Killer Party is one of those titles that does not often get mentioned when people discuss 80s slasher movies.It's relatively unknown yet seems to have a loyal following amongst its fans. Filmed in 1984 under the title The April Fool but not released until 1986, Killer Party is three films rolled into one.It begins as a music video, then becomes a college comedy filled with sex jokes and pranks. It is only in the final hour that it fully becomes a horror movie. We cannot go any farther into a discussion on Killer Party without mentioning the characters. One of the main reasons that the movie has a loyal fan base is because almost every character is likable. Our three main characters (Jennifer, Phoebe, and Vivia) are friends and are pledging the same sorority. The actresses playing those roles are great and the viewer feels as if they truly are friends. Their dialogue and banter is realistic. They care for each other and we cheer for them to survive.Jennifer is the studious, sensible one. Phoebe is excitable one and goes along with the group, and Vivia is the nerdy prankster.The actress who played Vivia, Sherry Willis-Burch, was also in the 1981 slasher movie Final Exam.The girls must go through the typical sorority hazing and tasks in order to become members. The most memorable line from the movie comes from a scene in which the snotty head of the sorority, Veronica (Alicia Fleer) tells the girls that when asked a question in class, they must respond by saying "I myself prefer a big, fat cucumber." Oh those wacky sororities and sexual innuendos. There are also great secondary characters like Professor Zito, played by the always entertaining Paul Bartel, Martin played by Ralph Seymour and Blake played by Martin Hewitt.Bartel is probably best known to genre fans as the director/star of the cult classic Eating Raul, Chopping Mall, Death Race 2000 and Piranha. He also directed one of my personal favorite horror movies, Private Parts. Ralph Seymour was also in the 1980 backwoods slasher classic, Just Before Dawn.The criticism of Killer Party is that it takes much too long to become a horror movie. While I see that point, I do not mind because I like the characters enough and enjoy the comedy aspects of the film. It all depends on your moods and tastes, but I am never bored whenever I sit down to watch it. The final half of the movie takes places at an abandoned frat house which was the site of a fraternity prank gone wrong 20 years before.Does this tragedy from the past have something to do with the recent killings? Could be...All of the before mentioned comedy hi-jinx makes the final 30 minutes all the more surprising and affective.It is a jolt to the viewer when our killer begins to dispatch the remaining characters without a hint of humour. In fact, I would argue the final act of Killer Party is one of the best found in a slasher movie.I remember watching it for the first time in an edited form on TBS in 1989 and was amazed by the performance of the killer. I won't reveal who that is. No spoilers here. Special mention should be made of the two main songs featured in the movie. The first is April by the band White Sister. It is a catchy tune in the rousing tradition of 80s hair rock. All depending on your feelings toward said hair rock, you'll either enjoy it or hate it. I personally love the song and listen to it occasionally. However, April is just a warm up to what is the theme song of Killer Party: a song that goes by the name These Are The Best Times of Our Lives. Those who have seen the movie know the song and if you haven't, you will soon know it the minute you hear it.I'm a fan of cheesy songs from horror movies and These are the Best Times is pure cheese but it also happens to be one of my favorite songs ever in a movie. Try not to sing along...I dare you. Currently Killer Party does not have an official DVD release but is a part of the Warner Archives.My old VHS copy has seen better days but I return to it like an old friend I have known for years. While not one of the greatest horror movies by any means, slasher fans and horror fans in general could do much worse than seeking out this movie. You may even find yourself preferring a big, fat cucumber after watching this.My rating based on nostalgia and love for the movie: 10/10 My rating as a non biased slasher fan 7/10

"Killer Party" will never be confused with a good horror movie. This scatter shot affair tries to accomplish way too much, and for the most part misses the entertainment mark by a wide margin. Dozens of characters with little or no development are cavorting around an old fraternity house trying to have an April Fools Party. Unfortunately a demoniacally possessed sorority sister and a killer in a deep sea diving outfit spoil the fun. Throw in an opening that tries to be clever, but only serves to stretch an overlong running time. The usual college pranks take up the remainder of the first hour, while divide and slaughter (off screen of course) killings fill the last 30 minutes. The presence of Paul Bartel is one of the lone bright spots, with his film on the danger of hazing pranks being the best attempt at humor. - MERK

College students throw a party in an old frat house, only to have someone start killing off everybody and raising demons (?!)Canadian 'horror' drivel is one mess of a movie. The movie opens with a weird prologue that has nothing to do with the rest of the film and even when we reach our 'feature' story it's a bit of a train wreck. Killer Party is a movie that suffers from a real lack of seriousness. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy campy horror movies, but in this case it's all a bit too ridiculous. Even as the movie tries desperately for a terrifying climax, it comes off as completely laughable. The movies theme song 'Best Times of our Lives' is memorable though.Those who enjoy silly 80's schlock might have a good time with this one, but all in all Killer Party is totally inept as a horror film.BOMB out of ****

Wanna movie that rips-off the Porky's rip-offs of the mid '80's? How about a Friday The 13th rip-off that rips-off those rip-offs, and then let's throw in that '70's possession thingy where the woman crawls on walls and talks like the singer from Cannibal Corpse sings. Ya like all that? Then here's your movie. This movie took all those clichés and wrapped them all into one. I don't think that was intentional. It was filmed in '84 and released in '86. Somewhere, things went bad for this movie, and to get it released, obviously, other scenes were shot, the story was changed, and now nothing adds up. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe this is how they filmed it. But still, there are three (oh yeah, three)false starts to the movie, each one dumber than the last one (the third being a glam rock music video). Then the movie is a tame Animal House rip-off, then we get completely bloodless slasher killings, then the demonic showdown. The bloodless slasher killings and demonic showdown are in the last 17 minutes. This movie just leaves you bewildered. If your a slasher fan, you are let down, if your a monster fan, your let down. There is no blood in this film, even though the body count goes down at a steady clip for about eight minutes near the end. People die quick, but it's all off-screen. If there wasn't the gratuitous nudity in the beginning, this would easily be rated PG-13, even by todays tame standards. I remember seeing this on TBS over a decade ago on Saturday afternoons. Watching it uncut the other night, I realized TBS didn't cut any of the violence out. Just them boobies. A tame affair that should be over-looked by the '80's horror fan. One and a half stars.