Tags:
Film: Final Exam
Year: 1981
Director: Jimmy Huston
Writer: Jimmy Huston
Starring: Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice and Ralph Brown
Review:
This was a film that I learned about thanks to horror movie podcasts. It went on a list of ones to see. Now I picked this one to cover on Side Quest Podcast, since my co-host, Jake, and I like to cover ones that are lesser discussed films about. We were able to find this on YouTube as well.
Synopsis: an unknown, nameless, psycho killer shows up on a college campus to slash up pretty co-eds and dumb jocks on the final day of exams.
We start this by learning we’re near March College. There’s a couple in a car making out. She doesn't want to have sex in the car and he’s getting annoyed. It sounds like he doesn’t want to get a motel room again. They are then bothered by someone. The guy tries to drive away but this attacker comes through the roof, killing him. I’m assuming she is next.
It then shifts to another nearby college, Lanier. It is here that we meet our main cast of characters. There is Courtney (Cecile Bagdadi) along with Mark (John Fallon) and they’re joined by Radish (Joel S. Rice). The two guys are intrigued by the notion that there’s a killer nearby. There’s also the prospect they could win the upcoming game against the other school since the male was the starting quarterback. It is also here we meet Lisa (DeAnna Robbins) and Wildman (Ralph Brown). There is a van driving slowly, watching them.
Now we see these students in a class. There is a test and we get the first inkling that members of a certain fraternity are cheating. Wildman and Mark amongst them. There is then an incident that goes down. A van pulls up; men jump out with guns and shoot students. The ones hit are taken. This turns out to be a prank. Radish didn’t know and called the police. The sheriff shows up, played by Sam Kilman. He’s not happy. Radish does give him the license plate of the van used, which belongs to Wildman’s father. This gets him on their radar.
Something to include here is that most of the campus has left. The only ones staying behind still have exams on the final day to take. This includes Courtney, Lisa, Wildman, Radish, Mark, a pledge named Gary (Terry W. Farren) and Janet (Sherry Willis-Burch), who is dating him. Gary gives his pin to Janet, causing him to get tied to a tree in punishment. The killer starts to pick off the students, taking advantage of how empty the dorms and school are.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is what I normally say when it comes to slasher films. They either need to have good kills or characters. The ones with both tend to be classics or my favorites. What is interesting here is that this comes out early in the boom. Black Christmas, Halloween and Friday the 13th would have all already come out. The Burning and Friday the 13th: Part 2 would be out the same year. I bring these all up because this falls in the middle of these with things that it does.
Now what I mean is that this one focuses less on the kills and more on the atmosphere and suspense. I’ll bring in filmmaking here as well. The cinematography is well done. They’re able to capture this college campus as well as to make it feel empty. This includes the open grass area where Gary is tied up. Plus, the empty hallways and the art studio with Lisa. That worked for me. I will say here, I wonder if they leaned into this due to not being able to make the kills look good. These are done mostly off screen. That doesn’t completely ruin the movie. The aftereffects were effective at times.
I will then say what hurts the film is the pacing. We got that opening kill, which hooked me. We then take up too much runtime to meet the characters before the next kill. I’ve come to realize that slashers are slow burns by nature. This film just doesn’t do well in holding my attention. Something that was a positive would be the soundtrack. It isn’t great, but it was quirky enough that I enjoyed it.
An issue is that the actors aren’t strong enough to carry this and since this is more character focus, it falls short. There is an amateur feel for a majority of them. I will say that I like Bagdadi as the mousy lead that she is. That worked. Rice is also good as the smart Radish. He’s also a horror movie loving character. I also like Robbins as the sexually promiscuous friend. The rest of the cast does overact unfortunately.
A character that I’ve been leaving out is our killer, played by Timothy L. Raynor. Now my brain went immediately thinking of who the killer would be. I won’t spoil anything here but I do think more care could be taken. This film does an interesting move in that we don’t learn anything about the killer. They are just on a rampage, no motive. That is terrifying. A bold move is that we see his face early on. Raynor’s size works for the role. It just doesn’t build any mystery there.
In conclusion, this is a slasher film that attempts to build suspense and atmosphere rather than relying on gore, which can be both a strength and a weakness. While the cinematography effectively captures the emptiness of the campus and the acting of Bagdadi, Rice and Robbins are notable, the slow pacing and general amateur performances detract from the overall experience. The choice to leave the killer’s motive ambiguous and reveal his face early on is a bold one, but it ultimately hinders the mystery. Despite its flaws, it's an interesting entry in the early slasher boom, though it doesn't quite stand up to its contemporaries.
My Rating: 5 out of 10