April Fool's Day (1986)

Director:

Fred Walton

Writer:

Danilo Bach (written by)

Release Date:

27 March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Last one out's... a goner.

Plot:

A group of nine college students staying at a friend's remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool's day weekend.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Mansion | Secret | April Fool's Day | Whoopee Cushion

Cast

Jay Baker	...	Harvey
Pat Barlow	...	Clara
Lloyd Berry	...	Ferryman
Deborah Foreman	...	Muffy / Buffy
Deborah Goodrich	...	Nikki
Tom Heaton	...	Constable Potter / Uncle Frank
Mike Nomad	...	Buck
Ken Olandt	...	Rob
Griffin O'Neal	...	Skip
Leah Pinsent	...	Nan (as Leah King Pinsent)
Clayton Rohner	...	Chaz
Amy Steel	...	Kit
Thomas F. Wilson	...	Arch

Directed by
Fred Walton

Writing credits
Danilo Bach		(written by)

Produced by
Frank Mancuso Jr.	....	producer

Original Music by
Charles Bernstein

Cinematography by
Charles Minsky		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bruce Green

Casting by
Pamela Basker
Fern Champion

Art Direction by
W. Stewart Campbell		(as Stewart Campbell)

Set Decoration by
Della Mae Johnston		(as Della Johnston)

Makeup Department
Martin Becker	....	makeup effects: Reel EFX, Inc.
Deborah Anne Dawson	....	hair stylist
Victoria Down	....	assistant makeup artist
Jim Gill	....	makeup effects: Reel EFX, Inc.
Bettie Kauffman	....	makeup effects: Reel EFX, Inc. (as Bettie Kaufman)
Todd McIntosh	....	head makeup artist
Beverly K. Sewers	....	assistant hair stylist
Christopher Swift	....	makeup effects: Reel EFX, Inc.

Production Management
Randy Cheveldave	....	production manager (as Randolph F. Cheveldave)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Reid A. Dunlop	....	third assistant director (as Reid Dunlop)
Lee Knippelberg	....	first assistant director
David Rollin Webb	....	second assistant director (as David Webb)
Geoff Wilkinson	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Gary Brolly	....	construction coordinator (as Garry Brolly)
Roger Dole	....	assistant set decorator
Bill Flanagan	....	stand-by carpenter
D.N. Pettipas	....	set dresser (as Dianne Pettipas)
Hugh Poole	....	scenic artist
Dave Rowan	....	set dresser
David Tait	....	carpenter
Sonny Van Hecke	....	assistant property master
Robert J. Visciglia Sr.	....	property master (as Robert Visciglia Sr.)
Barbara Anne Bock	....	art crew (uncredited)
Scott H. Campbell	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Berger	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jonathan D. Evans	....	sound engineer
Kim Fowler	....	foley (as Kim Fowler Esser)
Herb Heritage	....	boom operator
F. Hudson Miller	....	sound effects
R.J. Palmer	....	supervising sound editor
David Parker	....	second sound re-recording mixer
John Post	....	foley
Steve Rice	....	dialogue editor
Peter Shewchuk	....	sound mixer
Stan Siegel	....	foley
Kelly Tartan	....	sound coordinator
David Lewis Yewdall	....	sound designer
Steve Rice	....	adr editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Martin Becker	....	special effects: Reel EFX, Inc.
Jim Gill	....	special effects: Reel EFX, Inc.
Bettie Kauffman	....	special effects: Reel EFX, Inc. (as Bettie Kaufman)
Christopher Swift	....	special effects: Reel EFX, Inc.
Barbara Anne Bock	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Lou Bollo	....	assistant stunt coordinator (as Louis Bollo)
Jim Dunn	....	stunt man
John Wardlow	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
David Barritt	....	company electrician (as Dave Barritt)
Bruno Bittner	....	electrical best boy (as Robert Bittner)
Cranston Gobbo	....	company electrician (as Cranston Gobo)
Dan Heather	....	second assistant camera
Robert K. Hill	....	company grip (as Robert Kenneth Hill)
Chris Kankainen	....	dolly grip
Cameron MacDonald	....	camera operator (as Cam Macdonald)
Scott MacDonald	....	best boy grip
Neil McCauley	....	gaffer
Jack Rowand	....	still photographer
Bruce Smith	....	key grip
Peter Smith	....	first assistant camera
Anthony Smoller	....	company grip
David S. Warner	....	company electrician (as Dave Warner)

Casting Department
Mark Holub	....	casting associate: Los Angeles
Mary Jo Slater	....	casting: New York
Sue Swan	....	casting coordinator
Susan Willett	....	casting: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Melissa Gleason	....	dresser
Grace Keating	....	wardrobe assistant
Lio Kellar	....	wardrobe head (as Lid Kellas)
Maria Mancuso	....	wardrobe consultant
Rose Mihalyi	....	wardrobe assistant (as Rose Mihayli)

Editorial Department
Bruce Giesbrecht	....	assistant editor: production
Karen Schwartz	....	apprentice editor
Stephen R. Sheridan	....	color timer (as Steve Sheridan)
Michael Smith	....	assistant editor: production
Jonas Thaler	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Charles Bernstein	....	orchestrator
Julie Giroux	....	orchestrator (as Julie Giroux-West)
John La Salandra	....	music editor (as John Lasalandra)
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn

Transportation Department
Chris Baldwinson	....	driver
Dave Bowe	....	transportation captain (as David Bowe)
Don Cameron	....	driver
Barry Chapman	....	transportation coordinator
Mark Gould	....	driver
Darold Hadley	....	driver (as Darold A. Hadley)
Tony Johnson	....	driver (as Tony Johnston)
Terry Newton	....	transportation co-captain
James Perenseff	....	driver (as Jim Perenseff)
Michael Price	....	driver

Other crew
Blue Angus	....	caterer: Location Caterers (as Mark Angus)
Victoria Barney	....	production coordinator
Dan Curry	....	title designer
Lara Fox	....	script supervisor
Ron Gadoury	....	security (as Ron Gadourly)
Stephen A. Gallard	....	stand-in
Michael Goldberg	....	assistant accountant
Gordon Hardwick	....	production assistant (as Gordon Hardwicke)
Jan James	....	stand-in
Tony Jordan	....	production assistant
Don Lane	....	caterer: Location Caterers
Laurie Lee	....	assistant: Mr. Mancuso
Lauren 'Fluff' Lindsay	....	craft service (as Lauren Lindsay)
Padi Mills	....	production secretary
Marilyn Natty	....	stand-in
Victor Nicolle	....	production assistant
Colleen Nystedt	....	location liaison
Liz Staniforth	....	payroll assistant (as Elizabeth Staniforth)
Constance Talley-Sherman	....	production accountant
Margaret Hanly	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)
• Hometown Films
• YCTM

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1986) (Finland) (theatrical)
• CIC Video (1986) (UK) (VHS)
• Esselte CIC Video (1987) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (1988) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (Spain) (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Esselte Video (19??) (Finland) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Reel Efx (special effects) (make-up effects) (as Reel EFX, Inc.)

Other Companies

• Location Caterers  caterer
• Alpha Cine Service  production services (as Alpha Cine Service, Canada)
• Saul Zaentz Film Center  post-production mixing (as Saul Zaentz Company Film Center)
• Cinema Research  titles (as Cinema Research Corporation)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  opticals
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  negative cutting
• Motion Picture Studio Production Technicians I.A.T.S.E. Local 891  the producer wishes to express sincere appreciation to (as the studio production technicians and camera personnel of Locals 891 and 667, Vancouver, Canada)
• I.A.T.S.E. Local 667  the producer wishes to express sincere appreciation to (as the studio production technicians and camera personnel of Locals 891 and 667, Vancouver, Canada)
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | West Germany:18 (cut) | USA:R (Certificate #28085) | Netherlands:16 (DVD) (2003) | Italy:VM14 | UK:18 (original rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (theatrical rating) (cut) | Norway:18 (video rating) (uncut) | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2002) | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Due to the film being light on violence it received frequent airings on late night television, where it gained a large cult following.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end, Buck sticks the prosthetic to the side of Rob's face. But it's partially covering one eye when he runs into the room with everyone else.

Quotes:

Clara:Have a nice party.
Muffy:Nice? It's gotta be better than nice. It's gotta be bloody unforgettable.

Movie Connections:

References 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Soundtrack:

Too Bad You're Crazy

Well constructed mystery, fun and memorable

April Fool's Day has just the right smarts about it that it holds up extremely well, even all these years later. While the cast may be youthful, the characters and story set this film way above "teen" slasher or horror flicks. Mainly, because this is really a mystery in the vein of Ten Little Indians.

It's a good thing I saw this film in a theatre when it was first released in 1986 -- because the VHS cover has something on it that would have kept me AWAY if I had not seen the film already: "It's just what you'd expect from the producer who brought you Friday the 13th -- Parts Two, Three, Four, and Five." You just can't put April Fool's Day in the same category as those films! This is far superior in story and intelligence. It's clever, well-written, and has great characters that you like even if they are not so nice! These days it seems it's more important to find the most popular actors, and that is usually distracting and doesn't guarantee a good film. April Fool's Day had lesser known stars for that time (Deborah Foreman, Amy Steel, Clayton Rohner, Griffin O'Neal) and that worked as an advantage.

The basic premise of a group of college students stuck on an island in a big house and one by one they disappear, yes, it's been done in many variations before. But the clever execution of the story, red herrings, and the underrated Deborah Foreman's delightful portrayal of Muffy/Buffy all make for a really fun viewing experience. Foreman has just the right amount of sweetness and can go right into being just plain quirky with such ease. The touch of having dolls on the dinner table, sort of like name tags, will bring a giggle and a smile for sure!

One plus for this film is the fact that it didn't sink into the tiring T & A route. Sure, a few of the characters have sex on the brain but their actions and dialogue never really wander off into the gratuitous area. Guys, if you really want lots of breasts than just go ahead and get some porn or a Playboy video, okay? Let the rest of us enjoy a good story once in a while!

After the body count rises and things escalate into a tense and frenzied chase through the house, you'll be surprised at what happens next. April Fool's Day is one of the few films of this kind that actually had a very surprising reveal and I was even caught off guard, left with my jaw agape at what the whole deal was about. The BIG surprise just happens so...abruptly, that you feel just like the character that runs into the room -- just stuck for a second! After about 90 minutes of mystery, the payoff BETTER be good, and sure enough, this one doesn't disappoint! I'm especially thrilled to have picked up the eerie soundtrack by Charles Bernstein on vinyl when it first came out, and to this day love to give it a spin on the turntable.

Paramount has a vast library of films that just NEED to be given great treatment on DVD, and I'm crossing my fingers that films like April Fool's Day, Let's Scare Jessica To Death, and Polanski's film The Tenant will be given their glory. >