10 Underappreciated 80s Slashers

Graduation Day may hold a sense of nostalgia for those who remember the VHS cover and trailer, and their promise of sheer terror. It came hot on the success of Friday the 13th in the early ‘80s and tried to bring a different angle to the Slasher film.

You could be forgiven for thinking you were mistakenly watching a sports movie, as the opening sequence gives us an extended montage of high school sports shots accompanied by a terrifically cheesy song. We then see track star Laura drop dead after a race before we fast forward to that years graduation. Laura’s sister returns from the Navy to take part in the Graduation Ceremony, which happens to coincide with the surviving track team members being picked off by a mystery killer.

Graduation Day is a fun little watch with a good story and decent cast, including some bonus Linnea Quigley. The kill scenes are where the film is let down slightly; they are all sporting related murders, which present some good ideas but are unconvincing in their execution. There is also an extended scene featuring the band Felony playing at a roller disco which could put some viewers off through its sheer length.