Wednesday, February 15, 2017

GRADUATION DAY - Grant Loud - "Graduation Day Blues" (1981)

Well, we never intended to do so many movies from the 80's, but then I never really meant to do any movies from the 80's, and I think tonight's Wacky Wednesday offering is a pretty good example as to why, but since we're on a quest to document every Monster/Weird/Hot Rod//Horror/Sci-Fi/Giallo/Rock and Roll/Biker/Spy movie ever made, we really don't have much choice!

It was made in 1981, and it's called "Graduation Day!" Honestly, I didn't think I was going to be able to make it all the way through after the first 20 or 30 minutes, but like an over matched boxer in a three round fight, I hung in there, and I'm actually kind of glad I did for a couple of reasons!

I never was a big slasher movie fan, and I didn't really care for Giallo movies either when I was first introduced to them, but I learned to like Giallo because they are usually quite intelligent with an intriguing storyline, but American slasher movies are not quite as smart, being content with just lining up one victim after another trying to find a new and different way to get each dirty job done!

I was very surprised that something in this sign wasn't misspelled!!

Wow! Do you think the killer might live in this normal looking household?

Nice gams!!

Weird! The school looks like it's melting!

Christopher (Rat Patrol, The Immortal) George plays the bastard track coach who is just weird enough that you might think he was the killer, except for the fact that he doesn't live in that freaky house! Bummer! Christopher died of a heart attack at the age of 52!

Scream Queen Linnea Quigley is the slut trying to get the music teacher to give her a passing grade, and you can't really blame her, since she was 23 years old and still in high school!

Golden Gloves boxing champion Virgil (Queen Of Blood, Hells Angels On Wheel, Easy Rider, Nightmare In Wax) Frye is the rent a cop security guard getting high on the job at the school!

Whoever is killing all the members of the track team is timing them all!

I did a little bit of reading about this movie, and it seemed like a lot of people didn't like the music. Personally, it was the music that kept me awake and got me to the end, and is probably the best part of the movie! 
Grant (Shakespeare's Plan 12 From Outer Space) Loud performs "Graduation Day Blues!"
This is the kind of stuff that this blog was founded on, and raised my opinion of "Graduation Day" from an F- to an A+!

Then the pretty damn good L.A. new wave band Felony performs at the graduation party! Felony's hit song "Fanatic" was used in the movie "Valley Girl!"

The lead singer of Felony is wearing black gloves! Could he possibly be the killer?
You never know, because anything goes in this movie now!

Felony plays "Gangster Rock" for about 10 minutes and all the happy kids in the graduating class roller skate in circles around them! I thought it was a pretty cool party! Probably better than my graduation if I could remember it after that six pack of 16 oz Colt 45's!

E.J. (Hello Dolly) Peaker as Blondie, and Michael (Grave Of The Vampire, Dracula's Dog, Jailbait Babysitter) Pataki as Principal Guglione provide the much needed comic relief!
He doesn't want to be bothered and she just keeps giving him phone calls! It's really pretty funny!

Vanna (Wheel Of Fortune) White is the 24 year old high school girl Doris!

One of the more creative killings was that of the pole vaulter who after a successful jump lands on a bunch of spikes!

"Graduation Day" is not the best or the worst movie I've ever seen! As a historical document, and if you like slasher movies with cool 80's music, then it's awesome, but if you don't like those two things, then don't even bother!

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