Tag: High School Movies

The New Kids (1985)

The New Kids (1985) is a better poster than a movie. Along with the VHS cover to Class Of 1999, this was a poster that I became obsessed with, the teen gang horror vibes, on the level of an illustrated paperback cover, the heightened drama and off-frame implication. The movie itself, which sets its climax at a theme park called Santaland, is very much like that theme park: cheap, rickety and serviceable. It’s still a good time, mainly for fans of teen movies and grimy revenge thrillers. Shannon Presby and Lori Loughlin play brother and sister military brats raised and trained by their loving father Tom Atkins (of Halloween III and Night Of The Creeps fame). I knew the film had me by the opening credits where the trio go for an athletic run set to an inspirational Eighties power rock anthem. Unfortunately, an off-screen tragedy causes Presby and Loughlin to live with their uncle and aunt in Florida, who run a petrol station and a rundown theme park. At high school, they run afoul of a white trash gang of creeps led by a blonde James Spader with a flaky accent and a sneer, rocking an open collar to show off a tight gold chain around his neck, probably giving the most enjoyable over-the-top performance. The ‘new kids’ and the lecherous bullies go back and forth between intimidation and fighting back, until it all ends up in an action climax set at the theme park at night. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Stephen Gyllenhaal, its functional with bursts of blood and sleaze that push it beyond its TV level flair; you could imagine someone more imaginative and talented like Wes Craven really pushing the teen siblings’ eventual use of the theme park as a weapon against the violent jerks. The other Spader Eighties teen movie Tuff Turf, which almost has the same plot but with him as the out of town hero is probably a better, more fun version of this formula. Available to rent on iTunes.

Massacre At Central High (1976)

Reading about Massacre At Central High (1976) in Danny Peary’s Cult Movies 2 when I was in high school, leafing through the copy in the school library, really disturbed me. The details of its plot and its accompanying photos made me think of it as a low budget sicko movie about teens killing each other in between displays of nudity. Finally watching the movie in my quest to cross off all the unseen titles from Peary’s book, the movie is just that – but there’s something satisfyingly gonzo about its escalation of murder and destruction. This is helped by the fact that the “teens” are played by actors in their late 20s and the intentional absence of any teachers or adult characters until the very end. Massacre At Central High works as an allegory of cyclical power and oppression. Yet its also still a cheap, nasty, exploitative horror thriller. Opening with a syrupy 1970s ballad over flash forwards of deaths and explosions, the plot starts with new kid David (Derrel Maury) who is a keen runner and a loner who doesn’t take kindly to any injustice. At Central High, he reunites with an old buddy, Mark (Andrew Stevens) and takes a shine to Mark’s girlfriend Theresa (Kimberly Beck) but remains a respectful friend. Eventually David finds difficulty respecting the snooty, tyrannical clique of wealthy dudes who run the school with sadistic glee. Soon enough, David fights back and there’s a game of oneupmanship that eventually turns deadly. The film twists into something more as the power dynamic shifts and the murders continue – and become almost blindly accepted as a matter of course by the student body. It preempts the social satire of Heathers and strays from slasher formula through ‘kills’ caused by traps and bombs – it feels connected to Carrie in some ways and is just as queasy a vision of 1970s all-American sex and violence. As sick as it was, I dug it. Available to see on the Synapse Bluray release. Recommended.