Terreur à l'école

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.

It took me forever to get a hold of this movie. I looked all over in the city here and couldn't find it anywhere. I was finally able to find it for rent on the internet. I have known about it for a couple of years but gave up trying to find it until I discovered the internet. It was well worth the wait. I wish Hollywood would strive on making more movies as challenging as this one. The film is set in a lavish high school where three tough boys rule over the masses until a new kid comes along and puts them out of commission. What starts out as a critical essay of Karl Marx's conflict theory turns into a parable showing the dangers of anarchy and revolutionary governments. However, there is more to the story than just that but I will let you make your own judgments. While the first part seems routine enough, the second part will have you talking with friends for hours. Derrel Maury brings in an effective turn as the cold and clinical new kid. The rest of the cast are splended as well, including Robert Carradince in an early role who later starred in the "Revenge of the Nerds" movie series. I can't believe that no money hungry producer, production company or major studio has not chosen to re release this little gem of a movie.

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.

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!

The title might suggest a cheap hybrid of Carrie and Death Wish, but Massacre at Central High is not your typical drive-in movie. Granted it's filled with violence, blood, and nudity, and the revenge angle is quite powerful, but its examination of high-school politics is the element that really gets your brain working.

We've all experienced it--the Jerk Jock gets transferred to another school, and right away someone fills his position as King of the Cretins. Those at the top of the social structure exercise their ultimately negligible powers in order to make themselves feel bigger and better than everyone else. It is this tradition that Massacre at Central High pierces with a razor-sharp skewer.

Unfortunately, the picture is very hard to find in this age of sickening political correctness. A typical knee-jerk reaction would be to say that films like this glorify school violence--currently a big concern. But, as always, that sort of viewpoint is formulated without really looking at the message of the project. Yes, it's violent. Yes, it deals with a teenager killing other teenagers. But ultimately, what does this accomplish? No matter how many are killed, they're immediately replaced. Violence does not solve the problem. THIS is the point, and it's stated with a subtle brilliance that really hits home.

Of course, this underground classic also benefits from a terrific exploitation cast and an imaginative approach to the material. The scratchy, grainy color cinematography has a low-budget beauty that not everyone can appreciate. The melding of professional and amateurish elements results in a genuinely tense, scary experience...but one with much more to offer than your typical psycho epic.