Founders Day Blu-ray Review

 

• 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