Cutting Class (1989)

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

Director:

Rospo Pallenberg

Writer:

Steve Slavkin

Stars:

Donovan Leitch Jr., Jill Schoelen, Brad Pitt

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donovan Leitch Jr.	...	Brian Woods (as Donovan Leitch)
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

Storyline

High school student Paula Carson's affections are being sought after by two of her classmates: Dwight, the "bad boy", and Brian, a disturbed young man who has just been released from a mental hospital where he was committed following the suspicious death of his father. Soon after being released, more murders start happening. Is Brian back to his old tricks, or is Dwight just trying to eliminate the competition?

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | high school | school principal | woman in jeopardy | slasher flick | 

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Taglines:

Some People Would Kill To Fit In.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1992 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Assassinato no Colégio

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

April Films, April Productions, Gower Street Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Image Transform)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in 1987 but not released until 1989.

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Goofs

In the art class scene, when Paula and Brian are holding up the apple, a boom mike is visible.

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Quotes

Dwight Ingalls: Ladies first.
Colleen: Why thank you.
[Colleen walks in front of Paula]
Dwight Ingalls: No, I said LADIES first.
Paula Carson: Why thank you!
Colleen: ...such an ass!

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Connections

Referenced in Grindhouse (2007)

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Soundtracks

GUYS LIKE GIRLS
Written by Charles Gray, Ned Leukhardt, Mark Moreland and Andy Prieboy (as Andrew Prieboy)
Performed by Wall of Voodoo
Music Corporation of America, Inc. (BMI) and Skeek Music
Used by permission of MCA Music Publishing

User Reviews

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.