Cutting Class (1989)

Director:

Rospo Pallenberg

Writer (WGA):

Steve Slavkin (written by)

Release Date:

7 February 1992 (Portugal)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Some People Would Kill To Fit In.

Plot:

A murderer is loose in a high school in this 'whodunit' movie.

Plot Keywords:

School | Principal | High School | Student | School Principal

Cast

Donovan Leitch	...	Brian Woods
Jill Schoelen	...	Paula Carson
Brad Pitt	...	Dwight Ingalls
Roddy McDowall	...	Mr. Dante
Martin Mull	...	William Carson III
Brenda James	...	Colleen (as Brenda Lynn Klemme)
Mark Barnet	...	Gary
Robert Glaudini	...	Shultz
Eric Boles	...	Mr. Glynn
Dirk Blocker	...	Coach Harris
Nancy Fish	...	Mrs. Knocht
Robert Machray	...	Mr. Conklin
David Clarke	...	Crusty Old Man
Norman Alden	...	Officer Fondulac
Tom Ligon	...	Mr. Ingalls
Bill Striglos	...	Mr. Quint
Ronnie Sperling	...	Mr. Tork
Jeff Rochlin	...	Nicholas
Alexander Folk	...	Mr. Nicholson
Neil Stanoff	...	Little Boy
Julie Hayden	...	Mother
Logan Clarke	...	Police Officer
Joel Michaely	...	Kid in Crowd
Dog Thomas	...	Bartender
Lara Lyon	...	Student in Class (as Lara Rugraff-Lyon)
Eric J. Van Wagoner	...	Student
Holly Hayes Jones	...	Head Cheerleader
Steven Kobrin	...	Newspaper Boy
John Glenn High School Eagle Band	...	Band
Joy Griglione	...	Drum Major
Kevin Beck	...	Basketball Player
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fate Fatal	...	Kid in Crowd (uncredited)

Directed by
Rospo Pallenberg

Writing credits (WGA)
Steve Slavkin		(written by)

Produced by
Donald R. Beck	....	producer
Rudy Cohen	....	producer
Peter S. Davis	....	executive producer
William N. Panzer	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jill Fraser

Cinematography by
Avraham Karpick		(as Avi Karpick)

Film Editing by
Bill Butler
Natan Zahavi

Casting by
Eric Boles

Production Design by
Richard Sherman

Art Direction by
Gigi Lorick

Set Decoration by
Debbie Minchenberg

Costume Design by
Kelly Troup

Makeup Department
Michele Bloom	....	assistant hair stylist
Michele Bloom	....	assistant makeup artist
Kelcey Fry	....	key hair stylist
Laya Saul	....	additional makeup
Kathy Shorkey	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Rudy Cohen	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Altshuler	....	second assistant director
Donald R. Beck	....	second unit director
Miles Kristman	....	second second assistant director
Donald Newman	....	first assistant director
Wendy Peterson	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Andrew Allen-King	....	set dresser (as Andrew H. King)
Greg Borchardt	....	set constructor
Sean Everett	....	property master (as Sean E. Markland)
Ian Hardy	....	construction coordinator
Stephen Jackman	....	swing gang
Marco López	....	property assistant
Tony Machado	....	carpenter
Norman West	....	property assistant

Sound Department
Ara Ashjian	....	sound recordist
Peter Bentley	....	production sound mixer
Zane D. Bruce	....	foley walker (as Zane Bruce)
Jeff Burman	....	sound editor (as Jeffrey Burman)
Gregory Cheever	....	sound recordist (as Greg 'The Cheev' Cheever)
Smith Craig	....	adr mixer
Smith Craig	....	foley mixer
Andy D'Addario	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lily Diamond	....	foley supervisor
Jeffrey J. Haboush	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Jeffrey Haboush)
Scott Jacobs	....	boom operator
Richard Kite	....	sound recordist
Bruce Murphy	....	transfers
Dan Ortiz	....	transfers
Melinda C. Scorsone	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Robert E. McCarthy	....	special effects (as Robert McCarthy)

Stunts
Randall B. Bishop	....	stunt player (as Randall Brian Bishop)
Gregg Brazzel	....	stunt coordinator
Alison Brown	....	stunt player
Debbie Lee Carrington	....	stunt player
Phil Culotta	....	stunt player
A.J. Nay	....	stunt player (as Arthur Nay)
Richard New	....	stunt player
John O'Neill	....	stunt player (as Johnny O'Neill)
Karen Price	....	stunt player
Randi Randolph	....	stunt player

Camera and Electrical Department
Randall B. Bishop	....	second assistant camera
Alec Elizondo	....	second assistant camera
Chuy Elizondo	....	camera operator
Nimi Getter	....	gaffer (as Nimrod Getter)
Tom Ingalls	....	best boy electric
Gary Molyneux	....	grip
George Nolan	....	first assistant camera
George Palmer	....	key grip
Gideon Porath	....	additional camera operator
Marc David Schultz	....	best boy electric
Rick Senteno	....	electrician
Rich Sutherland	....	best boy grip (as Rick Sutherland)
Dog Thomas	....	grip
Tracy Turner	....	still photographer
George Wells	....	electrician
Rob White	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eric Van Wagoner	....	key costumer (as Eric J. Van Wagoner)

Editorial Department
Linda DeMarco	....	color timer (as Linda Sue Altman)
Chad Johnson	....	apprentice editor
Susan A. Jones	....	post-production coordinator
Chris Tomasko	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Greg Arreguin	....	musician: guitars (as Gregg Arreguin)
Adrian De Michele	....	music assistant
Mark Howlett	....	music engineer
Sherry Weintraub	....	assistant music editor
Richard Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Nelson Jones	....	driver (as Buck Jones)
Harold Martin	....	transportation coordinator
Greg Massey	....	driver

Other crew
Fran Arsht	....	production assistant (as Fran Arscht)
Juel Bestrop	....	assistant: Mr. Pallenberg
Christine Bonnem	....	location manager
Don Burr	....	security
Kimberly Cave	....	production assistant
Jason H. Clark	....	assistant location manager (as Jason Clark)
Matt Danielson	....	production auditor
Patricia Rose Duignan	....	assistant: Mr. Beck (as Rose Duignan)
Thomas Farr	....	post production assistant (as Tom Farr)
David Floyd	....	production assistant
Blaine G. Houserman	....	production auditor (as Blaine Houserman)
Christopher Jones	....	production assistant
Ian Jones	....	production assistant
Susan A. Jones	....	assistant: Mr. Cohen
Monica Melvin-Fratkin	....	production coordinator (as Monica Melvin)
Michelle Michael	....	nurse
Stella Pacific	....	studio teacher (as Stella Pacifici)
James B. Phelps	....	production assistant
Paul Rosenthal	....	production assistant
Terri Rubenstein	....	assistant coordinator
Terri Rubenstein	....	assistant location manager
Helene Sicherman	....	craft service
Barbara Thaxton	....	script supervisor
Stacy Welk	....	post production assistant
Marion Wheeler	....	production assistant
Wesley E. Wright	....	fire safety officer
Barbara Yarborough	....	studio teacher (as Barbara Yarbrough)

Thanks
Irv Hollander	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• April Films
• April Productions
• Gower Street Pictures

Distributors

• Republic Pictures Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Vestron Video International (1989) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Vox (????) (Germany) (TV) (as "Todesparty II")

Other Companies

• B & B Sound Studios  post-production sound services (as B&B Sound Studios)
• B.S.L. Editorial  editorial services
• Cinema Research  titles and opticals (as Cinema Research Corp.)
• DeForest Research  research
• Film Finances Services  completion bond (as Film Finances, Inc,)
• Film Ventures International (FVI)  special thanks (as Film Ventures/INI)
• Johanson and Buckingham  extras casting (as Johnson and Buckingham)
• Magic Film Works  negative cutting
• Otto Nemenz International  Arriflex camera and lenses by (as Otto Nemetz International)
• Southern Computer Payroll Services  payroll services
• Tastebuds Unlimited  catering (as Tastebuds)

Also Known As:

"Highschool Murders" - Belgium (English title) (video title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Image Transform)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16 (DVD) | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Excelsior High School - 15711 Pioneer Boulevard, Norwalk, California, USA

Company:

April Films

Goofs:

Continuity: The clothes that Paula and Dwight wear in the scene where Paula models for the art class are the same clothes they wear later in the film on the day when Mrs. Knocht is murdered, which takes place after the art teacher's murder. However, in scenes that take place during the day of the art teacher's death, Paula and Dwight wear outfits that are different from those in the modeling scene.

Quotes:

Mr. Dante:[over p.a.] I just want to thank the student who drew the crude caricature of me in the boys' lavatory, Although you were kind in your portrayal, I would like it if you kept your talents to the art class.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Siskel & Ebert Interviews (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

FOR LOVE

The death of the 80s slasher movie.

By the end of the 80s, the traditional slasher movie had pretty much run its course, the genre becoming too formulaic and over-familiar to its jaded audience. Rospo Pallenberg's Cutting Class is an attempt at sending up such conventions, but it's hard to poke fun at a genre that has already unintentionally turned to self parody, and the film winds up being virtually indistinguishable from the countless genuine films that it intends to mock.

Jill Schoelen stars as virginal and studious teen Paula Carson, object of affection for two ex-best-buds, overbearing basketball jock Dwight Ingalls (Brad Pitt) and creepy loner Brian Woods (Donovan Leitch). When Paula is left on her own for a week while her father, a district attorney, goes duck hunting, she promises to behave, but with rival friends fighting for her attention, the school principal (Roddy McDowall) perving over her ass, and a crazy murderer bumping off her schoolmates, staying out of trouble is going to be harder than she thinks.

Cutting Class certainly makes sure to pack in all the standard genre clichés, with red herrings and misleading clues a plenty (hands up who though that sodium chloride would actually save the day: I know I did), but veers awkwardly between silly humour (Paula's bumbling dad somehow surviving to the end of the film) and genuine attempts at horror (the killing of the school's vice principal), delivering crappy gore featuring patently rubber props and uninspired direction along the way.

The acting also does little to improve matters, with future A-lister Pitt being unmemorable, unlikeable and offering no hint of star quality, Leitch giving an equally unimpressive turn, and a performance from poor old Roddy McDowall that can only be described as extremely embarrassing. Thank heavens for the lovely Schoelen, who is as winsome as she was in Popcorn and The Stepfather, and makes the whole film just about worthwhile by simply showing off her magnificent butt.