Student Bodies (1981)

A murderer known as "The Breather" kills off high schoolers.

Directors:

Mickey Rose, Michael Ritchie (uncredited)

Writer:

Mickey Rose

Stars:

Kristen Riter, Matthew Goldsby, Jerry Belson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kristen Riter	...	Toby
Matthew Goldsby	...	Hardy (as Matt Goldsby)
Jerry Belson	...	The Breather (as Richard Brando)
Joe Flood	...	Mr. Dumpkin
Joe Talarowski	...	Principal Peters
Mimi Weddell	...	Miss Mumsley
Carl Jacobs	...	Dr. Sigmund
Peggy Cooper	...	Ms. Van Dyke
Janice E. O'Malley	...	Nurse Krud
Kevin Mannis	...	Scott
Sara Eckhardt	...	Patti
Brian Batytis	...	Wheels
Cullen G. Chambers	...	Charles Ray
Joan Browning Jacobs	...	Mrs. Hummers
Angela Bressler	...	Julie

Storyline

A killer named the Breather terrorizes students at a high school. Whenever the killer finds students having sex, he kills them. He has some intense issues with which to deal. He likes to breathe heavily, and he likes to make prank calls while talking through a rubber chicken.

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Plot Keywords:

two word title | man wrapped in a towel | male rear nudity | buttocks | corpse | 

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Taglines:

At Last The World's First Comedy Horror Movie

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

13 Asesinatos y medio

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,582,148, 9 August 1981, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$5,165,432

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Universal Southwest Cinema, Allen Smithee Classic Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the final chase dream as Toby is running up the stairs, you can hear Godzilla's roar at least twice mixed in with all of the other sounds and music.

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Goofs

Students at football game talking about what will be happening next week at graduation; football games are in the fall and graduation is in spring. However, in the principal's speech in the second scene, he acknowledges that all the school's events are happening on one day (along with the prom, which needs to be at the end of the year) due to a cut in the school's budget.

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Quotes

Mr. Dumpkin: You don't need your family. You don't need your friends. As long as you have, a horsehead bookend.
[overhears Toby talking]
Mr. Dumpkin: Talking? During horsehead bookends? Who was that? Sure, the girl. What have we here, Miss Shouldn't-be-in-the-class-anyway?
Toby: Well, it's a horsehead bookend, Mr. Dumpkin.
Mr. Dumpkin: You stained it and everything. I couldn't have done a better job myself.
Toby: That's what I was thinking.
[the word SUSPECT flashes in front of Mr. Dumpkin]

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Alternate Versions

Some cuts open with the following on-screen title: "This motion picture is based on an actual incident. Last year 26 horror films were released...None of them lost money."

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Connections

Spoofs When a Stranger Calls (1979)

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Soundtracks

When the Saints Go Marching In
(uncredited)
Traditional
Performed by Lamab High School Marching Band

User Reviews

silly but enjoyable 1980s horror spoof movie

I didn't find it to be hilarious, but it is an amusing horror spoof; generally I've found horror comedies to be funnier than horror spoofs.

The movie starts by noting how many horror movies have been made recently, and that they've all made money. We see a shot of a house at night with ominous music, and a caption reading "Halloween." This fades out, and then fades back up with the caption "Friday the 13th," which fades out and is replaced by the caption "Jamie Lee Curtis' Birthday" (the movie doesn't say, but that is November 22). This is an early indicator of the cheap and silly humor of the movie.

A heavy breathing killer wearing black boots and green rubber gloves makes phone calls to the babysitter in the house. After she looks outside for a cat that turns out to be a meowing dog with gas, she leaves the door unlocked (a caption and arrow call additional attention to this fact). Her boyfriend shows up, he's turned on by something that should be a turnoff, but he leaves the room (this series of actions repeats throughout the movie). The killer enters the house, and picks from a collection of weapons under a rolltop desk: a gun, knife, noose, hatchet, pack of cigarettes, paperclip. He picks the silliest one, of course. The girl dies by the silly weapon, and the guy gets killed by suffocating in a large black trash bag (this MO repeats too; the weapon is always different, but always silly).

A number of people at the school wear the same things the killer does, making them suspects to the audience, who knows, but not to the police. In fact, I'm not sure there are police - the school itself seems to be in charge of investigating the murders. The one person in the movie that becomes a suspect to other characters is a virgin girl.

Lots and lots of silliness in the movie, too much to cover. Anyone that likes silly spoof movies is likely to find something to make them laugh here.

Whatever happened to the actor "The Stick"?