MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH (1976) ****

Massacre at Central High has essentially the same plot as Bucktown and Vigilante Force, except… you know… at a high school.  If you’ve seen those two movies, then you can probably already guess the big twist, so I will resist spoiling it for those who haven’t.  Suffice to say, they would make a stellar triple feature.  The film also went on to inspire Heathers. While that flick spun Massacre’s ideas off in unique and fun ways, it’s hard to imagine it existing had Rene Daalder’s cult classic not blazed the path first.  (The Class of 1984 probably took a page out of its playbook too.)

David (Derrel Maury) is the new kid in school.  He is sheltered by his old friend Mark (Andrew Stevens) who lets him into the exclusive clique of preppie bullies that rule the halls with an iron fist.  When David stands up to the bullies, he gets handicapped for his troubles.  He then goes out for revenge. 

I won’t reveal any more seeing as the third act twist is what sets this apart from other teen exploitation movies.  It starts out like Death Wish (there’s a hang-gliding death that Paul Kersey himself would be proud of) before becoming a lot more complex.  Again, if you’ve seen Bucktown or Vigilante Force, you will know what’s coming.  However, seeing it play out with teenagers makes it feel like a Crown International movie from Hell.  

Speaking of the teens, I like that we never see the students actually go to class (except gym) and the adults are virtually absent until the final reel.  It gives you the feeling that the bullies have free rein over the school and things like homework don’t really enter your thoughts when you’re perpetually preyed upon day in and day out by teenage hooligans.  (We see one kid working on exactly one math problem, but that’s it as far as schoolwork goes.)  That just hammers home the fact that they aren’t there to learn.  They’re there to survive. 

Maury is very good at playing both sides of his character, which makes for an interesting test of audience loyalty later in the film.  Stevens delivers an equally strong turn as the lone bully with a conscience.  Kimberly (Friday the 13th:   The Final Chapter) Beck is engaging playing a character that’s more three-dimensional than you think at first glance.  It’s also fun seeing Drive-In Queen Cheryl “Rainbeaux” Smith and a young Robert Carradine as two of the teens targeted by the bullies.  Beck and Smith also get some fine nude scenes, but this is more than just an exploitation item.  It’s a nasty piece of work. 

AKA:  Sexy Jeans.  AKA:  Blackboard Massacre.