Memorial Day (1999 film)
A 1999 slasher film about revenge at a lake campground.
Memorial Day (also released as Memorial Day Killer) is a 1999 slasher film. Christopher Alender directed it, and Marcos Gabriel wrote the screenplay.
The story begins the night before Memorial Day, when a figure in a black-and-white papier-mâché mask stabs Tyra and Trevor to death in their apartment. The next day, Rachel, her cousin Leo, and five friends—Mickey, Cindy, Seth, Reagan, and Jeremy—go to Memorial Lake Campground. It is their first visit since Rachel’s adopted brother Danny drowned there three years earlier, an accident. After they set up camp and drink around a fire, Seth goes to a cabin to watch TV. He sees a news report about Tyra and Trevor’s murders, both of whom were supposed to join the trip. When Seth runs back to tell the others, a booby trap launches a spear into Jeremy, killing him and scattering the group.
Seth tries to drive away but runs out of gas. The killer sends a captured man to order Seth out of the car. Seth refuses, so the killer shoots the hostage. Back at camp, Mickey bludgeons a masked figure with a baseball bat, then unmasks him to find Seth—gagged and bound. The killer then forces Reagan to crawl across razor blades while beating her with hot rebar, killing her. Cindy is shot, and Mickey is tortured to death with fish hooks, nails, and a knife.
Rachel and Leo regroup. Hysterical, Rachel blames herself for Danny’s drowning, confessing she brought him out on the boat that night. Leo then reveals he is the killer. He explains that Danny was his biological brother and has been “speaking” to him, ordering revenge on everyone involved. Leo tries to kill Rachel, but she shoots him with his own gun, first admitting she purposely drowned Danny because she hated him.
In a post-credits scene, Rachel walks away from the camp. Leo gets up, and an invisible force pushes his mask across the floor to him. He puts it on, and a distorted voice wails, “We’re coming for you!”
The cast includes Marcos Gabriel as Leo, Therese Fretwell as Rachel, Andrew Williams as Mickey, Erin Gallagher as Cindy, Derek Nieves as Seth, Jasmine Trice as Reagan Childs, Adam Sterritt as Jeremy, John Hayden as Trevor Daniels, Martine Shandles as Tyra Scott, Randy Weinstein as Man, Bill Orr as Newscaster, Dave Smith as Stalker, and Peter Marsha as Stalker Voice.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Christopher Alender
- Producer
- Harry Perry III / Marissa Messier
- Writer
- Marcos Gabriel
- Starring
- Adam Sterritt / Derek Nieves / Jasmine Trice / Erin Gallagher / Marcos Gabriel / Andrew Williams / Therese Fretwell
- Music
- Rob Wallace
- Cinematography
- Kathryn Schmidt
- Editing
- Marcos Gabriel / Christopher Alender
- Studio
- Soapbox Films
- Distributor
- Maverick Entertainment Group
- Released
- 30 June 1999 · United States
- Runtime
- 79 minutes
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot begins the night before Memorial Day, when Tyra and Trevor are stabbed to death in their apartment by a cloaked figure. The next day, Rachel, her cousin Leo, and five friends head to Memorial Lake Campground for the first time since Rachel's adopted brother Danny drowned there three years earlier. After setting up camp, the group drinks and tells ghost stories, but Seth sees a news broadcast about the murders and rushes to warn the others. A booby trap then kills Jeremy with a spear, scattering the group.
Reader's Guide
The film is notable for its twist ending: Leo, Rachel's cousin, reveals himself as the killer, claiming his biological brother Danny has been speaking to him and ordering revenge. Rachel then confesses she purposely drowned Danny because she hated him, and shoots Leo. A post-credits scene shows Leo rising and putting his mask back on after an invisible force pushes it to him, with a distorted voice saying, 'We're coming for you!' The film was derided by Brian Solomon of Bloody Disgusting as an 'originality-challenged endeavor.'
Did You Know?
- The film is also known as Memorial Day Killer.
- The killer wears a black and white papier-mâché mask.
- Brian Solomon of Bloody Disgusting called the film an 'originality-challenged endeavor'.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Memorial Day (1999)?
Memorial Day, also released as Memorial Day Killer, is a 1999 slasher film directed by Christopher Alender with a screenplay by Marcos Gabriel. It follows a group of friends who head to a lake campground and are stalked by a masked killer.
Who is the killer in Memorial Day (1999)?
The masked assailant is revealed to be Leo, Rachel's cousin, a role played by Marcos Gabriel. His motive is revenge tied to the drowning of Danny, Rachel's adopted brother, at Memorial Lake Campground three years earlier.
What starts the violence in Memorial Day (1999)?
The film opens the night before Memorial Day with a figure in a black-and-white papier-mâché mask stabbing Tyra and Trevor to death in their apartment. The following day, the surviving friends travel to Memorial Lake Campground, where the killing spree resumes.
How does the story of Memorial Day (1999) end?
The narrative culminates in Rachel confronting Leo over his grief-fueled rampage at the campground. The film wraps up its revenge arc by tying the killer's actions directly to the unresolved tragedy of Danny's drowning.
Why is Memorial Day (1999) classified as a holiday horror film?
The entire plot unfolds on Memorial Day weekend at a campground called Memorial Lake, weaving the holiday's theme of remembering the dead into the killer's personal grief. The holiday is therefore a structural element of the story rather than a mere backdrop.
More in Holiday horror films 1-24
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