Massacre at Central High (1976)

A high school transfer student, pushed to the edge by a trio of brutal bullies, resorts to murder to reclaim the school from oppression, and later turns against the students wanting to fill the vacuum of their oppressors.

Director:

Rene Daalder (as Renee Daalder)

Writer:

Rene Daalder (as Renee Daalder)

Stars:

Derrel Maury, Andrew Stevens, Robert Carradine

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Derrel Maury	...	David
Andrew Stevens	...	Mark
Robert Carradine	...	Spoony
Kimberly Beck	...	Theresa
Ray Underwood	...	Bruce
Steve Bond	...	Craig
Rex Steven Sikes	...	Rodney (as Steve Sikes)
Lani O'Grady	...	Jane
Damon Douglas	...	Paul
Dennis Kort	...	Arthur
Cheryl Smith	...	Mary (as Rainbeaux Smith)
Jeffrey Winner	...	Oscar
Tom Logan	...	Harvey (as Thomas Logan)

Storyline

David is the new kid at Central High. The only person he knows is Mark, who runs with the local toughs led by Bruce. Mark and David share a bond from years before when David came to Mark's aid when Mark was being beaten by school bullies. David keeps his distance, preferring not to join the "club." He tries to convince the other students not to be pushed around, and intervenes once too often on their behalf. When he directly becomes a victim of Bruce's gang, David orchestrates a plan that causes an attrition problem among the members of the clique. Mark worries for his safety, even though he and David were once friends.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | threesome | skinny dipping | female nudity | murder of a nude woman | 

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Taglines:

You'd better get those kids the hell out of there!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kimberly Beck who stars as Theresa; the female lead; in this movie also starred on two iconic family sitcoms of the 70s. She starred as Nancy Bradford in the pilot episode of Eight is Enough; she also stars in two Brady Bunch episodes: as Marcia Brady's rival for her boyfriend Jeff's affections in the Brady Bunch episode 'Marcia Gets Creamed." Beck also starred as Laura in the Getting David Jones Episode. Beck also starred in Friday the 13th the Final Chapter; another iconic horror movie; in addition to Massacre at Central High. In addition to all this, Kimberly Beck is the only Friday the 13th actress, and one of the only actresses of her generation that appeared in an Alfred Hitchcock film. She worked on Marnie (1964), exactly 20 years prior to this. She plays the little girl that Marnie's mother babysits. All of this; makes her a scream queen of a generation. She starred in Friday the 13th the Final Chapter, Massacre at Central High, as well as the Hitchcock thriller Marnie.

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Goofs

The camera is reflected in the car while David is talking to Rodney.

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Quotes

Paul: What are YOU gonna do, sit there and die?

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Alternate Versions

Realvision released the Italian version on video in the 80s under the title Sexy Jeans. Hardcore footage has been inserted into the film whenever a sex scene takes place. These include: The school classroom rape. The beach scene between Theresa and Mark The naked canyon sequence with Spoony, Jane and Mary

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Connections

Referenced in Best of the Worst: Wheel of the Worst #4 (2014)

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Soundtracks

Crossroads
Music by Tommy Leonetti
Lyrics by Jill Williams

User Reviews

Thought-provoking exploitation from the Golden Age

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Massacre at Central High

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Evan

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1