On the surface, this could have been another vengeful body count student bloodbath, but Rene Daalder’s film has an interesting twist on a subject that would be commonplace in the ‘80s.
Moving to a new high school, David (Derrel Maury) reunites with an old friend, Mark (Andrew Stevens), but is disappointed to find he is hanging around with the elite ‘clique’, who make all the other students’ lives a misery. As he picks off each of the group in grisly, ‘accidental’ ways, he’s dismayed to find the former bullied pupils making a power grab of their own.
The catalyst for David’s killing spree comes when his best mate sees him skinny-dipping with Theresa (Kimberley Beck), who’s meant to be Mark’s girlfriend. Feeling a touch aggrieved, he tells the gang that David has refused to see things their way, and they see that his leg is crushed under the wheels of his car while he’s repairing it. Why the police – or indeed, the teaching staff – do nothing about the killings is remarkable. In fact, they’re nowhere to be seen!
Rather than a predictable revenge slasher, Massacre at Central High provides a spin on Animal Farm and highlights the nastier side of human nature. There’s also a rather prescient undercurrent that predates the school shootings that have become all too commonplace in the US. It’s ably directed by Daalder, and the leads are watchable even if it does have the feel of a gory (and above average) made-for-TV film.
Synapse’s US Blu-ray (region free so safe to import) presents the film well, with a couple of informative interviews in lieu of commentaries. Still, the must-see extra is the 40-odd-minute feature on the making of the film. There’s an incredible array of on-screen and behind-the-scenes talent on display and it’s worth a watch even if you’re not a fan of the film (which you should be!).
Massacre at Central High is available on Blu-ray in the US now.
