into the garden at midnight to cut himself some fresh marijuana. He wanders off into the boathouse, and that’s the last we see of him.
There is less visual gore in April Fool’s Day than in most teen horror films nand the movie doesn’t fit the traditional slasher movie category. It’s milder, with offbeat camera angles, scary music, and unseen malice rather than horrific special effects.
