Many horror fans know the kind of entertainment Troma offers. The films usually feature sub-humanoids, zombie chickens, or hideously deformed creatures of superhuman size and strength. But as distributors, Troma’s early output can be a little more mainstream. One movie that comes to mind instantly is Graduation Day (1981), directed by Herb Freed.
It’s one of the early slashers that capitalized on the success of films like Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980). These films were made cheaply and almost certainly recouped their budgets quickly. If you believe the rumors, Graduation Day was reportedly produced on a $250,000 budget and grossed $24 million at the box office, making it a huge success. Troma now holds the rights and has released it on a Troma-tic Special Edition Blu-ray.
With high school graduation just weeks away, members of the track team are being picked off one by one in a series of gruesome murders. When star runner Laura suddenly drops dead at the end of a championship meet, her sister Anne (Patch MacKenzie) arrives in town and quickly finds herself caught in a deadly mystery.
Suspicion falls on the disgruntled Coach Michaels (Christopher George), who was fired after Laura’s death; the campus policeman, whose aggressive drug investigations have made him many enemies; and Laura’s heartbroken boyfriend, Kevin (E. Danny Murphy), who simply can’t accept that she’s gone. Before long, the body count starts climbing.
Graduation Day is never fully focused. It starts out strong but loses its footing during the final act. A great slasher needs a great final girl, and this proves to be its downfall. She disappears for much of the film, so audiences never really form a connection with anyone. It’s definitely quirky, which lends the film some credibility and is a major factor in establishing it as a minor cult classic.
The film certainly has its fans, and as someone who loves classic ’80s slashers, I enjoyed it for what it was. As an added bonus, it features early appearances by the legendary scream queen Linnea Quigley and the legendary letter queen Vanna White.
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The quality is what you’d expect from a basic Troma release. And it wouldn’t be a Troma-tic Special Edition without special features. This release includes:
- Classic introduction featuring Lloyd Kaufman
- Interviews with Patch Mackenzie, Herb Freed, David Baughn, Martin Jay Sadoff, and Linnea Quigley
- Commentaries featuring producer David Baughn and the hosts of ‘The Hysteria Continues’ podcast
- Coming distractions
Graduation Day is a by-the-numbers slasher that entertains but never really crosses the finish line.
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