FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Mr_Ectoplasma "Graduation Day" centers on a southern California high school where the track team's star athlete dies during a race. Her Navy sister arrives in town after the event, and the remaining track athletes begin getting picked off one by one leading up to the high school's graduation day.An early follower of the slasher trend that dominated the early eighties, "Graduation Day" has the distinguishing element of being anchored in a significant event in any teenager's life—their graduation—but the truth is, the film could have realistically taken place at any point in the school year, as, save for one plot point, the graduation date plays a very insignificant role in the narrative. Its commitment to the "graduation day" event is more a spin on the slasher trend to set films on holidays or around significant cultural calendar dates; "Graduation Day" takes its cues from the following year's "Prom Night" rather significantly. As much as the film is in imitator, that's not where its issues lie; rather, the film is styleless to a fault. Save some hokey synth pieces and a couple of effective POV shots, the film is aesthetically bland, and also suffers from distractingly sloppy editing that detracts from even the most tense of scenes. There are a handful of amusing and relatively violent murder scenes, but the general tonal pallidness of the film is ever present. Christopher George plays a sleazy coach here, with Patch Mackenzie who is mildly likable as the overbearing elder sister of the deceased track athlete. The finale has a couple of grotesque moments, but the showdown is ultimately anticlimactic, all things considered.Overall, "Graduation Day" is one of the more middling slashers of its era; it's certainly not the worst, but it's not among the best either. There are a few moments that are worth seeing for genre completists and fans, but the film generally feels uninvolving and stylistically lazy. I'd recommend fans give it a go at least once, but it's one of the less memorable of its peers, and with good reason. 5/10.

Dom Nickson Spoiler Alert!!! I see why so many people hate this movie and I really understand that it does have it's moments where it drags on. I mean seriously the suspect couldn't be more obvious. It's pretty obvious that the only person closest to the girl who died was the killer and that's the bf. Seriously, I guessed it right from the start and I just waited for each one to die to prove my prediction. Anyway, most of the deaths were pointless and the characters were completely innocent. The killer had no reason to kill anybody but himself. This whole movie was pretty much a waste of time but I really liked the costume that the killer used. It was unusual and really creative at the time. However I don't think a sword is the best weapon for a sadistic serial killer. I sort of liked this movie despite how stupid it is at times. I give it a 4 out of 10.

happyendingrocks This fairly standard slasher offering is bolstered significantly by a splendidly macabre final twist, which is sufficient in itself to ensure that Graduation Day stands out amidst the crop of early-80's splatter fare surrounding it.The whodunnit aspect of Graduation Day is well-executed, and the film rolls out an impressive roster of suspects without putting a neon "It's Me!" sign on any of them. If you eliminate the most obvious red herrings, it's not impossible to pin down who the killer is, but the guessing game holds its power for most of the film, lending G-Day a bit of credibility as a genuine thriller.Certainly, there are some elements here that are beyond silly. The bulk of the credit sequence plays out like the extended opening titles for a sitcom about homosexual high school Track & Field athletes. One victim meets her fate while shaving her legs over the sink in the locker room, because teenage girls apparently routinely take their razors to school with them so that they can shave there. The multiple appearances of the killer in full fencing gear are bound to elicit a chuckle or two, and while I'd have to check my DVD collection, I'm pretty sure I've never seen a less intimidatingly-appareled screen psycho. The "death by football" sequence must be seen to be believed, and since it's tied in with the murderer's uniquely benign garb, it unfolds as one of the more absurd killings ever portrayed in a slasher movie.Special mention has to go to Felony, who are by far the most atrocious band to ever appear in a splatter film, and are also a legitimate contender for most atrocious band ever, period. Their song "Gangster Rock" occupies a full six minutes of the film's running time, and the two murders that take place during this epic performance lose much of their mojo because of the prominence of the tune in the foreground.Appearances by Vanna White and Linnea Quigley may be of minor interest to some viewers, although White's major scene spotlights some of the worst acting you'll ever see, and it's hard not to giggle when you hear the future Wheel Of Fortune letter-turner utter the timeless line, "you scared me so bad I wet myself." Quigley's presence is somewhat confusing since her character is played at other times in the film by another actress (apparently the other girl wasn't okay with the nude scenes her role required, so Quigley was called in to pinch strip).The film incorporates a fair amount of intentional humor into the mix, some of which is surprisingly funny. Even the most seasoned slasher film buff probably hasn't seen a movie that features a high school security guard who hides joints in the chambers of his revolver, so Graduation Day definitely gets a point or two for originality.The splatter is fairly minimal here, and the murky camera work renders most of the carnage unfortunately vague. Only one of the murders shows any sort of ingenuity, but it actually makes the least sense in the scheme of the film (how exactly does a vengeful murderer procure a platform of razor sharp spikes and hide it beneath a pole vaulter's landing mat without the intended victim noticing?). The gore effects are strictly bargain basement, and the film's non-existent budget is plainly evident, especially during the more graphic kills.It's hard to gauge how strongly the deranged and stunning denouement will resonate with today's audiences, but that shocking game-changer is by far the most potent element in the film. Even if you guess who the maniacal fencer is before the big reveal, this last bit of sickness is an effective and chilling punctuation mark on an otherwise rote slasher outing.The film goes on about seven minutes too long, and Graduation Day would be far more effective if it concluded with the morbid gut-punch mentioned above. The final showdown with the killer seems tacked on and cliché now, and a little ambiguity would have served the film well.However, Graduation Day is a very enjoyable offering despite itself, and the end result certainly doesn't settle anywhere near the bottom of the 80's splatter movie barrel. Bloodier and far superior films have nurtured this basic plot line to true greatness, but if you've seen all of those, this fun and deliciously skewed outing is a worthy way to spend 90 minutes.

Dagon This film is brought to you by Troma Team Video Distribution Company which is a part of Troma Entertainment. They have been responsible for releasing B-rated pictures since the mid-1970's under its founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. Troma has shared in the success of several underground features; 1984's The Toxic Avenger stands as their most recognizable work. Tromeo and Juliet from 1996 and '93's Cannibal! The Musical should also receive a mention as far as popularity is concerned.This film tells the story of a high school senior, Laura, who dies of a heart attack following the events of a 30-second 100-meter dash. Laura's death causes her sister, Anne, to return home from the Navy as a set of grisly murders occur among a group of clowny high-schoolers.Viewers can expect the usual cast of losers to appear...almost like film producers meet in a dark alley to swap actors and actresses enabling a healthy rotation of amateurism. In the far out reaches of your expectations Vanna White fills a role in Graduation Day - due to the common age range of most of my readers, White doesn't need much of an introduction. If you're still drawing a blank, she was the "letter turner" on Wheel of Fortune. She is also the niece of famed actor Christopher George (he also appeared in Mortuary) who plays a role in this film as well. In addition, Linnea Quigley was added to the group as the whorish archetype that she willingly embraced in many of her earlier horror movies. Quigley is a cult icon in the genre and most notably portrayed "Trash" in 1985's Return of the Living Dead - other works include Silent Night, Deadly Night, Creepozoids (I would have had a field day with that film if I was writing reviews back then), Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Night of the Demons, and Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings.Much to my surprise the creators of Graduation Day managed to cast young-looking individuals to portray high school students. There is one exception to this and it concerns Laura's boyfriend Kevin who appears to be over 30. Unfortunately I cannot find proper documentation to state how old he was in 1981 but passing him off as someone in their late teens was a ridiculous stretch. The woman responsible for the special effects makeup, Jill Rockow, would advance her career by branching out to films like Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Silver Bullet, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3, and the Star Trek remake that was released in 2009. Rockow's achievements in Graduation Day are text-book, novice level achievements and won't frighten or impress the majority of viewers.The use of false leads in this film run off into the countryside with the remaining sensibility you were desperately clutching onto. Everything from the principle having a knife collection in his top drawer, the head Track coach that people blame for Laura's death, the annoyed persona of Anne, to the heckled police officer who frequents the school grounds; no one is safe from the accusatory index finger, not even the bees who spread pollen from one flower to another.The killer in question is armed with a fencing sword and dons a sweat suit and netted mask, fumbling around with a stop watch before and after the murders. I don't find such a silly image too far out of the ball park but why do characters who are caught off guard by the killer's presence always try to act reasonably? An anonymous brigand is lurking around in the hedges and the only thing that you can insist upon is how mannerly you come across? What a half-witted decision that is. How daft! Let's not allow this small facet to overshadow the simplemindedness involved when allowing oneself to stand motionlessly while the killer performs his/her preferred method of execution on your person. I've always refused to suspense my disbelief in this department; the act of "letting" someone kill you is preposterous and isn't functional on any level. Far be it for me to rain on the Slasher parade, though, as the sub-genre is littered with unrealistic bits like this o' plenty.Bandwagon-jumpers of the 1980's all rushed to throw your average, ordinary high school and college students into the clutches of danger. The vast number of them seems staggering – the only way to properly catalog them all is to keep a list or have an amazing memory. I've seen so many titles that resort to this formula and shake my head in disappointment when I realize that I'm not out of the woods yet. Graduation Day, like many of its breed, simply "exists" just for the sake of being there…the look of the film itself even appears dated and I cannot think of one single element that stands above the rest. For us completists, the obsessive fanatics that we are, we may find it appealing that Linnea Quigley plays a role…but even this tidbit can go either way considering some of the doozies she's been in.