In 1981, the heyday of the slasher was well underway. Before the decade’s end, dozens, if not hundreds, of grisly, low-budget horror flicks could be found on VHS rental shelves across the nation. Hot on the heels of movies like Friday the 13th, we have Graduation Day. Though nowhere near as well known (or, let’s face it, as well-made) as Black Christmas or Halloween, Graduation Day is certainly weirder than most of its slasher cousins.
Overseen by exploitation film director Herb Freed, and full of bizarre creative choices, this odd duck has gained a cult following in the 45 years since its release. Regularly referred to by reviewers as “strange,” it has a one-of-a-kind reputation despite its similarities to other slashers of its time.
Two months before the story begins, senior athlete Laura Ramstead collapses during a track meet and dies. Her older sister, Navy officer Anne (Patch Mackenzie), comes home to speak in her sister’s stead at the graduation ceremony Laura was set to attend. Before too long, students start going missing via a stopwatch-wielding killer who times their murders. Along with others who knew her sister, such as Laura’s boyfriend Kevin (E. Danny Murphy), and her coach George (Christopher George), Anne must find the killer before… Graduation Day.
Anne is an incredibly odd choice for a protagonist. She and Laura had a weird home life, as evidenced by several scenes with their angry, drunken stepfather, Ronald (Hal Bokar). Anne is pretty unusual herself: she creeps out everyone she interacts with, but still ends up being the hero of the film. After multiple death scenes in which victims are utterly helpless, Anne’s capability comes as a bit of a shock. Face-to-face with the killer, she fights back with a kick, giving herself enough time to escape. This fight scene isn’t well-coordinated, which adds to the moment of audience disbelief. Anne flees as scenes of her sister winning a race are intercut in an artsy montage.
Besides Anne, grindhouse scream queen Linnea Quigley is an obvious standout as teen stoner Dolores. This was one of Quigley’s earliest roles, and her star power is notable. She plays a pothead who skips school and “seduces” her teacher to get a passing grade. That questionable framework aside, Quigley’s Dolores laughs her way through her scenes, mocking a stodgy police officer and ultimately meeting her end outside a rock concert. Quigley would go on to star in some top-tier Z-list horror, including her unforgettable turn as “Trash” in Return of the Living Dead.
The film is low-budget and somewhat loosely assembled so that it often takes on a surrealist quality. There are several drawn-out scenes of athletes training that seem completely out of place in a horror film. Blurry shots dominate the cinematography, adding a disorienting dreaminess to what should be a straightforward slasher. Despite its similarities to many other horror flicks of the era, such as Final Exam, which was released one month later, Graduation Day remains uniquely its own. Attempts at plot ambiguity clash with an over-the-top, theatrical villain, creating something not wholly like other slashers of the era.
It would be hard to call Graduation Day a great film, but the crew’s creative choices are offbeat enough that it remains intriguing despite its bizarre pacing and other obvious flaws. After decades of being nearly impossible to find outside some gnarly VHS bootlegs, the trash enthusiasts over at Vinegar Syndrome released a 4K restoration of the 35mm print. As of the time of this writing, Graduation Day is also available on Tubi.