Midnight Horror Review: Final Exam (1981)

Yes, I'm back with another Midnight Horror Review, which I had originally planned to post weekly. However, due to a recent family emergency, I just didn't have time to watch a horror flick last week. Nevertheless, I'm back tonight to review the 1981 slasher film Final Exam.

Written and directed by Jimmy Huston, the film is set in a college campus during "finals" week. The campus nerd Radish (played by Joel S. Rice) has heard tales of students being murdered in nearby colleges and he's now a little paranoid! After witnessing a shooting and kidnapping on campus, Radish calls the authorities. Unfortunately, the whole "event" was faked by a fraternity, leaving the sheriff (played by Sam Kilman) to believe Radish is nothing but a joke. Later, when Radish reports a killer on the campus, nobody wants to believe him.

Meanwhile, Courtney (played by Cecile Bagdadi) is spending most of her free time studying for the "big exam", while her roommate Lisa (played by DeAnna Robbins) is way too busy trying to seduce her professor. Unknowingly to them, there is a real killer loose on the campus, who has targeted them for his next victims.

Final Thoughts

Considering the film is labeled a "video nasty" in the UK, my expectations were way too high. The opening scene where the unseen killer attacks the couple in the car was intriguing and a great way to begin a slasher film, but you have to wait forty-some minutes until the killer appears again on screen. And by "appear" I mean you actually see his face in several scenes and his identity and motive is never given. Before the killer makes his return, the story centers around pointless college kids (with bad acting) with really dumb subplots.

SPOILER WARNING! - The main character, Radish, gets killed in the latter half, leaving boring Courtney as the final girl!

Overall, Final Exam is one of those horror films that I can finally say, "Yes, I've seen it," even though the movie sucks! The directing is horrible, the acting is bad (really bad), the dialogue is laughable (an not in a good way), the characters are unlikable, and the killer is bland. I'm well aware the film has a cult following, but. . . Why????????????