Graduation Day (1981)

A masked killer begins murdering students on the school track team after a track runner dies upon completion of a 30 second 200-meter race.

Director:

Herb Freed

Writers:

Anne Marisse, Herb Freed

Stars:

Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher George	...	Coach Michaels
Patch Mackenzie	...	Anne Ramstead
E. Danny Murphy	...	Kevin
E.J. Peaker	...	Blondie
Michael Pataki	...	Guglione
Richard Balin	...	Roberts
Carmen Argenziano	...	Halliday
Beverly Dixon	...	Elaine Ramstead
Virgil Frye	...	MacGregor
Hal Bokar	...	Ronald Corliss
Denise Cheshire	...	Sally
Bill Hufsey	...	Tony (as Billy Hufsey)
Linnea Quigley	...	Dolores
Karen Abbott	...	Joanne
Vanna White	...	Doris

Storyline

After a high school track runner, named Laura, suddenly dies from a heart attack after finishing a 30-second 200-meter race, a killer wearing a sweat suit and a fencing mask begins killing off her friends on the school track team one by one. The suspects include the track coach Michaels, Laura's sister Anne who arrives in town for the funeral, the creepy school principal Mr. Guglione, and Laura's strange boyfriend Kevin.

---

Plot Keywords:

slasher flick | female nudity | serial killer | murder | slasher | 

---

Taglines:

The Midvale Track Team Will Soon Be Running For Their Lives!

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Troma

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Colegio infernal

Filming Locations:

Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$460,000, 12 January 1982

Gross USA:

$23,894,000

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in three weeks.

---

Goofs

At about 43 mins, the shadow of the boom mic is shown on Mr. Roberts the music teacher's chest when he's investigating the noise in the boiler room.

---

Quotes

Kevin: You know, Laura was crazy about you. It was always Anne this and Anne that. She idolized you.
Anne Ramstead: She was all I had. Everything's different now.
Kevin: Laura's still with me. She'll always be with me. That'll never change.

---

Crazy Credits

After the final credits, the killer is shown holding the stopwatch he uses to time his murders.

---

Alternate Versions

Australian version runs eight minutes longer than the U.S. release. This version was briefly released in the U.S. as a director's cut.

---

Connections

Featured in Slice and Dice: The Slasher Film Forever (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Gangster Rock
by Jeff Spry, Joe Spry & Doug Burlison
Performed by Felony (uncredited)

User Reviews

now you're just looking for an event to mass-murder!

Why, of all the slasher films to come out of the early '80's, that Graduation Day is so well remember I will never know. Graduation Day is a far cry from some of the better '80's slashers, but it isn't the bottom of the barrel either.

After a high school track star literally runs herself to death, someone begins to kill the remaining members of the track team. But for what reason?

Graduation Day is a slasher film that's served with a big slice of cheese. You've got some corny characters, some unneeded musical numbers (not including the funky song in the opening montage), and some bad acting - no wonder Vanna White is only spinning letters now. But it has some merits too. There are some amusing murder sequences and the story manages to be engaging - if only for the campy elements.

So when all is said and done, you can do worse. But it's not worth missing The Burning, Curtains, or House on Sorority Row for.

** out of ****