Final Exam (1981) - Blu-ray Review

Details: By Loron Hays; 15 May 2014

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Final Exam - Blu-ray review

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At long last, writer/director Jimmy Huston’s Final Exam arrives to once again fill dorm rooms with its own particular brand of horror. It is the appropriate time of the year to release this cult classic, considering the amount of studying and school pranks occurring as students and teachers prepare for the end of the school year. With Scream Factory at mission control for this release, there is no disappointment to be found as a mysterious stranger in a dark van haunts Lanier College and torments its students.

The horror film gets a lot of grief for being neither bloody nor titillating enough but that doesn’t keep it from scaring the pants off any one who has been around a small college campus at night. There is nothing and no one around. And I mean nobody. Now, imagine a stranger prowling about in the distance. Creepy, right? Yeah, and that is Final Exam’s bread and butter and that is why I always find myself defending it.

It stars (and let’s use the term loosely, please) Cecile Bagdadi, Timothy Raynor, Joel Rice, Ralph Brown, and Sherry Willis-Burch but no one is all that memorable in this slasher flick. Some characters you will want to die. Some you feel empathy for. Either way, this is a footloose cast; probably their first (if not last) gig in the business so they come off a bit eager to impress or unsure of their skills. Final Exam is not an actor’s film.

Interestingly enough, the film has little interest in being a gory film for teenagers. This seems counterproductive in 1981, the year of the slasher flick, but the way it slowly develops informs the audience that it is concerned more with building suspense and character development. Although the acting is weak, there’s a lot about the situation that feels truly believable – especially with the time it takes to unfold after a quick opening which “offs” two horny teens in an automobile.

For better or for worse, Final Exam dares to do something different with the slasher film; you actually get to know these teenagers and their haunted college campus before a seriously deranged madman has his way.

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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 89 mins
Director: Jimmy Huston
Writer: Jimmy Huston
Cast: Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice, Ralph Brown
Genre: Horror | Thriller
Tagline: Some pass the test...God Help The Rest!!!.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Being brilliant has its drawbacks."
Distributor: Motion Picture Marketing (MPM)
Official Site:
Release Date: June 5, 1981
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 13, 2014
Synopsis: A psycho killer shows up on college campus to slash up pretty co-eds and dumb jocks..

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Final Exam - Blu-ray review

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - May 13, 2014
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Region Encoding: A

Scream Factory presents Final Exam in glorious high definition. The AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 has been given a pretty decent overhaul using the original negative. The anamorphic widescreen video transfer is generally good, with only a few lackluster shots here and there. Solid black levels remain throughout and there is a nice sense of vibrancy to the picture without fading out any of the film’s darker scenes. Skin tones are accurate without being too orange. The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono mix is good but nothing spectacular. No popping, hissing, or other distractions were noticed. Even if the quality of video and audio were lesser, fans are truly lucky enough to have the film released at all.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Scream also includes a commentary track with Final Exam co-stars Joel Rice, Cecile Bagdadi and Sherry Willis-Burch. This informative track also reveals some of the theories and secrets behind the shoot.

Special Features:

If you consider yourself a Final Exam fan, then picking up the Scream Factory Blu-ray is a no-brainer-you’re going to be more than pleased with their efforts on this release. There are a series of interviews with the cast included, as well as trailers.