Final Exam

"Final Exam" is a pretty unknown flasher film from 1981 that at the moment has the totally undeserved overall rating of 4.7/10, and I can't understand why! Sure, the acting isn't always top-notch and maybe the killer isn't really something we haven't seen before. But the movie still has some great things about it. Let's get to my positives.

I do really like that this movie actually focuses on its characters more than most slasher films because that makes some death scenes a little emotional. Speaking of the death scenes, "Final Exam" isn't really that blood-focused at all. It focuses more on the presence of this killer and the building tension before the killer strikes, which I really did like. I would say that it's bloodier than the movie "Halloween" (of course talking about the 1978 original), but not the same level as any of the "Friday the 13th" movies. The film also has some scenes in the first 40 minutes or so that nicely ties in to the third act and when people start getting killed, which I think the movie should get more credit for doing.

Also, when we watch slashers we want a good and scary killer. And for the most part, this one has all of that. He reminds me of an unmasked Michael Myers. But this movie isn't perfect, so let's get into some of my issues with it.

I'll be quick to get these out of the way: The acting isn't all that great, the Killer is good for the most part but I feel like he would have been scarier with a more detailed look (like a mask and a vest etc), some scenes during the first 30 minutes or so can be pretty boring & finally; Ralph Brown as Wildman can be pretty annoying.

I did have a good time watching "Final Exam" and I think that any Slasher fan should give it a chance. It's a fairly solid slasher flick from the 80s and if you can get a copy of the Scream Factory release then I highly recommend it because it's worth your money.

Horror: B- (Some Suspenseful Scenes and Good Scares Throughout)

Entertainment: B- (A lot of 80s Charm and fun Collage Pranks)

Acting: D+ (Not That Great, Although Some Were Pretty Decent)

Suspense: C+ (Good Build-ups for Scares, but the First act Lacks it)

Characters: B- (Better Than Average)

Script/Story: C+ (Pretty Basic)

Overall Rating: 7.4/10

the first 5 minutes of the film are great, but then there is no action for the next hour. a psycho going around killing college kids, no motive what so ever wich i think is cool cause it's more scary like that. the one thing the movie tried to do is character developement. not that it's a bad thing to do, but they did overkill in it. the other problem is there were too many kills mixed in, too much too fast, though not a bad slasher at all, it's just that the first hour is kind of a waste but if you're a true horror fan like me you will see the greatness in the movie. i give it 6/10. decent suspense and maybe a few scares.

I expected Final Exam to be much better than it was...sadly it turned out to be very boring and not at all gory. People say it's a Halloween rip-off, well some parts of it are but not many. If you want a Halloween rip-off then watch Offerings, a much better slasher film than Final Exam. The only decent part in this film is when the killer stabs the woman and her blood splatters over her artwork. This is also the closest to gory that this film gets. There is no mystery surrounding the killer whatsoever...in fact towards the end they just start showing his face without even trying to create a sense of mystery. It seems Final Exam was made by the type of people who think that having your killer walk around aimlessly will create suspense.

I would not recommend this to slasher fans because it's just too dull. Completists will want to see it, but if you're looking for entertainment then don't bother.

Final Exam is like cafeteria food. Nothing special and a little bland, but it gets the job done. If you're needing an 80's slasher fix, Final Exam isn't the cream of the crop, but it's not without its own high points. Some of the characters are decently developed and the filmmakers create a little bit of mood with the abandoned campus ___location. It's just a shame that the film's killer is such a blank slate.

The opening of final exam seems pretty promising, a couple making out in a car are stabbed to death by a killer, Now the rest is a bore. The killer shows up at a college campus stalking students. Why? Who is this man? these are never quite explained. This is slow paced, even for a horror movie. Check out happy birthday to me. Or madman. they are much better.