I’m no stranger to the glorious 80’s slasher films; I’ve seen the best, the worst, and everything in between. Some films can be crap, but still make an outstanding impression on you. Therefore, your opinion will never alter. No matter how much evidence is presented by friends who plead the case that the said film is bad, you just won’t listen. Herb Freed’s Graduation Day is one of those films for me and the fact that Troma distributes it doesn’t help my case any, either.
This movie does have pretty much what every 80’s slasher fan is looking for though — gratuitous gore, ridiculous acting, and nudity, the three essential ingredients for any successful or unsuccessful slasher. In my opinion, you don’t watch slashers to be ooh’d and aah’d by fantastic lighting, flawless dialog, and an incredible story. Don’t get me wrong, I love my horror to have everything that I mentioned, but I also love a good ol’ schlockfest that’s just pure fun.
Graduation Day is not painful to sit through, nor is it edge-of-your-seat fantastic. It falls somewhere in the middle of slasher greats and the completely forgettable. Two words help this film just a tad… “Linnea Quigley.” No matter how minor of a role, she is still involved. Chill out, relax, and watch this one… It’s worth seeing and will do the trick for your slasher fix.
This film gets the Rottin’ Roger Demarco seal of approval with 2 mortar boards out of 5.
Sounds a little boring to me, but it might be worth checking out still. I’ll keep this in mind. Nice review.