Leofwine_draca FINAL EXAM is one of those sluggish and slow-moving slasher films of the early 1980s that fails sufficiently engage with the subject matter and as such becomes humdrum and below par. Apparently the writer and director decided to go and focus on characterisation over suspense, violence and death, but as the latter are the main things this genre is known for, that wasn't going to achieve much. The film has an annoyingly spoofy feel to it and the characters are pure walking cardboard, without a sympathetic focus among them. Too much time is spent early on with random pranks and misbehaviour so that when the kills finally start happening you just can't take them seriously. I had always intended to buy a physical copy of this movie but never got around to it, so I'm glad I managed to catch Code Red's copy on Amazon Prime instead of wasting my money on it.

RHGifs The pacing kills what could have been a fun, effective slasher. The film really doesn't get going until the last 10 or 15 minutes. Everything up to that point is essentially filler/padding minus a couple of kill scenes that leave a lot to be desired in terms of special effects.While there's definitely worse slashers from this time Final Exam doesn't do much to separate itself from the pack.

gwnightscream This 1981 horror film stars Cecile Bagdadi, Joel Rice, Sherry Willis-Burch, DeAnna Robbins, John Fallon, Ralph Brown, Terry Farren and Timothy Raynor. This begins with a college couple getting murdered at a lake by a mysterious killer (Raynor). Soon, he heads to Lanier University during final exam week where he stalks a group of students, Courteney (Bagdadi), Radish (Rice), Janet (Burch), Lisa (Robbins), Mark (Fallon), Wildman (Brown) and Gary (Farren). One of the things about this film that bothers most people is that the killer & his intentions are anonymous, but I think it's creepier that way. It isn't a bad 80's slasher flick following in the footsteps of "Halloween" with a decent cast & eerie score. I recommend this if you enjoy horror/slasher flicks.

ersinkdotcom For every good slasher film in the 1980s, there were ten that should've never seen the light of day. Some of those misfires have gained cult status over the years for one reason or another. It's tough to truly judge a movie in a genre that celebrates bad acting, cheesy dialogue, and nonsensical plots. 1981's "Final Exam" is a perfect example of one such film that is beloved by many today for, in my opinion, no good reason at all.A serial killer walks the streets of Lanier College as the students prepare for a week of final exams and frat hazing. With no apparent motive or target demographic, the murderer hunts down both jocks and nerds without prejudice. Can anyone stop the madman before he takes his next victim?I can appreciate what Writer/Director Jimmy Huston was trying to do with "Final Exam." He was attempting to make a film in the vein of "Halloween" using Hitchcock's sensibilities and techniques. Huston did his best to establish characters the audience would connect to. Unfortunately, the fact that none of the performers playing them could act annihilated any hopes of that happening.It would've also helped if the murderer had ANY sort of motive for his killing spree. It's just some guy following college kids around and butchering them. B-O-R-I-N-G! Slasher movies either have to have one thing or another going for it. It has to be suspenseful or graphic and gory when it comes to the violence. "Final Exam" doesn't excel in either of these areas. The suspense is smothered by a lack of motivation and the kill scenes are absent of any real substance or bloodshed."Final Exam" is rated R for violence, language, adult situations, and nudity. Of course, there's the obligatory boob shot all slasher films must have. There's so little on screen gore that the movie quite possibly could air right after an episode of "Goosebumps" on Teen Nick. If made today without the one scene of nudity, it might earn a PG-13 rating for its content.As far as slasher movies are concerned, "Final Exam" is a weak entry into the genre. I'm sure many fans of the film will disagree with me and they have every right to. I can't consider it an essential piece of horror history based on its lack of motivation, suspense, and gore. Without those elements, it's just another bland B-movie with bad acting.