Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986)

The pupils at a high school next to a nuclear power plant start acting and looking strange after buying contaminated drugs from a plant worker.

Directors:

Richard W. Haines, Lloyd Kaufman (as Samuel Weil)

Writers:

Richard W. Haines (screenplay), Mark Rudnitsky (screenplay)

Stars:

Janelle Brady, Gil Brenton, Robert Prichard

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Janelle Brady	...	Chrissy
Gil Brenton	...	Warren (as Gilbert Brenton)
Robert Prichard	...	Spike
Pat Ryan	...	Mr. Finley (as R.L. Ryan)
James Nugent Vernon	...	Eddie
Brad Dunker	...	Gonzo
Gary Schneider	...	Pete
Théo Cohan	...	Muffey
Gary Rosenblatt	...	Greg
Mary Taylor	...	Judy
Rick Howard	...	Spud
Lauren Heather McMahon	...	Taru (as Heather McMahan)
Chris McNamee	...	Joe
Anthony Ventola	...	George
Arthur Lorenz	...	Dewy

Storyline

When Warren and Chrissy notice some strange things happening around their high school, they begin to suspect that something is going on at the nuclear plant next door. Though the plant officials deny that there are any problems, Crissy gives birth to a bloodthirsty mutant who immediately begins eating everyone in the school. Will Warren and Chrissy be able to stop their killer kid?

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Plot Keywords:

high school | nuclear power plant | splatter | camp humour | bare breasts | 

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Taglines:

Readin'...writin'... and radiation!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Troma

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nuke 'Em High

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Troma Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 76 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brad Dunker became one of the lead 'Cretins' because he was one of the few people in the cast who was able to ride a motorcycle. Before that, he was a member of the crew and had a cameo as a student with sunglasses in the party scene.

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Goofs

When Dewy dives out the classroom window, he falls front first toward the ground; yet he lands on his back.

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Quotes

Warren: But what about the Fellini festival?
Chrissy: Warren - fuck the Fellini festival!

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Crazy Credits

The main theme continues over a black screen for about a minute after the actual end credits have finished.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in an unrated "director's cut".

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Connections

Referenced in Terror Firmer (1999)

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Soundtracks

You're the One
Written, Performed and Produced by Michael Lattanzi

User Reviews

Seminal Troma

Class of Nuke 'Em High is one of Troma's best loved and most seen films. This film helped to define the Troma formula that crap addicts the world over would grow to love - gory violence, gratuitous nudity and black humour, all mixed with a large dose of irony and an incredible lack of taste.

Class of Nuke 'Em High was released just after "The Toxic Avenger" and it shares a similar nuclear theme. In this case, a nuclear waste facility is leaking toxic goo into the local high school with some rather unfortunate consequences for the student body. Unlike the poor nerd in the film's brilliant opening sequence, our heroes are not directly exposed to the toxic waste. Rather, Warren and Chrissy smoke marijuana grown on the grounds of the nuclear power plant. This ultra-potent pot not only makes Chrissy incredibly horny, but mutates her unborn child and imbues Warren with super-human strength.

The film then focuses on Warren's rivalry with the Cretins (former honours students who have turned into freaks after smoking one too many toxic joints) and Chrissy's rampaging miscarried foetus (which lives in the toilet and hides out in a vat of toxic waste). These situations provide the filmmakers with plenty of opportunities for hilarious sight gags, gory violence and camp action - and they deliver.

As with much of Troma's early output, this film has been crafted with considerable care and attention to detail, despite budgetary restrictions. The plot has its own ludicrous sense of logic and the direction is captivating - Kaufman, Herz and Richard W. Haines all share a directorial credit but the action sequences reek of Kaufman's mercurial style. I love the scene where Warren literally punches one of the cretins through the mouth, down into his chest. The special effects also deserve a mention. The creature effects used for Chrissy's mutant foetus are hilarious.

The Class of Nuke 'Em High does not quite match "The Toxic Avenger" for originality or style, but it is a great example of what Troma does better than any other studio and why they are still around 20 years later.