Varèse Sarabande revisits a classic horror soundtrack from its early catalog with April Fool’s Day, the 1986 black comedy/horror slasher film directed by Fred Walton and scored by Charles Bernstein.

Thomas F. Wilson, Deborah Foreman, Clayton Rohner and other familiar faces from the 1980s star as college friends whose spring break trip to an island mansion unfortunately coincides with April Fool’s Day. Innocent pranks lead to a steadily rising body count as murders decimate the group—with a surprising twist climax. Bernstein found an unusual challenge in April Fool’s Day, which needed to evoke the slasher genre, but also have an element of “winking” to its audience. “We’re having fun with the horror genre—but it’s not a horror movie,” he says in the new liner notes by Brian Satterwhite. “My challenge was how to score a movie that wasn’t a horror movie but used horror tropes.”

April Fool’s Day was released on LP (and later CD) by Varèse Sarabande, in a synthesized performance not heard in the film itself. That 20-track, 30-minute synth program is included on this Deluxe Edition, along with the long-awaited premiere release of the actual orchestral recording heard in the film (23 tracks, 27 minutes), plus previously unreleased bonus tracks.

This is the definitive April Fool’s Day soundtrack release—and that’s no joke!

First-ever release of the Original Orchestral Film Score

ORCHESTRAL FILM VERSION:
1. Main Title (Orchestral Film Version)
2. Muffy’s Present (Orchestral Film Version)
3. Pier Pressure Part 2 (Orchestral Film Version)
4. Pier Pressure Part 1 (Orchestral Film Version)
5. Night (Orchestral Film Version)
6. Trick Or Threat / Muffy And The Dolls Alt (Orchestral Film Version)
7. Little Miss Muffy Part 2 (Orchestral Film Version)
8. Little Miss Muffy Prt 3 (Orchestral Film Version)
9. First Victim (Orchestral Film Version)
10. Snakes Alive (Orchestral Film Version)
11. All’s Well That Ends (Orchestral Film Version)
12. The House (Version 1) (Orchestral Film Version)
13. Little Miss Muffy Part 1 (Orchestral Film Version)
14. Nightwatch (Orchestral Film Version)
15. Wind / Window (Orchestral Film Version)
16. Stab In The Dark (Orchestral Film Version)
17. Hanging Around (Orchestral Film Version)
18. Nan In Danger (Orchestral Film Version)
19. Muffy Attack Part 2 (Orchestral Film Version)
20. Choke And Dagger Parts 1 & 2 (Orchestral Film Version)
21. Getting The Point (Orchestral Film Version)
22. Hack In The Box (Orchestral Film Version)
23. Muffy Attack Part 1 (Orchestral Film Version)

ORIGINAL 1986 SOUNDTRACK:
24. Intro (Original Synth Version)
25. Main Title (Original Synth Version)
26. Choke And Dagger (Original Synth Version)
27. Pier Pressure (Original Synth Version)
28. All’s Well That Ends (Original Synth Version)
29. Snakes Alive (Original Synth Version)
30. Stab In The Dark (Original Synth Version)
31. Hanging Around (Original Synth Version)
32. The House (Original Synth Version)
33. Trick Or Treat (Original Synth Version)
34. Nan In Danger (Original Synth Version)
35. Nightwatch (Original Synth Version)
36. Sitting Duck (Original Synth Version)
37. Dead Man’s Float (Original Synth Version)
38. Night (Original Synth Version)
39. Getting The Point (Original Synth Version)
40. Little Miss Muffy (Original Synth Version)
41. Muffy Attack (Original Synth Version)
42. First Victim (Original Synth Version)
43. Hack In The Box (Original Synth Version)

BONUS TRACKS:
44. Techno-Loons 1 (Bonus Track From Charles)
45. Music Box & Child Voices (Bonus Track From Charles)
46. Popup Sting Layers (Bonus Track From Charles)
47. Winks, Clock Motifs & Rhythmic Motif (Bonus Track From Charles)
48. Melodic Motif (Bonus Track From Charles)
49. CB Groove 1 (Alternative Source Cue)
50. CB Groove 2 (Alternative Source Cue)
51. J.S. Bach Violin Concerto No. 1 IN A Minor (Orchestral Source Cue)