Final Exam (1981 film)

Final Exam

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	February 27, 1981 (1981-02-27)
Headquarters	United States
Products	Slasher film

Final Exam is a 1981 American slasher film written and directed by Jimmy Huston. Featuring Cecile Bagdadi and Joel S. Rice, the story centers on an unidentified murderer who targets students left on a college campus just days before summer vacation.

Produced primarily with Los Angeles-based actors, the movie was shot across locations in North and South Carolina. Distributed by Motion Picture Marketing, Final Exam premiered on February 27, 1981, and despite receiving mixed critiques, it earned $1.3 million against a production cost of $363,000.

Plot

At March College, an unseen attacker murders a couple sitting in their parked vehicle.

Meanwhile, Lanier College is gearing up for final examinations. To assist a group of students with studying, a fraternity stages a fake shooting incident on campus, resulting in only a handful of students remaining overnight. A killer then arrives in a van and begins to hunt them.

Courtney focuses intently on her studies while her affluent roommate Lisa plans to return to New York City; Lisa is romantically involved with Professor Reynolds. Gamma Delta pledge Gary becomes the victim of a prank where he is tied to a tree overnight; the killer releases him only to fatally stab him shortly after. Gary’s girlfriend Janet notices a figure on a rooftop, pursues it, and is subsequently killed.

Another student known as Wildman is enticed into the gym under the pretense of stealing drugs but is subdued and strangled by the assailant. Mark discovers Wildman’s corpse but is chased into the electrical building where he is stabbed to death. Radish encounters the aftermath and contacts the police, who dismiss his concerns due to previous pranks. Attempting to alert Courtney, Radish is murdered inside her dorm room.

Upon returning, Courtney finds Radish’s body pinned to her door; the dormitory has been emptied for break. Lisa waits for Dr. Reynolds in the conservatory but is stabbed by the murderer. Courtney arrives, sees Lisa’s lifeless body, and flees to the clock tower armed with a kitchen knife.

A coach appears and fires an arrow at the killer, who impales himself on it. As he falls, he grabs Courtney’s ankle; she retaliates by stabbing him twelve times, ending his life.

Production

The majority of the cast for Final Exam were stage actors based in Los Angeles. Cecile Bagdadi secured her lead role following a performance at Los Angeles’ Coronet Theatre. Filming spanned six weeks from September 15 to October 25, 1980, primarily at E.O. Studios in Shelby, North Carolina, with additional scenes shot at Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina, and Isothermal Community College in Spindale, North Carolina. The film’s budget was roughly $363,000.

Music

The film’s official soundtrack was issued in 1981 through AEI Records.

Release

Final Exam opened with a limited regional theatrical run starting February 27, 1981, showing in cities such as St. Louis, Missouri and Dayton, Ohio. It continued regional engagements through spring before its Los Angeles debut on June 5.

Home media

Embassy Home Entertainment released Final Exam on VHS format in 1983. The movie made its DVD debut via BCI on September 23, 2008, followed by a reissue from Scorpion Releasing on September 20, 2011. Its initial Blu-ray release was handled by Scream Factory on May 13, 2014.

Box office

The movie achieved modest financial success, earning $1.3 million domestically in the United States. By June 26, it had secured the seventh position in the U.S. box office rankings.

Critical response

Hal Lipper from the Dayton Daily News drew favorable comparisons to the 1978 film Halloween, describing this film as more polished and better performed, though somewhat less frightening due to the frequent revealing of the murderer. He commended the cinematography as a refined effort that surpassed its $363,000 budget, particularly highlighting the acting of Cecile and Joel. Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times offered a mixed critique, observing that the movie fluctuates between collegiate prank comedy and slasher thriller elements.

Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune dismissed the film as a derivative "rip-off" of Halloween, pointing out its use of conventional stalking shots. The review from TV Guide labeled it "dull" and "almost bloodless," criticizing its dialogue-heavy scenes. Lou Cedrone of The Baltimore Evening Sun criticized the film for not clarifying the killer’s identity or motive, but acknowledged its restrained approach to depicting violence.

Gregg Swem from the Courier-Journal remarked on the film’s low-budget production values and immature dialogue, yet conceded that it effectively created suspenseful moments that lingered with the audience.

Modern assessment

Contemporary critics have revisited the film, noting its arbitrary antagonist and focus on character development rather than gore or shock effects. The male lead, Radish, partially inspired Wes Craven’s character Randy Meeks in the 1996 film Scream. According to AllMovie, it is "a blend of frat-boy comedy and slasher-thriller exploitation that features neither slashing nor humor and fails to capitalize on either." Brett Gallman of Oh, the Horror! praised its character portrayals and gradual tension buildup but found fault with uninspired killings and their delayed onset.

In his book Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies, Jim Harper emphasizes the film’s portrayal of an extreme slasher villain: an anonymous figure without backstory or motive who simply appears, kills, and is eventually stopped. Harper also critiques the weak development of other characters, suggesting that if they had been as fleshed out as Radish, Final Exam might have achieved cult status; instead, they remain clichéd jocks and cheerleaders who are easily forgotten.

Themes

Todd Gilchrist from IGN points out homoerotic undertones within the movie, especially in its depiction of fraternity hazing rituals: "The issue... is that these elements lack significance within the film and never connect to subsequent events... Nerds, jocks, and attractive co-eds are staples in slasher narratives but here serve mainly to increase body counts once the killings commence." Ian Jane of DVD Talk echoes this viewpoint in a retrospective analysis.

Novelization

In 1981, Pinnacle Books released a mass-market paperback novelization titled Final Exam, written by Geoffrey Meyer; this edition has since gone out of print. The book expands on character backgrounds by providing names and histories for Dana and John—the couple killed at the story’s outset—and offers explanations for the killer’s motives absent from the film.

See also

• List of American films released in 1981
• List of horror movies set within academic settings