I think I’ve always had a secret crush on Christopher George. Not that he was extremely handsome, but because he seemed quite genuine. He never seemed to say no to a part, especially if his wife, Lynda Day George, was involved and always made his performances look so easy. Like he’s dancing through them, with a cigar in his mouth and wearing a slightly out-of-date suit. I’m pretty sure he often used his own clothes to make them fit good and make him more relaxed. He’s also starring in today’s vintage slasher, finally out on blu-ray: Graduation Day!
The the last time I saw it was on a tape, I recorded it from what was then called Nordic Channel, later TV5 Nordic and Femman. If you wasn’t in the right age at the time or just didn’t live in Sweden you have no idea how much this TV-channel meant to us aficionados of cult cinema. The programmers often bought packages with a few big movies, but also - as a bonus - got hundreds of obscure films, which ended up in the arms of Ronny Svensson - at the time the no. 1 cult movie fan i television (which is odd, because he’s not really in to that - except Argento). One movie aired was Four Flies on Grey Velvet, which of course was sensational. I still have my storage room packed with tapes from this periods. I haven’t checked them for years, so I’m sure they’re rotten now. Back to Graduation Day. I ATE slashers at the time and Graduation Day was a welcome nutrient in the world I was living, occupied by Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. I mean, there was something else out there too! If the Friday the 13th franchise was a brain vacation films like Graduation Day was an even further gone vacation, a vacation from the more expensive and slicker slashers. And boy, I loved it so much.
Yeah, I know. It’s not a masterpiece. But there’s something very relaxing with these cheapos, shot on the brink of poverty with semi-famous actors like George fighting to do something with the thin and underwritten material. When all is said and done, this is a decent slasher. It uses a fun concept, slightly more creative than the usual camp-by-the-lake location or the calm suburbs of Ordinarypeopleville. I also like the idea that it’s a whodunit, which several of the best slashers where; Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine, Happy Birthday to Me etc. It’s both a typical slasher where a madman is killing of cute young ones AND a primitive Agatha Christie mystery. You know the deal. I like both these genre, so mixing them is always a welcome choice in my life bubble.
You can sense the cheapness of Graduation Day all the way through. It’s not as well-lit as some of its contemporary friends, with a murky darkness creeping in on the actors in classrooms and corridors. It’s not bad-looking, but it’s easy to see how there wasn’t much time to do everything they had to do to make it perfect. The script, with several fun ideas and a good concept, lacks in depth from time time - and then suddenly becomes quite well-written, especially in the family scenes involving heroine Anne (Patch Mackenzie), with a nice touch of dysfunctional parents and a disturbing lack of love from the alcoholic father.
How’s the gore? Not that fantastic. I’ve always remember the “sword” (it’s the wrong word I know, but I have no knowledge whatsoever in fencing) through throat to be more spectacular than it actually was now, but also totally forgot the decapitation that comes later on in the film. None of this is especially well-made, but it works. It’s cheesy and cheap, but the atmosphere saves the day. Because this is a vintage eighties slasher, and most of them are worth watching. Believe it or not.
I might have been tired when watching it now, but there’s a few musical interludes that goes on FOREVER! I’m I correct here? For example, there’s a band called Felony, not bad, playing during a party at the end - and it feels like that song is 10 minutes long! It just goes on and on and on and on! Weird. It’s quite good though.
Graduation Day is out now on blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, and the release is stunning! Never have this film look so sharp and beautiful. It’s a wonderful restoration and it once again proves that all movies deserves a second chance; under that ugly duckling hides a true beauty. Kinda. Except the stuff that looks bad already from the beginning.
"The the last time I saw it was on a tape, I recorded it from what was then called Nordic Channel, later TV5 Nordic and Femman. If you wasn’t in the right age at the time or just didn’t live in Sweden you have no idea how much this TV-channel meant to us aficionados of cult cinema. The programmers often bought packages with a few big movies, but also - as a bonus - got hundreds of obscure films, which ended up in the arms of Ronny Svensson - at the time the no. 1 cult movie fan i television (which is odd, because he’s not really in to that - except Argento)."
Yeah, I remember all kinds of cool stuff shown on that channel.....even now,from time to time they broadcast odd stuff in the early morning hours.
"It’s both a typical slasher where a madman is killing of cute young ones AND a primitive Agatha Christie mystery."
Yeah, they can be a lot of fun to watch.
"I’ve always remember the “sword” (it’s the wrong word I know, but I have no knowledge whatsoever in fencing)"
Maybe a rapier...?
hahahahahahahahha
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapier
"Because this is a vintage eighties slasher, and most of them are worth watching. Believe it or not."
Yeah, while going through some of the films you have reviewed here and on your other blogs I´ve noticed that.
"It’s a wonderful restoration and it once again proves that all movies deserves a second chance; under that ugly duckling hides a true beauty. Kinda. Except the stuff that looks bad already from the beginning."
I haven´t seen it yet....but I will, good review and thanks Fred.
Posted by: Megatron | September 08, 2014 at 08:17