April Fool’s Day Retrospective

With the first official day of spring around the corner comes a prankster’s favorite day of the year: April Fool’s Day. Also around the corner is a college student’s favorite part of the school year, Spring Break. What happens when you combine the two? You get the 1986 thriller, April Fool’s Day by director Fred Walton (When A Stranger Calls) and producer Frank Mancuso Jr. (Friday the 13th Parts 2, 3, 4, 5, & 7). 

The film starring Deborah Foreman (Valley Girl & Waxwork) begins with a group of nine college kids waiting to board a ferry to spend their spring break at their friend Muffy’s family mansion on a private island. Right away, pranks start going awry before the kids even get off the ferry. The group of kids, now down one member, somberly make their way to the mansion. Where their moods instantly improve when they’re impressed by the home.

It’s not long before Muffy fires up the pranks again and everyone starts enjoying themselves. It seems as if Muffy has put pranks in every room of the mansion. However, some pranks seem a little bit more personal than others. One of the friends wanders off and goes missing which triggers the group to become cautious the next morning.

While searching for their missing friend, the friends go separate ways in order to find him. While searching, the next friend goes missing and panic ensues among the group. The two missing bodies are found floating in the well. After the chaos from finding their friend’s bodies, the remaining friends go through the mansion, locking windows and arming themselves while they wait for a ferry from the mainland to come and rescue them. 

Everyone starts to question Muffy’s motives when they share that Muffy seems to have targeted them with the personal pranks. Despite being told to stay together, the group goes separate ways again. Everything starts to fall apart when friend after friend is revealed to have been killed until there is only two left.

In the boat house, papers are discovered that mention that a patient had been kept at an institution for the last three years. Muffy has been away at college. Could these papers be talking about her twin sister, Buffy? Nothing seems to make sense or be trusted. After all, what is this? Some big prank?

THIS part is no prank! Come meet Deborah Foreman in person, this July 8th – 10th, at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel in Glendale, AZ. Tickets are available HERE. Be sure to check out Levi’s interview with Deborah by clicking HERE