Massacre at Central High

Blending horror with social critique is nothing new.  In fact, it’s what makes the genre such an interesting – and underappreciated – cinematic bookmark.  Even slasher films, likely the most critically derided category, provide a case study for class warfare, generational angst and, ahem, mating habits.  Massacre at Central High (1976) focuses the microscope even further than most, essentially restaging George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm with horny teens at a California high school.

As the new kid in school David (Derrel Maury) is the focus of a lot of attention.  His old friend, Mark (Andrew Stevens), introduces him to the “in crowd,” a trio of macho dudes who rule the school through bullying, rape and intimidation.  Refusing to play along – and disgusted by his fellow student’s cowardice - David is crippled by a vicious attack that inspires him to take action.  Violent action.

 

The second half of writer / director Rene Daalder’s teen exploitation film drops all pretenses of being an exploitation film at all, turning into a not-so-subtle metaphor about control, corruption and politics.  After freeing the school from its dictatorship, David creates a power vacuum that the rest of the class is only too eager to fill.  It’s a parable made even more obvious by the lack of any adult authority figures.  No teachers, no parents; these kids exist in a world of their own making…which bears a shocking resemblance to the one we exist in now.

 

Bear in mind, Massacre at Central High is no masterpiece.  Daalder’s message may resonate, but his methods are forced to incorporate the exploitation tropes common to any drive-in flick of the mid-70’s.  That means flashes of T & A, staged executions and teen dialogue that – at best – could be described as awkward.  But there’s something unique about the film that almost defies description; a hormonal authenticity the likely comes from the brisk shooting schedule and inexperienced cast.  Sometimes a film just captures lightning in a bottle.  And that’s exactly what Massacre does.

 

Synapse Films’ Blu-ray is a revelation for anyone who grew up watching the pan-and-scan pay cable version in the early ‘80s.  This is one of those discs that could easily pass for 4K.  There’s a nice list of extras – audio interview with Daalder and the cast, trailers, and stills – topped by a brand-new documentary, Hell in the Hallways.  Note to other niche home video companies: this is how you produce a Making Of!  Polished, professional and edited to pull out the best anecdotes, it rises head and tails about the lazy raw interviews that pass as extras on companies’ efforts (cough, Scream Factory, cough).

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