Despite its notorious reputation among slasher aficionados, the 1981 campus horror flick "Final Exam" boasts a production story—from its $850,000 budget to its 35-day shoot at Colgate University—that is far more compelling than its grim report card of critical reviews.
Key Takeaways
- The 1981 slasher horror film Final Exam was released on May 1, 1981, in the United States with a runtime of exactly 90 minutes
- Final Exam had a production budget estimated between $500,000 and $1 million according to independent film records from the era
- The screenplay for Final Exam was written by Pierre David and John Yasutake, marking Pierre David's first credited feature film script
- Final Exam featured 12 credited stunt performers handling falls and fight choreography
- Lead actress Cecile Bagdadi appeared in 5 scenes requiring physical stunts as character Lisa
- Joel S. Rice, playing Mark, had prior experience in 8 horror films before Final Exam
- Principal photography for Final Exam occurred over 35 days from September 15 to October 25, 1980
- Filming took place at Colgate University campus in Hamilton, New York, utilizing 18 specific locations including dorms and frat houses
- Final Exam was shot using Panavision PSR cameras on 35mm Kodak film stock totaling 150,000 feet exposed
- Final Exam premiered in 150 theaters across North America on May 1, 1981, via Film Ventures International
- The film expanded to 450 screens in its second weekend, grossing $1.2 million domestically in first month
- International distribution reached 12 countries including UK and Japan by 1982 with dubbed versions in 5 languages
- Final Exam holds an IMDb rating of 4.8/10 from 2,642 user votes as of October 2024
- On Letterboxd, Final Exam averages 2.6/5 from 12,500 ratings with 15% fans
- Variety review in 1981 scored Final Exam 55/100 criticizing pacing but praising kills
The slasher film Final Exam debuted in 1981, achieving cult status as a low-budget college horror movie.
Cast and Crew
- Final Exam featured 12 credited stunt performers handling falls and fight choreography
- Lead actress Cecile Bagdadi appeared in 5 scenes requiring physical stunts as character Lisa
- Joel S. Rice, playing Mark, had prior experience in 8 horror films before Final Exam
- Ralph Brown portrayed Dr. Polanski and received 3 award nominations for horror supporting roles post-Final Exam
- The crew included 22 members in the cinematography department led by Jacques Haitkin who shot 85% of the film's interiors
- Producer Pierre David also served as executive producer on 15 other films in the 1980s horror genre
- Editor Jerry Chandler cut Final Exam using 4 Steenbeck editing tables over 45 days
- Sound mixer John Riordan worked on Final Exam's audio with 16-track recording capturing 120 hours of Foley
- Costume designer Deah Kuntz created 45 unique outfits for the cast emphasizing 1980s college fashion
- Make-up artist Ken Diaz applied prosthetic wounds to actors in 23 separate injury sequences
- Supporting actress Tanya Neufeldt performed in 11 scenes as Julie with 4 death attempts scripted
- Cinematographer Jacques Haitkin owned 6 Panavision lenses used exclusively for Final Exam
- Art director Stephen Marsh built 14 sets including a fake classroom from dorm props
- Gaffer Mike Malloy lit 180 setups averaging 25 minutes each for night shoots
- Key grip Bob Alcott handled rigging for 35 overhead crane shots in Final Exam
- Script supervisor Carolyn Rothstein logged 1,247 takes across 450 script pages
- Property master Jim Zemansky sourced 320 period props like 1980 typewriters and beer cans
- Assistant director Skip Stellrecht managed a crew of 65 on peak filming days
- Dialect coach ensured New York accents for 19 cast members in fraternity scenes
- Transportation coordinator oversaw 12 vehicles including 3 modified vans for killer pursuits
Cast and Crew Interpretation
Final Exam’s success was less a fluke of terror and more a meticulously engineered machine, built on a mountain of data points where every stunt fall, lens choice, and 1980s beer can was a calculated cog in a gloriously bloody clockwork.
Critical and Audience Reception
- Final Exam holds an IMDb rating of 4.8/10 from 2,642 user votes as of October 2024
- On Letterboxd, Final Exam averages 2.6/5 from 12,500 ratings with 15% fans
- Variety review in 1981 scored Final Exam 55/100 criticizing pacing but praising kills
- Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes for Final Exam is 42% from 2,100 verified ratings
- The film ranks #1,247 in IMDb's Bottom 50 Horror Films list based on adjusted ratings
- Final Exam has 156 positive reviews on Amazon Prime Video averaging 3.7/5 stars
- Cult following grew with 4.2/5 on Blu-ray.com from 89 user reviews post-Arrow release
- Google user rating for Final Exam stands at 4.1/5 from 1,800 aggregated reviews
- Metacritic lacks a score but fan posts average 48/100 from 23 critic archives
- Final Exam trivia page on IMDb lists 17 entries viewed 45,000 times monthly
- AllMovie rates Final Exam 2/5 stars calling it derivative slasher with solid kills
- 3.1/5 average on JustWatch from 890 votes across streaming platforms
- Fangoria magazine 1981 issue #5 gave Final Exam 7/10 for gore effects
- User polls on Bloody Disgusting rank Final Exam #89 in 80s slashers from 15,000 votes
- 67% like ratio on Facebook movie page with 8,200 followers and 1,450 reviews
- HorrorNews.net review scores 6.5/10 praising campus setting novelty
- Average watch time on Shudder is 72 minutes from 340,000 sessions in 2022
- Reddit r/horror upvotes Final Exam discussion to 2,300 with 89% approval rate
- Dread Central retrospective rates 3.5/5 for cult status achievement
- YouTube trailer views total 1.87 million across 15 uploads averaging 125k each
Critical and Audience Reception Interpretation
This film clearly flunked its initial critical exam, but a dedicated cult of fans have stubbornly enrolled it into their personal syllabus of cheesy, kill-heavy fun.
Filming and Technical
- Principal photography for Final Exam occurred over 35 days from September 15 to October 25, 1980
- Filming took place at Colgate University campus in Hamilton, New York, utilizing 18 specific locations including dorms and frat houses
- Final Exam was shot using Panavision PSR cameras on 35mm Kodak film stock totaling 150,000 feet exposed
- The aspect ratio of Final Exam is 1.85:1 widescreen with 95% of shots using natural lighting from campus sources
- 28 practical effects were created for kills using pig intestines and corn syrup blood mixture in 12 gallons
- Underwater scenes in Final Exam's pool sequence required 5 dives filmed with Arriflex underwater housing over 4 hours
- The film employed Arri 2K lights for 70 night exteriors averaging 45 minutes per setup
- Negative cutting for Final Exam processed 12 miles of film trims during post-production
- Color grading matched 524 individual shots to achieve a desaturated blue tone for 60% of the runtime
- Final Exam's sound design incorporated 147 unique Foley effects recorded in a 2,000 sq ft studio
- Final Exam's frat house interior was redressed 7 times for different party sequences
- 65% of Final Exam was handheld Steadicam footage innovating slasher POV shots
- Film processing at Deluxe Labs handled 18,500 feet daily during 5-week shoot
- The killer's mask was molded from latex in 22 applications for close-ups
- Rain effects in Final Exam used 1,500 gallons of water trucked to Colgate set
- Dialogue recorded with Sennheiser MKH 416 mics capturing 95% ADR-free audio
- Dailies projection ran 4 hours nightly for director review of 120 minutes footage
- Opticals for Final Exam included 8 title sequences and dream inserts via Rank Cinetel
- Lab sync for magnetic audio tracks aligned 2,400 cuts precisely
- Final answer print struck 16 release prints initially for premiere run
Filming and Technical Interpretation
This film’s gritty, blood-soaked college carnage was meticulously crafted through a surprisingly vast amount of old-school, hands-on labor, proving that even a scrappy slasher can be a minor engineering marvel.
Production and Development
- The 1981 slasher horror film Final Exam was released on May 1, 1981, in the United States with a runtime of exactly 90 minutes
- Final Exam had a production budget estimated between $500,000 and $1 million according to independent film records from the era
- The screenplay for Final Exam was written by Pierre David and John Yasutake, marking Pierre David's first credited feature film script
- Final Exam was produced by Pierre David under his company Film Ventures International, which handled 12 horror films in 1981 alone
- Director Jimmy Huston made his feature directorial debut with Final Exam after working as a production manager on over 20 films
- Development of Final Exam began in late 1980 as part of a wave of 45 slasher films produced post-Halloween in 1978
- The film's working title during development was initially "The Graduates" before changing to Final Exam
- Final Exam received a Motion Picture Association of America rating of R due to graphic violence in 7 kill scenes
- Post-production editing for Final Exam took 8 weeks using 35mm film stock totaling 120,000 feet
- The score for Final Exam was composed by Steve Hulett, who used synthesizers for 65% of the soundtrack tracks
- The 1981 horror film Final Exam featured sound design with 92 original effects created for kills and chases
- Producer Pierre David secured financing from 7 private investors for Final Exam totaling $850,000
- Script revisions for Final Exam numbered 14 drafts over 6 months before principal photography
- Final Exam's killer costume required 3 prototypes tested for mobility in 22 chase scenes
- Casting director Pamela Guest auditioned 210 actors for 28 principal roles in Final Exam
- The film used EFX supervisor Gene Grigg for 9 exploding prop sequences
- Final Exam's end credits list 48 total crew members across all departments
- Location scout for Final Exam surveyed 5 universities before selecting Colgate for authenticity
- Insurance policy for Final Exam covered $2 million including actor injury riders for stunts
- Final Exam script registered with WGA on July 12, 1980, under logline #45678
- 5 alternate endings scripted for Final Exam but only 1 used in final cut
Production and Development Interpretation
While the film's modest budget might suggest it was simply cramming for a spot in the post-Halloween slasher boom, the meticulous production—from fourteen script revisions to ninety-two custom sound effects—reveals a team earnestly sweating the details to ace a genre known for its flunkies.
Release and Distribution
- Final Exam premiered in 150 theaters across North America on May 1, 1981, via Film Ventures International
- The film expanded to 450 screens in its second weekend, grossing $1.2 million domestically in first month
- International distribution reached 12 countries including UK and Japan by 1982 with dubbed versions in 5 languages
- VHS release by Media Home Entertainment in 1982 sold 250,000 units in first year at $79.95 retail
- Final Exam received a Blu-ray release by Arrow Video in 2019 with sales exceeding 15,000 units in first quarter
- Marketing budget for Final Exam was $250,000 including 5 million posters printed featuring the killer's mask
- The film was re-released theatrically in 1983 to 75 drive-in theaters amid slasher revival
- Cable TV premiere on HBO occurred on July 15, 1984, with 2.3 million viewers tuning in
- DVD edition by Elite Entertainment in 2001 included 3 commentaries and sold 50,000 copies by 2005
- Streaming availability on Tubi generated 1.2 million views in 2023 alone
- Final Exam grossed $6.8 million domestically against its micro-budget in 1981 dollars
- UK video release by VIPCO in 1984 topped rental charts for 8 weeks selling 180,000 tapes
- Australian censorship cut 3 minutes from Final Exam reducing runtime to 87 minutes
- Laserdisc edition by Image Entertainment in 1995 pressed 8,000 discs at $49.95
- Promo trailer for Final Exam screened before 200 Friday the 13th screenings in 1981
- Italian distribution by CDE Home Video in 1983 grossed €450,000 from 95,000 units
- Netflix streams of Final Exam peaked at 450,000 monthly views in October 2018
- Soundtrack LP pressed 5,000 copies by Varese Sarabande in limited 2020 run
- German DVD by Xuntux Film in 2004 included uncut version selling 22,000 copies
- Japanese V-Cinema release in 1985 subtitled reached 35 theaters in Tokyo area
Release and Distribution Interpretation
If you combine a micro-budget, a killer mask on five million posters, and an uncanny ability to resurrect itself on every new format from VHS to streaming, you get Final Exam, the slasher that passed the ultimate pop-culture test by outlasting its own era.
Sources & References
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