April Fool's Day (1986): More Goofs Than Gaffes?

Okay, so I finally got around to watching "April Fool's Day" (1986). I knew going in that it wasn't some undiscovered slasher gem, but I was still hoping for something more than what I got. The premise – a group of college friends stalked and 'killed' one by one on a remote island – is classic, right? But the execution felt...off. Like they couldn't decide if they wanted to be genuinely scary or a self-aware parody. The kills themselves were pretty lackluster, even for an 80s slasher. The 'death' of Rob (Clayton Rohner) when he falls down the stairs? Come on. And the whole bit with Harvey's (Jay Baker) head in the freezer? That was just...weird, not terrifying. What really bugged me, though, was the characters' reactions. They're supposed to be best friends, but their concern for each other felt so forced. Like, Skip (Griffin O'Neal) just shrugs off the fact that one of their friends is presumed DEAD. And Muffy (Deborah Foreman), the supposed 'victim,' is just doing... the most. I get she's supposed to be quirky, but it quickly became annoying. I also wasn't buying the whole 'isolated island' thing. The party scene felt way too staged, lacking any real authenticity or grit. I will say, the ending was... well, I won't spoil it, but it certainly subverted expectations. Whether that subversion was clever or just a cop-out is debatable, I mean that's really what people are going to argue about. I'm leaning towards the latter, honestly. It felt like the writers realized they had written themselves into a corner and just hit the reset button. Ultimately, "April Fool's Day" is a frustrating watch. It's not terrible, there are far worse slashers out there, but it's so consistently mediocre that it's hard to get invested. Worth a watch if you're a completist with a weakness for 80s cheese, but don't expect to be blown away. I'd be interested to hear what others thought of the ending, though. Did that land with anyone?