Massacre at Central High (1976) User Reviews

Surprisingly thought provoking!

[Snake-666 · 6/10 · 8 December 2003]

After falling foul of a group of bullies at his new high school, promising young athlete David (Derrel Maury) is attacked and severely injured. His near-crippling leg injury leaves him angry, deranged and thirsty for revenge on those who would bully others.

This entertaining and thought-out horror movie is an interesting addition to the horror genre. Unlike many other similar films, ‘Massacre at Central High' spends a relatively large amount of time building up the plot and developing the central characters. It is through this intelligent characterisation that the viewer is positively encouraged to feel contempt for the gang of bullies. In some ways the actual acts of bullying and violence towards other students committed by the central gang are reminiscent of ‘Carrie' (1976), albeit on a much larger scale. Rather than have the torment revolving around one character, the entire school is subjected to often horrific acts and thus they live in fear of the gang that runs the school. While one could easily question the situations that the students continually find themselves in (such as where are the teachers?), the movie raises some questions about how far a group of people will go before someone steps in to halt their actions. In fact, the gang is convincingly portrayed as taking their violence and brutality further each time and even revelling in the new `experiences' that they create for themselves. Although the film is fairly entertaining even when taken at face value, there does seem to be underlying storylines throughout and while the film does indeed suffer somewhat from implausible situations, there is still a lot of enjoyment and thought provoking material that can be found within it.

Unfortunately, there are two main problems with the film. First of all the acting is of a generally low standard. While the performances are by and large tolerable for this type of movie, the limited talents of most of the performers can be somewhat sidetracking, and when an important point is to be made it maybe does not have the impact that it could have were a more talented actor have been involved. However, considering the obvious low-budget of this movie and the apparent effort that was put in by the entire cast, these lapses are forgivable. The second problem with the movie is that it seems to get sidetracked somewhat around two thirds of the way through and the storyline seems to branch off a little too far. While the second part of the story does have merit and tries to be as thought provoking as the earlier story, the movie fails to mesh together all that well. The slow pacing of the second part of the film becomes something of a distraction rather than being an advantage as it was in the first part. Also, the second part of the film turns the character of David into an almost typical slasher villain whereas in the earlier scenes of the film one felt compassion for him and supported his actions, just as one may support the actions of Doc. Collingwood in ‘Last House on the Left' (1972). Although the reason for David's later actions are explained (albeit completely obvious) there is a lack of further character development where an insight into David's deranged mind would have been something of a refinement.

Nonetheless, ‘Massacre at Central High' is still a generally well thought out movie and certainly an enjoyable enough watch. The grainy picture is, in some ways, a perfect addition to the movie although probably accidental. Fans of other revenge-style horror movies should probably enjoy this and it is recommended for those who like a nice, often subtle subtext to their films rather than just straight-forward and rather unimaginative horror. There are flaws with the film but most of those can be overlooked, even when the story seems to be bordering on the completely ridiculous or senseless. Entertaining, thought provoking and with well developed characters – recommended! My rating for ‘Massacre at Central High' – 7/10.

your contents may shift while watching this film

[Jonny_Numb · 7/10 · 10 January 2003]

All I can say is, "Massacre at Central High," in all its grainy, distinctly-1970's glory, makes "Carrie" look like a sugarcoated After-School Special. The plot deals with a lanky, odd-looking kid who's transferred to a new school where a former friend (Andrew Stevens, of "The Fury") happens to be attending; he's disgusted with the way a gang of bullies prey on the weak, and starts eliminating the gang, one person at a time. Yet after he kills the last thug, the geeks become power-hungry and, in a sadly ironic twist, wind up being just as brutal and reprehensible as their deceased tormentors. "Massacre at Central High" is a highly engrossing revenge flick that actually rises above the standards of the genre, combining the horror of the teenage years with a strong political subtext. The movie is indeed an adolescent nightmare where adults aren't even featured until the final scene--instead of focusing on the tired "the-parents-have-lost-control" theme, writer-director Renee Daadler opts to filter everything--rape, violence, class war--through the eyes of vulnerable youth, thus making the film that much more horrifying and convincing. Kudos. 3.5 stars out of 5.

Revenge of the self-styled Nerd

[rlcsljo · 6/10 · 27 December 2000]

This movie was made six or eight years too soon. 1976 was the year that the micro-computer revolution was just getting into swing and it would be a few years before IBM would make Bill Gates a billionaire. So nobody paid much attention to this film. But, it had so much more to offer than the "light-hearted" Revenge of the Nerds films.

We open with a (they didn't have skin heads then) group of Nazi like blonde haired bullies terrorizing the lessor students into "politically correct" thinking ala the burgeoning "family values" <insert twisted cross here> movement. A new kid comes to school and although he has an "in" with the rulers of the hallways, their brutality offends him and he sides with the under dogs. Even using his own physical superiority at fighting to humiliate the gang--and worse steal their women. His friend in the gang is sympathetic, but tries to convince him to join up or get his comeuppance. Our hero gets his comeuppance in spades and now he really gets mad and turns to murder!

After the "Nazis" are eliminated one by one, a power vacuum ensues where there is a mad dash to fill it. We then realize that there is always going to be predator and prey and it just a matter of who is the strongest.

This film is the perfect allegory of High School Life--and Life in general. This is an unheralded masterpiece! It only suffered in production values, which were less than perfect.

One of the greatest of all cult films

[stevenfallonnyc · 24 March 2002]

I always believed "Massacre at Central high" has always been categorized incorrectly. Despite the title, it's not a "horror" film (it's not scary and doesn't fit the mold) and it isn't a true "slasher" film. I always felt that this film was just a great drama, one where the actual killings are secondary to the messages the film has to offer for examination. I really don't like "message" or "deep" films that much, but this one is a rare exception as far as "deep" films go. The great thing about this film is, it doesn't have to be "deep" unless you deliberately look further into it.

This is really quite an intelligent film. It examines social class and status, power and authority, the rebellion and the aftermath of such rebellion. The story is very interesting - David comes to Central High, only to find his old best friend Mark is now a part of a group of four guys that pick on everyone and rule the school. David has a choice, join up or become one of the picked on. David starts showing his disdain for the group, and it's only a matter of time before the group gets fed up with giving David chance after chance, as pleaded by Mark.

David is the leader of the rebellion against the bullies, and when the problem is solved, new ones crop up because there is a void that needs to be filled - the oppressed become the new bullies and it's the start of the same cycle over again.

The examination of such nature, especially seeing the "new bullies" and how they take over the role is fascinating. One of them even buys a car from the parents of the leader of the bullies, the car belonging to their son who David has killed, to even more completely fill the role.

You never see any adults in Central High - this is intentional as the world we are seeing revolves totally around the students. Actually the only time you do see any adults is in the final sequence at the school dance, where they are very zombie-ish and lifeless, Central High being their own futureless living graveyard.

This is definitely an underrated amazing little film. A DVD release would be very much appreciated!

NOT the typical and silly kind of high-school slasher you expect to see!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 7 August 2005]

Without having seen this movie, a righteous first impression would be that this is a vile and ordinary 80's slasher...only made in the mid-70's. Well, you'll be pleased to learn that this assumption is wrong! Even though the vicious-sounding title and the short summary on the back of the VHS imply the opposite, "Massacre at Central High" actually is an intelligent and subversive portrait about a youthful generation and the giant gaps between them. Yes, in many aspects this really is an ahead-of-its-time slasher in which numbnut school kids get slaughtered in the most inventive ways, but the basic premise leans closer to the typically 70's revenge flicks and – and this is really special – the wholesome it forms is something entirely new and unique: an ambitious and moralistic exploitation flick. Set in a Californian high school, seemly without teachers or other staff, the new kid in town David becomes the target of a trio of bullies. These three already besiege and terrorize the rest of the school population, but with David they go so far that they eventually cripple his legs in a cowardly attack. Driven by revenge, David literally pulverizes the bullies but – just when he thinks to have brought peace inside the school's walls – the former nerds become the new bullies and they all wish to be in control of the schoolyard...

I sincerely doubt whether writer/director Rene Daalder fully intended it to be like this, but his film gained a solid cult reputation because it features so many effective political metaphors! Especially since there are absolutely no adults in sight (no parents, police men or teachers), "Massacre at Central High" is like the perfect allegory on society, with its corruption and typical hypocrisy. Still, this is not a great film...and that's largely due to the total lack of budget and craftsmanship. The dialogues are poorly written and the acting is far below average. Although Daalder often succeeds in creating a suspenseful atmosphere, still too many parts of the movie are tedious and lead nowhere. Most of the actual killing sequences are imaginative, but they're too bloodless and the special effects are ludicrously fake (the rock rolling off the cliff and crushing a tent!). If you purchase this film because it looks so much like fun splatter flicks like "Prom Night" or "Graduation Day", you'll feel very cheated, that's for sure. But, either way you look at it, it's a curious gem.

Revenge: A dish best served cold

[drownsoda90 · 7/10 · 23 October 2016]

"Massacre at Central High" is perhaps misleading in its title, which evokes a gore-filled splatterfest, which this film is not. The premise surrounds David, a teenager who transfers to a new high school where the students run wild, and a group of male bullies torment their peers without consequence. The unhinged David begins to murder each of the bullies, but his plan to cleanse the school backfires when those on the bottom of the social ladder take on the same traits as their former dead oppressors.

A weird but memorable entry in the horror genre, "Massacre at Central" high feels like it occurs in a dreamscape or an alternate world. This is largely due to the fact that the film features no "adult" figures to speak of; the bullies torment the students to extreme lengths, and even attempted gang rapes are left unreported and largely up to the students themselves to sort out. "Lord of the Flies" comes to mind, as well as some elements of "Carrie," minus the supernatural edge. This off-kilter universe in which the film orbits lends it a unique and memorable feel.

It's not what I'd classify as a conventionally "scary" film by any stretch of the imagination. It is a horror film, but only in the sense that there are savage murders occurring throughout and that the subject matter is generally dark. The film itself is aesthetically quite bright, boasting a distinctive Los Angeles atmosphere that is laid on thick. Malibu's beaches set the stage for several scenes, and the film feels every bit a "California" production.

Performances from Robert Carradine and Kimberly Beck (who would later become a genre favorite for her role in "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter") are some notable highlights, while Derrel Maury plays the outsider/deranged avenger with an appropriate distance. None of the performances are particularly provoking and are by and large rather bland, but serviceable given the material.

All in all, "Massacre at Central High" is a unique and thoroughly strange film that toes the line between exploitation slasher and thoughtful allegory. It is not a great film and at times feels extremely choppy, but it's a certain oddity and a respectable example of a filmmaker attempting something different. The fact that it predates the slasher by a significant amount of time also makes it an intriguing film on the historical timeline that is worth examining. 7/10.

A fall from Grace

[sol-kay · 7/10 · 25 December 2005]

(There are Spoilers) Arriving at Central High to begin classes David, Darrel Maury,is confronted with this gang of bullies, The Young Gestapo,lead by Bruce, Ray Underwood, who terrorize the students at the school.

Mark, Andrew Stevens, a good friend of David's, from a previous high school, and member of "The Young Gestapo" wants him to join them and stuck his neck out to assure Bruce & Co. that he will but David is unmoved and unimpressed and tends to stays by himself.

Keeping a safe distance between himself and the school bullies David for the most part is left alone with his friend Mark being more or less a buffer zone between them. It's when David see's Bruce and his gang grab Jane & Mary (Lani O'Grady & Cheryl Smith) and after dragging the girls into a deserted school room he jumps into action and makes short work of the bullies having them flee with their tails between their legs. Humiliated by the beating that David gave them and feeling that their control of the student body is slipping away the school bullies plan to get even with him but only after they offer David the "privilege" to join their gang and become one of them.

Driving out one evening to the beach Bruce has Mark go out and talk to David about joining but he sees David and his girlfriend Theresa, Kimberly Black, skinny-dipping in the ocean. This has an upset and bitter Mark come back to Bruce and his fellow bullies Craig & Paul, Steve Bond & Damon Douglas, telling them that David refused to take them up on their offer.

Finding David the next day fixing a car Bruce has the lift lowered on David's leg crushing it and leaving him a cripple. Mark who was mad at David for being with Theresa later found out from her that all they did was swim and nothing more, David refused to hurt his friend Mark by sleeping or having sex with Theresa, making Mark feel guilty for what happened to David.

It's then when the movie takes a political and ultra-violent turn with David back in school, after recovering from his leg injury, and slowly and methodically putting away Bruce Craig & Paul. David does this by causing them to fall to their deaths from high places, like the heights of power that they were on. In the end David unknowingly creates a power vacuum that's filled by the very students that the "Young Gestapos" victimized and they turned out to be even worse, and more vicious, then the bullies that they replaced.

Not your average teenager movie or a rip-off of "Rebel Without a Cause" "Massacre at Central High" shows what the saying "Power Corrupts" really means and uses the setting of students in a high school, not dictators or leader of nations, as the metaphor.

David sees that he personally created a monster by ridding the school of Bruce's gang of bullies and thus slowly and quietly goes insane because of it. The only way David can make things right again is to the destroy the very system that he created, the new students bullies, and goes about it with even more determination and ferocity that he did against Bruce's "Young Gestapo".

You know right away in the movie that this is not about teenagers in high school or another "Happy Days" like sitcom when you notice almost at once there's no teachers and adults in the cast except for the Alumni Ball at the end of the film.

David's plans to blow Central High up with everyone there including Theresa, who he's in love with, who's the only person in the world who can stop David from doing it. Can in this situation Love overcome the hatred that David has for the new order that he created? Or has David's hatred of the monster he spawned by now gotten so far out of hand that even Theresa's death isn't enough to make David change his evil sick and destructive plan!

A rather dull, uneventful and frankly boring revenge film that has an incredibly misleading title.

[poolandrews · 2/10 · 11 December 2004]

The opening of Massacre at Central High has the credits play over shots of the films main character David (Derrel Maury) running along a road and across beach in Southern California to an awful song called 'crossroads'. It's David's first day at school after having recently moved to the area. His friend Mark (Andrew Stevens) belongs to a gang of bullies, Craig (Steve Bond), Paul (Damon Douglas) and Bruce (Ray Underwood). Mark tries to make things easy for David by getting him excepted into the gang. But after seeing how the bullies treat various other students David has none of it, and in fact tries to befriend and help the picked on students. He also becomes very friendly with Marks girlfriend Theresa (Kimberly Beck). One day Craig, Paul and Bruce try to rape two female students, Mary (Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith) and Jane (Lani O'Grady). Both Theresa and David see whats happening and stop it. The bullies go after David and in an 'accident' David's leg is crushed, crippling him. He sets out to take revenge on those responsible. However it soon becomes clear that with no one to keep the other students under control the school quickly becomes worse than before and it soon turns into a free for all as anarchy breaks loose, realising what he has done David must clean up the mess he has unwillingly created.

Written and directed by Rene Daalder I really didn't like this much at all, even though I know it gets a lot of good reviews. Maybe the problem was the exploitative title Massacre at Central High, it was also known as Blackboard Massacre here in the UK as well. I was expecting a gory slasher with loads of teens being hacked up, but what I ended up with was far from that, a rather tame drama with a bit of revenge thrown in to keep any potential viewers just about awake through the 85 odd minute running time. The script, I presume, tries to be thought provoking with its supposed social satire as the students run riot with their newly found freedom as they have no one to control them. The script is character development heavy and very light on action and exploitation elements. No adults are seen in the film until the last 10 or so minutes, I'm not sure where all the teachers and parents are or the police when the students start having 'accidents'. It's an interesting idea but the film itself is boring, dull and somewhat poorly made. You can clearly see the boom mike in scene. There's no blood, gore or violence in it, unless you count someone being murdered by their own hearing aid! Or some people in a tent being crushed by some fake looking boulders. Music, editing, and photography are all instantly forgettable. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood when I watched this as I could see why someone might like it, but for me it was a bit of a snooze fest. Disappointingly slow, dull and unexciting.

a B classic, with some depth and meaning

[Nightman85 · 10/10 · 28 December 2005]

Underground cult classic is one of the greatest vengeance thrillers of the 70's and simply one of the best youth-violence films ever!

Newcomer to a California high school doesn't like the fact that a gang of bullies is ruling the students and when he is attacked he strikes back big time! But, that's only the beginning.

Massacre at Central High is a low-budget dated film, but it is also an outstanding thriller with some excellent social commentary. It explores the themes of power, control, sexual rage, and social unrest among a body of very normal-looking teenagers, which makes it all the more a striking tale. It also strongly recalls the fear of every high school student, being an outcast and not having control of one's life. The plot of the film is engulfing, laced with violence, and given some nicely off-beat twists that keep the tale compelling through out. It ends with an explosive finale, literally.

The youthful cast is excellent in this film. Derrel Maury does a terrific turn as a seemingly normal youth. The always enjoyable Andrew Stevens is sympathetic as a popular teen drawn into Maury's plight. Kimberly Beck isn't bad as Steven's girlfriend. Robert Carradine is good as a hippie teen, desperate to see change. Ray Underwood is strong in his role as the bullying gang leader.

Massacre at Central High has become some what lost over the years, but certainly not because it isn't an effectively powerful film! It is a terrific multi-layered tale that well transcends its 'cheap horror' appearance to be a film with a strong universal message. See it!

**** out of ****

Not really horror, but otherwise surprisingly good.

[johannes2000-1 · 7/10 · 12 March 2020]

I expected a dime in a dozen seventees horror-flick, with gallons of blood and chopped-of bodyparts flying around, but to my surprise it turned out a bit different than usual. The premise is the well-known cliché of the bullied one who takes revenge on the culprits. As always our sympathy should go to the first (David), and in the first half of the movie this works pretty well, but when he begins his vengeful killing-spree he turns out as relentless as the bullies, going rampant at more or less everyone, guilty or innocent, up until the entire school. The killings by the way are shown in an almost matter-of-fact way, and for a supposed horror-flick there is hardly any gore. The interesting addition to the chewed-up premise was the storyline of Teresa and Mark, who are torn in a loyalty conflict between each-other and their once friend.

There are some flaws in the story as well. Like where on earth are the grown-ups in this movie, not one parent or teacher is to be seen, and in spite of one weird fatal accident after another, up to several explosions, even within the school, there's never a policeman or a detective to question the kids. And this school, with 9 deaths within a few days, doesn't hesitate to have a cheerful alumni-prom dance as if nothing has happened?!

I loved to see young Andrew Stevens, all good-looking and blond and surfboy'ish. He does a fine job in his sensitive part, as did Kimberley Beck in hers. Main character Derrel Maury is good-looking as well, but impressed me less as an actor.

Well, if you expect from a movie that's titled "Massacre..." a gorey slasher-horror, you are bound to get disappointed, but not so if you don't mind a horror with a little bit more depth.

A bunch of 30-year-olds seem to still attend high school and get killed there.

[koosdekleine · 3/10 · 13 August 2006]

This movie might have been somewhat decent, if it hadn't been for the terrible filming, lighting and sound recording. Half the time you couldn't recognise the characters or understand their conversations. You had to guess who they were and what they were saying (which, I have to admit, was pretty fun!).I also noticed that all the actors were at least in their thirties while their characters were high school kids. They kept on talking about "old friends" (how old could they be, if they were not older than 18???) and their time in jail!! This seems pretty impossible for someone attending grade 12. The story itself was not even too bad, but all the efforts were in vain due to the amateurish way in which the film was shot.

This film was much ahead of its time n still relevant today.

[Fella_shibby · 8/10 · 28 December 2020]

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. Revisited it recently.

This is not ur regular slasher movie inspite of the kills happening around a high skool involving teens. The swimming pool kill terrified me then. The film has lots of kills, lil nudity but the best part is the script n the characters.

The theme where the oppressed students take on the role of their bully oppressors really impressed me aft revisiting it now.

Rene Daalder's Debut is a Success

[jonathanruano · 7/10 · 27 October 2023]

"Massacre at Central High" is a thought-provoking film about violence and power. To begin with, the setting of the film - a high school - should not be taken literally, because this is the most unrealistic high school you can ever think of. The teachers and other adult figures are absent except at the end, which means the students are free to build their own constructions of political order. The police are also not present except at the end, even though the nine deaths happening near the high school should have attracted the attention of the police.

Instead, the movie is an allegory about people living under a violent authoritarian system and how they respond when they are freed from such a system. Dutch writer-director Rene Daalder's message seems to be that a people's revolution that overthrows an authoritarian system is not guaranteed to produce a democracy. Instead, people living under authoritarian rulers have only known violence and fear all their lives and lack any understanding of freedom and how to preserve it. As a result, they will revert to the violence and cruelty of the toppled authoritarian leaders and create their own authoritarian system. This theme not only has relevance to 1976 when many Vietnamese embraced a communist dictatorship, but it also seems applicable to Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein and Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.

The movie begins innocently enough with David (Derrel Maury) trying to find the student lounge on his first day of school. He quickly realizes that something is wrong. The other students are too scared to give him directions, except for Theresa (Kimberly Beck). He also learned that a gang of four students (Bruce, Craig, Paul, and Mark) runs the school with an iron fist and punishes any perceived infractions by the other students with violence, vandalism, and even an attempted rape. David tries to contain his anger, but witnessing the rape attempt sends him over the edge and he beats up Bruce, Craig, and Paul. Tit-for-tat violence then escalates to the point where David devises diabolical schemes for killing all three bullies. Mark is kept alive, possibly because David secretly loves Mark's girlfriend Theresa.

Up to this point, this movie is an intelligent allegory on the psychology of violence and how it brainwashes the bullies and terrifies the victims. Yet the demise of Bruce, Craig, and Paul is not the climax of the story, because the movie then explores new terrain. At first, the fall of the bullies ushers in an era of hope and optimism. David walks around the school grounds and notices students talking to each other and playing. Then the era of hope and optimism turns into one of chaos, when a food fight breaks out in the cafeteria. When watching these scenes, I was reminded of the news coverage of Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The streets of Baghdad were full of happy people toppling the statue of the reviled dictator and searching for their loved ones. Then these euphoric scenes were followed by looting and terrorist bombings.

At Central High, some students instinctively search for ways to reestablish order while operating under the handicap of knowing nothing about democracy. They revert to the methods of the bullies, which involve the use of violence and fear, to reestablish order and thus authoritarianism is resurrected all over again because no one at the school knows any better. Spoony (David Carradine) probably comes closest to becoming the next dictator. He explains to David that the students need "people to show them the way," adding that "you have a lot of influence." His female companions Jane (Lani O'Grady) and Mary (Cheryl Smith) chime in that they are strong enough to handle holdouts, like the loner librarian Arthur (Dennis Kort), and even kill whoever stands in their way. Much later, Spoony is bathing in the sunshine like a hedonistic despot and having sex with Jane and Mary. These scenes are not simply gratuitous, but also symbolic of students occupying the vacuum left behind by the bullies and rising up in the social hierarchy. A similar scene showing Rodney (Rex Steven Sikes) inheriting Bruce's red car and vandalizing the car of a "lower class" person carries the same message. David, suffice it to say, is appalled by how the students are reverting to authoritarianism and social hierarchies and soon other murders take place on campus.

"Massacre at Central High," in sum, provides an interesting subject for discussion. Are human beings hardwired by their biology to be violent and controlling and to organize themselves into social hierarchies? Or are human beings reverting to social hierarchies and authoritarianism because of an environment that teaches them that brute force and social control are the sole means of maintaining order? The great thing about Rene Daalder's film is that it raises deep questions like that, despite being financed out of a small budget. The movie has its flaws. Most of the characters are not well-developed, except perhaps for David's, with the result that we feel little sympathy for them. This flaw can be attributed to some of the faulty dialogue and the lack of strong performances. For instance, Kimberly Beck's Theresa comes across as simple-minded and seems to exist mainly to supply some of the film's love scenes. Another problem is the film soundtrack which undermines the suspense in the key scenes. In fact, when watching "Massacre at Central High," I was more interested in the plot as an intellectual exercise in allegory and I did not particularly care for the characters. Nevertheless, I do recommend Rene Daalder's film both for its ideas and unexpected plot twists which held my interest right to the very end.

True revenge of the nerds

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 28 October 2019]

23 years before Columbine, Massacre at Central High would predict not just violent school shootings but the rise of disaffected teenagers. It was directed by Rene Daalder, a Dutch writer and director who would go on to pioneer motion picture technology and virtual reality.

David is the new kid at Central High, but he already knows Mark (Andrew Stevens), a friend he has helped in the past. Mark relates that this place is a country club, but you need the right friends. Friends like Bruce, Craig (Steve Bond, Travis Abilene from Picasso Trigger) and Paul, who rule the school.

After watching these three bully - that's putting it mildly - the student body, including beating up nerdy Spoony (Robert Carradine), deaf librarian Arthur, the poverty-stricken Rodney and the overweight Oscar as well as assaulting two girls named Mary (Cheryl Rainbeaux Smith!) and Jane (Lani O'Grady from Eight Is Enough), David has had enough.

David and the bullies are on a fatal collision course, particularly after our protagonist starts making time with Mark's girl Theresa (Kimberly Beck, Roller Boogie, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter). One night while he's working on Rodney's car, the three kick out a jack and cripple him.

That's when David goes slasher villain and takes them out, one after the other. Bruce's hang-glided flies into a power line, Craig is tricked into diving into an empty swimming pool and then Paul's van gets pushed off a cliff.

Now, the formerly bullied are the bullies and attempt to form alliances with David, but they keep dying off too. Arthur's hearing aid takes him out. Oscar's locker explodes and so does Rodney's car. And Spoony, Mary and Jane are set up to look like they did it all when a rockslide and some dynamite kills them off.

Mark and Theresa know that David is the one who did it all, so they attend the school dance that he plans to destroy, refusing to leave. David then takes the bomb outside, where it explodes, making him a martyr hero and keeping the blame forever on Spoony, Mary and Jane.

Writer-director Rene Daalder was recommended by Russ Meyer, for whom the young man had previously worked for as a cameraman. That may or may not be the reason why this movie was released as Sexy Jeans in Italy, complete with pornographic inserts that are obviously not the same actors. I've seen it and have to tell you - it's disconcerting.

This is a brutal and uncompromising film that would go on to inspire Heathers while sadly presaging the world we live in. Of note, the director intended for gravity to kill nearly everyone and no adults to appear in the movie, like some demented version of Peanuts.

A real find

[Newblood · 31 July 1999]

A real find. I remember I first read about it in "The Phantom's Ultimate Movie Guide." The title alone caught my attention as well as the review found in the book. I finally got to see it a year ago and I found it to be very intelligent and suspenseful, not to mention thought provoking. I am still contemplating the message behind the movie and that is what I love best about it. It is not blunt about what it is saying, it leaves it up to you to decide. Though technically a slasher flick, the movie is anything but routine, with plenty of twists to keep your attention. It is basically a parable of political corruption in a high school setting. It presents a high school where there is no authority and I must say that is not too unrealistic, when I got picked on by bullies in high school there seemed to be no teachers around anywhere. It was only in class when I actually saw the teachers or any other adults. The kids who were strongest physically seemed to be in charge of the halls. There were times where I wanted to just try to make a change but I felt it was futile. "Massacre At Central High" deals with such issues, but it also offers an alternative solution and the consequences of it. One of the few slasher flicks to deal effectively with real issues as well the often harsh reality that high school was for some.

Odd, Interesting Revenge Flick

[shark-43 · 6/10 · 14 April 2007]

Massacre At Central High is a weird little teen revenge flick - there are many things in it that totally spotlight the low budget - endless shots of the boom mike in frame, in the reflections of some of the shinier cars you can see some of the camera crew, etc. The acting is all over the place - from understated to terrible over the top. And whether it is a conscious choice or not - there are NO adults anywhere to be found in the hallways of this "high school" - now whether that is symbolism for "when you are new in a high school, you are truly alone - there might as well NOT be any teachers or adults around to save you" OR the budget was so small they just cut out any parts for adult actors knowing they could pay these eager teen actors peanuts. Yes, Robert Carradine and Andrew Stevens went on to bigger and better things - but lots of this movie is just an absolute mess - from the opening soft ballad to jump editing to some awful acting BUT...there is something very real, very sincere in the revenge taking that definitely works, that definitely makes your skin crawl - so the movie is effective in many ways and the other powerful thing about it is it is no slasher film - there isn't some evil janitor or demented shop teacher going around and knocking off students - this is pure revenge and then after the revenge, pure, unadulterated human greed for power. Lots of stuff will stay with you. An interesting mid-seventies teen revenge flick to seek out - we saw it on a DVD but it was region-coded - so it came from another country outside the U.S.

No authority?" lots of spoilers"

[midnitetosixsteve1 · 7/10 · 7 March 2008]

I've been waiting to see this for a number of years and finally found a video copy of it.It was awesome but a little strange.First of all not once are we introduced to any authority figures that a school(which is where all of it takes place) would have.No teachers,no principles,not even a school nurse!What the hell?Robert Caradine plays the hippie(who gets criticized for drawing swastikas,we are supposed to be on his side?).There is a fake James spader guy among the preppies who are in charge of the school.The dude from the Fury and 10 to midnight is old pals with the guy who resembles the killer in 10 to midnight(but it is not him). I was happy to see Rainbeau Smith from "Revenge of the cheerleaders" and thought it was strange when both her and her gruff voiced friend get raped and when she goes outside after being rescued she totally forgets to button her shirt back up!Later on they are both crushed by a boulder(along wit Carradine). Once the hero/psycho of the film gets his leg broken he goes insane and gets even with the sweater helmet haircutted preps of the high school(who would all later end up on Happy Days or Eight is Enough).He is also driven to kill by his good friend's(the Fury guy) girlfriend who he hates but likes at the same time(I was throughly confused by this).Another thing that is a concept only in this film when jocks go away nerds go into attack mode and try to destroy each other! In many senseless ways the locker bombing(1) the car blows up(a couple of times) and the weirdest the librarians hearing aid kills him and blood pours out of his ears.If you want to see hilarious murders and senseless violence done in a 70's schmaltzy way then check out this one.

This is the original Heathers starring Winnona Ryder

[WolfgangR5150 · 7/10 · 24 December 2009]

As a fan these kind of films I sat down to give it view. The premise reminded of the 80's movie Heathers. 4 popular kids, popular only by name who set the tone of the school but for the most part are not well liked. Well this is 4 guys, Heathers is 4 girls. New kid shows up and is befriended into this click, Winnona Ryder has the same thing happen. Both movies, they new kid in school isn't real fond of the so called popular kids are how they treat people. Anyways, Heathers splits the killer up into two characters where Massacre roles them into one. Some of the acting kinda lame and some really average writing. I did like this movie but Heathers should be smacked for ripping this movie off almost to the every end. The killer dies blowing himself up outside the high school. Massacre at Central High should come out on DVD I would buy it. Enjoyed the movie but at the same time it now has me looking at Heathers in a less than original light.

Massacre of acting abilities

[movieman_kev · 4/10 · 1 June 2005]

David, the new kid in school, prefers not to join the club that the only new friend he made ,Mark, runs in. Craig, the leader of said gang doesn't like that David isn't falling in line and when he saves some "bull dykes" from getting raped by the gang, he pays for his insolence. Now after a stint in the hospital, he plots revenge. Horrid acting hamper this 'message' horror movie. Homoerotic sub-text, lame killings, and bad dialog don't help either. And don't get me started on that theme song. Go rent "Class of 1984" instead.

My Grade: D

Eye Candy: Kimberly Beck & Cheyrl Smith show all; Lani O'Grady shows breasts

School's out forever in this excellent, intelligent and wickedly subversive 70's exploitation drive-in gem

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 20 December 2006]

School's out forever for a brutish and reprehensible gang of snobby stuck-up preppie bullies who maim rebellious iconoclastic new kid Derrel Maury (who gives a superbly intense and subdued performance). Maury bumps off the vile troublemakers in assorted clever ways only to see the other previously oppressed adolescents rise up and take their place. The vicious cycle never seems to stop.

Writer/director Rene Daalder offers a provocative social allegory on the failure of revolution, the abuse of power, and how violence basically begets more violence with no real end or change in sight. Furthermore, Daalder ingeniously shows how easily victims can become victimizers if given the opportunity to do so. The high school setting in this sublimely sharp, smart and subversive winner is nothing less than an insightful microcosm of society at large with its rigid caste system and power plays and exploitation of one group by another group being brutally played out by teenagers sans adult supervision (the grown-ups are conspicuous by their glaring absence throughout most of the picture, thereby suggesting how unimportant they are to kids trying to figure out what they are going to do with the rest of their lives after high school ends). This downbeat and shocking 70's exploitation masterpiece further benefits from its stand-out B-movie cast: the ubiquitous Andrew Stevens, the star and producer of countless cheesy 80's and 90's direct-to-video trash features, Robert Carradine, the ever-lovely and charming angelic blonde goddess Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith, future daytime soap opera star Steve Bond, "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" heroine Kimberly Beck, and "Eight Is Enough" sitcom regular Lani O'Grady. The late 80's cult black comedy "Heathers" ripped this movie off a lot, right down to the main story and literally explosive ending. Still, the original remains untouched and unequaled to this very day. And the incredibly mawkish theme song really must be heard to be believed!

an early slasher without blood

[trashgang · 6/10 · 21 March 2013]

Much acclaimed flick this is. It's clear who the killer is from the first moments. But it's notorious for the reason that no weapons are used to kill the victims. No guns or knifes. That makes it an original slasher. It's not gory or even bloody because it's made just before the gory effects came in with Friday the 13th (1980). It's even not scary like Halloween (1978) but it's worth a look.

Just look for a few names to see, Andrew Stevens (Mark) maybe the most famous one but there's also Derrel Maury (David) and of course Kimberley Beck (Theresa) who goes full frontal here and moved further to Friday The 13th The Final Chapter (1984). But not only the thespians became famous in their era, there's also Rene Daalder, the Dutch director who was asked by Russ Meyer to direct this flick, together they made the never-completed collaboration with The Sex Pistols on Who Killed Bambi? Daalder also made video clips afterwards and was consultant and designer for FX for Robocop 2 (1990) and The Lawnmower Man (1992) amongst others.

With it's grainy look it do adds something toward this early slasher. It do has a bit of gratuitous nudity when a trio is having sex in a tent. Bring back the time when save sex was out of the question. No adults in this flick are shown, also something weird and it do has political undertones. Almost no blood, maybe it was a love story after all....Having no US release up to this writing it is available in the UK and Germany on the X-rated label still 666 copies were made. A cult classic with a lot of following.

Gore 0,5/5 Nudity 2/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

a pointless non horror/non thrilling movie

[disdressed12 · 1/10 · 1 November 2006]

this is not a good movie.i don't recall seeing worse acting for a long time.basically,a new student becomes bullied to the point where he is pushed over the edge.he exacts revenge by killing those who wronged him, making their deaths look accidental.sounds okay so far,right.but,this killer decides to kill other students who had nothing to do with bullying him.now there are no real "legitimate" reasons given to murder everybody.now,we get to the acting.each time a fellow student has a fatal accident,the other students show very little emotion and continue as if nothing has happened.i have to chalk this up to the limited acting ability of all the actors.in most so called horror movies, acting is not expected to be Oscar calibre,but this is worse than almost any movie in the horror genre.and things are worse because this movie has no scary sequences,so it would be nice if the actors could pick up some of the slack.the characters are like robots in their reactions,so it's really hard to like any of them.there are at least two scenes of nudity which are pointless.there is never any suspense generated,so there is never any feeling of anyone being in jeopardy.one last thing.this movie tries to take itself way too seriously,as if it is an Oscar contender.if it had been played for laughs,it may have been a better,or at least watchable movie. 1/10

Much better then the title implies.

[triple8 · 8/10 · 23 December 2003]

To hear the name of this implies it is a typical horror/slasher film and it isn't. I loved this movie when my brother, a major film buff, first introduced me to it many years ago. Massacre may have its flaws(admittedly it's not a high budget movie!) but it is surprisingly chilling and would have alot of relevence, were it to be rereleased today.

The film ruthlessly drives home to the viewer what it can be like to be a a highschool student at a school where nobody cares-the lack of any adults in the movie and many scenes of bullying and tormenting bring the point home as did another great movie "Carrie".

However, Massacre takes the premise one, two, three steps further- this isn't "Carrie" as many have said, it's more "Carrie" meets "Lord of the flies". Massacre shows the flaws of all the main characters and lets nobody off the hook. That's all I will say but if your reading this and haven't seen it check it out-it's little known but is good!

Late night TV

[mm-39 · 6/10 · 1 July 2004]

Many years back, I was watching TBS late night, and this surprise was on. Do they still have TBS late night? Not bad for a 70's low budget film! The film is about bullies and the cycle of violence. How bullies hurt, and the level of violence increases. Others, just replace the bullies as opportunity rises. The comment about todays society is no one would even dare release such a movie in the double 00's, with the crazy high school violence of the past few years. The world was much safer, were such event were in movies. The guy from Death race 2000 brother was in this film, and has appeared in many 70's low budget films. Cheesy story, for a low budget film. Interesting to watch on a late night. I give it a 6 out of 10

Social commentary wasted in a lacklustre film

[The_Void · 5/10 · 4 October 2006]

Massacre at Central High is one of the earlier exploitation/slasher films to feature a school full of thirty-something's getting bumped off, but that's not to say it's a cut above the rest of the genre. The film stands apart from others like it because it features a social commentary to go along with the bloodshed, but it's largely ill-conceived, and doesn't work the way it was obviously intended to. That's not to say that the social commentary isn't a good idea; these sorts of themes have worked well in many more professionally made films, but the inane dialogues and poor production values of this film make it too difficult to really take seriously, which doesn't do the social commentary any favours. The plot focuses on David; a new student at a high school in America. David was once friends with Mark, who is in a clique with the school bullies. They rule the school with an iron fist, but they get more than they bargained for when they decide to cowardly injure David under a car. Now crippled, he decides to take his revenge on the gang that did it.

Aside from the none too successful social commentary, this film also suffers because it's never all that interesting. The seventies style is there, but other than that, the film can be a bit dry. The murder scenes are more inventive than your common slasher fare, but they're not very gory and are mostly extremely unlikely. None of the performers succeed at convincing the audience that they're young enough to even go to school, and it's all rather wooden as well. This isn't always a problem with trashy low budget cinema, but there's little distraction with this film. The fact that the film was shot on a low budget is evident throughout, as the locations are often very bare, the cinematography is bland; and as mentioned, they couldn't afford any capable actors. One thing that writer-director Rene Daalder does succeed at, however, is putting the focus squarely on the society at the centre of the film at all times, and this is done by only showing the school "kids", and no adults. Overall, this might appeal more to the kind of people that enjoy slashers and the like; but I found this film very lacklustre.