In light of the fact that the April Fool's Day remake is out in stores today [1], and it's actually April 1, here's our quick review of a retro fave.

The 1986 version of April Fool's Day is not only one of the rare holiday-themed 80s body-count slashers that holds up; it holds up, period. True, it's somewhat dated (leggings, shoulder pads, preppie jokes), but that just adds to its considerable charms. The story, unlike the remake, fully embraces the prankish April Fool's Day tradition of whoopee cushions, dribble glasses, fake outs and lie-in-wait stakeouts. After a few boo-scares, the real blood-letting begins.

But not before we meet our cast of cannon-fodder. The set up involves our young, privileged characters talking into a video camera (an actual similarity to the remake-in-name-only), and making plans for their bright futures. Taking a ferry over to the isolated vacation mansion of their mutual friend Muffy (Deborah Foreman) for some fun and games, they wind up getting only the games. The hijinks start right away, with the level of menace increasing with each elaborate prank until pretty soon everyone begins to realize it's no joke and there is no way off the island.

More Agatha Christie than Wes Craven, April Fool's Day wasn't terribly well-received in the era of Deadly Friend, Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, and the Friday the 13 sequels. While there was some dry humor and goofy characters, it wasn't played for laughs. Also the death scenes, while gory, were not particularly gruesome (yeah… I say that, even though there are beheadings, knifings, bludgeonings and hangings). In time, however, this less-graphic, more suspenseful approach is what has made the movie endure.

The direction is fast-paced without being frenetic, the script is airtight, the actors are not only well-cast but they can actually act (horror alum Foreman is joined by Amy Steel, Thomas F. Wilson, and Griffin O'Neal), and the cinematography and score are expert in their timelessness.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson