Graduation Day (1981) (Blu-ray Review) (88 Films UK Version)
Directed By: Herb Freed
Starring: Christopher George, Linnea Quigley, Vanna White
Rated: 15 (UK)/Region O/1:85/1080p/Number of Discs 1
Where to get it: 88 Films UK
It’s just weeks before high school graduation and members of the track team are being mysteriously and gruesomely murdered, one at a time. When the team s star runner drops dead at the end of a championship meet, her sister Anne (Patch MacKenzie) comes to town and series of grisly murders begin. Is Anne responsible? Or is it coach Michaels (Christopher George) who has been fired because of Laura s death? Perhaps it s the campus policeman who is disliked because of his over-zealous drug investigations? Or is it Laura s boyfriend, Kevin (E. Danny Murphy), who can t reconcile himself to Laura s death? You won t want to see Graduation Day alone!
In case you didn’t know it, if you were in the business of making horror films in the 80s it was a must to name a film after every holiday and major event . Holidays were a must but this film that is now released by Vinegar Syndrome on a blu-ray took the sentimental day of Graduation and turned it into a slasher that packs some cool kills and some of the worst music you will ever here. There is nothing fancy about this one. It is a “who done it” slasher movie that makes it look like more than a few people could be the killer based off the fact that they each own a grey hoodie and black gloves. Things here move slow, too slow for anyone’s own good that is, things here get so bad they are comedic, but we do get Vanna White and Linnea Quigley in the mix. Because lord knows when I think of one I think of the other. Vanna doesn’t have much screen time, but her being in this has become the most notable thing about this one. If you see it you will know why they reach at straws to find something cool to say about it.
But if we look at the positives here (I have attempted to find something nice to say) we get some creative violence. We get a sword in a football to someone’s gut. We have a great decapitation. So if you can just make it through the nerve wrecking editing effects and very slow plot movement you do have some stuff to look forward to, like the ending which I think is OK for what this is and gold when compared to the rest. If only this movie would have ended about fifteen minutes before it actually did we might have been able to go a little higher on the score. Nostalgic slasher fans will have some use for this one. I’m afraid more traditional horror fans might find it lacking. The transfer isn’t all that lacking. Even with a 4K transfer you’ll find some things that look a little off because of the source and the fact we have no clue where the negative was stored, but it looks good overall and great in some scenes especially. While this is the same transfer as the US version, 88 Films from the UK does take the lead with much better extras.
- SCREAM QUEENS: HORROR HEROINES EXPOSED Feature length documentary hosted by the legendary Debbie Rochon
- GRADUATION MEMORIES: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR AND CRITIC JUSTIN KERSWELL
- COLLECTOR’S BOOKLET BY CALUM WADDELL FEATURING AN IN DEPTH CONVERSATION WITH GRADUATION DAY STAR PATCH MACKENZIE
- All Region Codes
- Intro By Lloyd Kaufman creator of The Toxic Avenger
- Interview with Scream Queen Linnea Quigley
- Tromatic Filmmaking Classroom: The Arm Rip
- The Cannibal Lesbian Hoedown Music Video Directed by Lloyd Kaufman
- Theatrical Trailer
- 88 Films Trailer Reel
- Reversible Sleeve without logos
