Killer Party (1986) aka The April Fool

3.5 / 5 Apr '10
Tagline: DEADicated to the class of '86.
Directed by: William Fruet
Written by: Barney Cohen
Actors include: Martin Hewitt, Ralph Seymour, Elaine Wilkes
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I liked this a heck of a lot more than I was expecting to. I mean it's very very cheap, the first 3/4 of the film is basically a cheesy '80s comedy featuring several likeable girls trying to join a sorority with absolutely 0 horror in it. It's based around April Fool's Day and it even had the title to prove it at one time, but they were afraid of people confusing it with the 1986 film April Fool's Day so instead we have Killer Party. This was actually 90 percent filmed in 1978 but they ran out of money so it wasn't finished until 1984, but then it sat on the shelf for another two years before actually getting released. There are pranks, bad '80s tunes and some pretty silly jokes to be had along the way.The thing is, the girls they cast are quite interesting, their wacky outfits and hijinx makes it entertaining enough until it actually gets to the good stuff. The horror element in this case comes in the last 15 or so and it involves demonic possession and that part should please just about any horror fan. It's not the most original flick but I was really pleased with it and the effects for the demon part were quite enjoyable. Unfortunately this isn't available on DVD that I know of but it's actually rather charming considering most think of it as one of the worst films of all time.

Availability:  Not available on DVD that I know of
Killer Party [VHS]

Funeral Home (1980) aka Cries In The Night

3 / 5 Mar '10
Tagline: It'll have you screaming for morning!
Directed by: William Fruet
Written by: Ida Nelson
Actors include: Kay Hawtrey, Lesleh Donaldson, Barry Morse
Genre: Horror
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
There isn't anything here that you haven't seen before, but the serious way they play this story makes it somewhat worthwhile. The tale is about a girl who goes to her Grandmother's house to help her change it from a funeral home to a bed and breakfast (you can see where this is going right?). As soon as they are ready to open the guests start disappearing, but why? It's a bit of a mystery and there are several red herrings but it becomes rather clear very quickly what's going on. It's not very satisfying on a gore level, it's not very frightening and although it's watchable it's not filmed the nicest (though maybe it was my cheap DVD version that made me say that). I think also knowing that William Fruet directed this made it a little bit more disappointing because I really loved his film Death Weekend which I do definitely recommend. This isn't one of the worst slashers of the '80s but it's pretty average really, this often gets mentioned as one of the underrated gems of the time but I'm afraid I feel it's rather forgettable.

Availability:  On DVD