''April Fool's Day'' is a 2008 American

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

that is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the 1986 film of the same name. It is directed by

The Butcher Brothers The Butcher Brothers are the filmmaking alter-egos of American film directors Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores. Biography Phil Flores Flores's first film was ''Long Cut'' (2002); he then joined with Mitchell Altieri to produce '' Lurking in ...

, also known as

Mitchell Altieri Mitchell Altieri is an American film director, producer and writer. Career His first feature film '' Lurking in Suburbia'' was discovered by Sundance Film Festival programmer Trevor Groth. Altieri and long time film partner Phil Flores then ...

and Phil Flores. ''April Fool's Day'' is described by star

Scout Taylor-Compton Scout Taylor-Compton (born Desariee Starr Compton; February 21, 1989) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor, making her Hollywood film debut in ''13 Going on 30'' (2004) and having a recurring role on the The WB, WB telev ...

as "''

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. It stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, and Fey. The film follows Cady Heron (Lohan), a naïve t ...

'' crossed with horror", and was released straight to DVD on March 25, 2008. The film received negative reviews from critics and fans.

Plot

On April 1, 2007, Desiree Cartier is hosting a party at her mansion for her actress friend Torrance Caldwell. Present for a pre-festivities toast are Blaine Cartier, Desiree's brother, who controls their joint inheritance (to Desiree's dislike), U.S. Senate candidate Peter Welling, Peter's "Miss Carolina" fiancée Barbie Reynolds, and the quintet's less wealthy videographer friend Ryan. With the party in full swing, Desiree's social nemesis and Ryan's not-so-secret crush Milan Hastings, arrives. Also present is chihuahua-toting society reporter Charles Lansford. As another in her long string of

April Fool's April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. Mas ...

pranks, Desiree suggests Blaine get Milan tipsy on champagne and seduce her in his bedroom upstairs. Desiree and several of the others hover by the cracked-open bedroom door, prepared to videotape the affair with the camera Desiree lifted from Ryan. However, Milan has a seizure and falls off the balcony to her death. The group goes to court, and Blaine loses control of the family's fortune, which shifts to Desiree, but they are found innocent and Milan's death is considered a fatal prank. One year later, Desiree, Blaine, Peter, Barbie, Torrance, and Ryan receive anonymous invitations to meet on Milan's grave at noon, April 1, 2008, with the cryptic P.S. "I have proof." Just after the entire sextet is back together, a messenger comes to the grave with a box containing a letter and a laptop computer. The letter says one of the six murdered Milan, and if that person does not confess, all of them will be dead by midnight. As a show of intent, the computer has footage of Charles drowning in his pool. Everyone goes from the cemetery to the pool to confirm this mishap. Subsequently, an increasingly frantic Desiree sees one "suspect" after another "murdered" before her eyes (though the bodies keep disappearing). Barbie is electrocuted in a beauty pageant dressing room, Peter's campaign truck runs him down in a parking garage, Ryan's throat is slit in his apartment, and returning home, Desiree and Blaine discover even their long-time butler Wilford has been butchered in the kitchen. After a brief separation from her brother, Desiree finds him tied to a chair. Worse yet, gun-wielding Torrance soon has Desiree tied inches away in another chair. After some back and forth, and Torrance fatally shooting Blaine in the chest, a chagrined Desiree finally admits it was she who spiked Milan's fatal drink, while allowing brother Blaine to become the "fall guy." At this point Blaine cannot contain a chuckle, and soon the whole crew of 2008 "victims" are surrounding a still-tied Desiree, telling her what a bitch she is, and how they have conspired to prove it to her. Special effects people from Torrance's ''Boogie Nights 2'' set have equipped Blaine and the others with "squibs," and other cast members faked Desiree out by dressing as cops and "confirming" Ryan's murder as she and her brother were fleeing the scene. To illustrate her end of the charade involving a revolver shooting blanks, Torrance pulls the trigger once more. Unfortunately for Desiree, this time the cartridge in the chamber is real, and the bullet blows off the top of her head. The next scene involves the same inquest-probate judge from a year earlier absolving Torrance of any guilt for Desiree's death, and confirming Blaine as sole heir of the family estate. The final scene shows Blaine driving off in what was Desiree's red Mercedes, a slowly building smirk on his face.

Cast

Production

''April Fool's Day'' was directed by

, and the two also re-wrote the script for the remake of the 1986 film of the same name with Mikey Wigart. Picked up by

Stage 6 Films Stage 6 Films, Inc. is an American film division of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions that acquires and produces feature films to be released either theatrically, on demand, or through streaming services. Once a film is finished, Sony Picture ...

for distribution, it was filmed in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

under producers Tara L. Craig and Frank Mancuso Jr. Mancuso had also produced the original.

noted that the filmmakers planned to make ''April Fool's Day'' an R-rated film. The film would retain most of the original's humor; however, Phil Flores said it is "pretty much contemporized, with off-beat humor, different settings -- something that would gel with today's audience".

noted that "it's kind of more a twisting and turning story" with "some really good scares".

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=1018817, title=April Fool's Day 2008 horror films Remakes of American films 2000s slasher films Direct-to-video horror films 2000s English-language films April Fools' Day Films about pranks Films set in 2007 Films set in 2008 Films shot in North Carolina Horror film remakes American slasher films Stage 6 Films films Holiday horror films 2008 films 2000s American films Sony Pictures direct-to-video films Films produced by Frank Mancuso Jr. Films set in country houses English-language horror films