- Director: Erik Bloomquist
- Actors : Devin Druid, Emilia McCarthy, Naomi Grace, Olivia Nikkanen, William Russ
- Studio : MPI Home Video
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Media Format : Blu-ray
- Run time : 106 minutes
- Release date : June 4, 2024
Horror and satire
have often been an effective pair in the hands of skilled filmmakers, but the
efforts to behind Founders Day feel as sincere as the politicians depicted
in the storyline. Perhaps I have just seen too many slashers, but the twists all
seemed easily predicted and the execution of the genre’s simplest pleasures are
rote and uninventive. While I can’t say for sure whether the filmmaking was inept
or lazy, I can say that it was often bad enough to be distracting. Or maybe the
problem is that there was nothing in Founders Day good enough to distract
from the bad.
Despite taking
place in a small town, there is a mayoral election campaign at the center of Founders
Day clearly intended to resemble a larger-scale political parallel. Blair
Gladwell (Amy Hargreaves) is running for re-election on the campaign of
consistency while her opponent Harold Faulkner (Jayce Bartok) campaigns for
change, and each has supporters willing to violently defend their candidate. Like
most slashers, the protagonists are the teenagers at the center of this circus,
specifically Faulkner’s daughter, Melissa (Olivia Nikkanen), whose sexuality
threatens the politician’s conservative image. The first attacks are also
against Melissa, who survives but witnesses the death of her girlfriend,
Allison (Naomi Grace).
Blatantly borrowing
from Scream without being good enough to withstand the comparison, Founders
Day does attempt to include memorably gruesome deaths. It is unfortunate
that even these are spoiled by subpar filmmaking. The only thing remaining to
provide some type of enjoyment is an explanation for the deaths, and the reveal
of the responsible party. This is probably where Founders Day stumbles
the most, with a resolution that is both predictable and nearly too dumb to
believe.
I was surprised
when this film got a theatrical release and didn’t expect the Founders Day
Blu-ray to have as many special features as it does either. There is a commentary
track with co-writer/director/actor Erik Bloomquist, co-writer/producer/editor
Carson Bloomquist, and cinematographer Mike Magilnick. There is also a
featurette with Blair and Harold visiting D.C., which is entirely unnecessary
and a bit cringeworthy. There are plenty of additional extras, including the
concept trailer, a behind-the-scenes gallery, and more.
Entertainment Value:
4/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 3/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 7.5/10
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