Massacre at Central High (1976, Rene Daalder)

3/04/23

Derrel Maury in Massacre at Central High (Rene Daalder, 1976)

Cast: Derrel Maury, Andrew Stevens, Robert Carradine, Kimberly Beck, Ray Underwood, Steve Bond, Rex Steven Sikes, Lani O'Grady, Damon Douglas, Dennis Kort, Cheryl Smith, Jeffrey Winner, Tom Logan. Screenplay: Rene Daalder. Cinematography: Bertram van Munster. Art direction: Russell Tune. Film editing: Harry Keramidas. Music: Tommy Leonetti.

With its often clunky acting, gratuitous nudity, and marginal production values, Massacre at Central High looks like a standard exploitation flick. And knowing that writer-director Rene Daalder's mentor was the master of exploitation flicks, Russ Meyer, only goes to confirm that first impression. The film's teenagers are played by actors in their mid-20s; there is a sappy musical score with an inane song over both the opening and closing credits; the visuals* reflect the tightness of the film's budget. The setup is familiar: A new student comes to a high school where the student body is harassed by a group of bullies. When he stands up to the bullies he is seriously injured. So he decides to take revenge by offing the bullies, one by one, in imaginative ways. But murder will out, and in the end he is hoist with his own petard -- literally. And if Massacre at Central High had stuck to that formula, it could have been the conventional exploitation flick. But Daalder takes things a step further, adding some provocative and intelligent twists to the tale. The revenge plot doesn't end with the protagonist, David (Derrel Maury), taking care of the bullies. Once he's done that, the bullied students become bullies themselves, and David has to deal with that unforeseen problem. And for the better part of the film, we never see an adult authority figure, a parent, a teacher, or a school administrator. David takes their role on himself. It's an adolescent's dream world turned nightmare. Even at the end, the adults who do appear, at an improbable "Student-Alumni Prom," are ineffectual -- they seem to be the students' grandparents -- and in danger of becoming victims of David's planned massacre. The film takes an unrelentingly harsh view of human nature: It's often compared to William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies and the films made of it by Peter Brook in 1963 and Harry Hook in 1990, and considered a precursor to the movie Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1989). I don't think Massacre at Central High quite measures up to that standard -- there's still a lot of cheesiness for the viewer to overcome -- but it's a kind of classic in spite of itself.

*Cinematographer Bertram van Munster is better known as the Emmy-winning creator and executive producer of the reality competition series The Amazing Race.

Massacre at Central High will be released on Blu-ray on September 13 via Synapse Films. The Steelbook Blu-ray/DVD edition, which debuted in 2020 and is limited to 4,000, is still available.

Also known as Blackboard Massacre, the 1976 horror/exploitation film is written and directed by Rene Daalder (Habitat). Derrel Maury, Andrew Stevens, Robert Carradine, Kimberly Beck, Ray Underwood, and Steve Bond star.

Massacre at Central High has been remastered in high definition, supervised by Daalder, with DTS HD-MA 2.0 Original Mono audio. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Hell in the Hallways: The Making of Massacre at Central High

Audio interview with director Renee Daalder

Audio interviews with actors Andrew Stevens, Robert Carradine, Derrel Maury, and Rex Steven Sikes

Theatrical trailer

TV spot

Radio spot

Still gallery

When new student David (Derrel Maury) arrives at Central High, he discovers that it is lorded over by a gang of bullies who rule the school through intimidation and violence. David’s friend Mark (Andrew Stevens) encourages him to join this dominant clique, but instead David stands up for their victims, and the gang cripples him in retaliation. Soon David begins taking steps to end their reign of terror permanently, setting in motion an explosive cycle of killing that may not end until no one is left to graduate!

Pre-order Massacre at Central High.

Revenge flick about a loner who fights back at the bullies at the high school who torment and victimize the other high school teens. Massacre at central high 1976 is a very well made low budget movie starring Derrel Maury,Andrew Stevens,Kimberly Beck , and Robert Carridine. .One by one the bullies are being killed . Until none remain. Then the victims start to turn on each other. Until it becomes a hostile environment for all . The death scenes are gruesome.

Back to School #18: Massacre At Central High (dir by Rene Daalder)

Back to School #18: Massacre At Central High (dir by Rene Daalder)

With a title like Massacre at Central High, you probably think that this 1976 film is a low-budget slasher film.  However, you’re totally wrong.  Instead of being a low-budget slasher film, Massacre at Central Highis a low-budget political allegory and it’s a pretty good one at that.  It’s also not exactly an easy film to see (I had…

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Massacre at Central High (1976) // dir. Rene Daalder

Massacre at Central High is available on Steelbook Blu-ray/DVD combo pack for $45.95 via Synapse Films. Limited to 4,000, it includes a booklet featuring writing by journalist Michael Gingold and a slipcover (pictured below).

Also known as Blackboard Massacre, the 1976 horror/exploitation film is written and directed by Rene Daalder (Habitat). Derrel Maury, Andrew Stevens, Robert Carradine, Kimberly Beck, Ray Underwood, and Steve Bond star.

Massacre at Central High has been newly remastered in high definition, supervised by Daalder, with DTS HD-MA 2.0 Original Mono audio. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Hell in the Hallways: The Making of Massacre at Central High documentary

Audio interview with director Renee Daalder

Audio interviews with actors Andrew Stevens, Robert Carradine, Derrel Maury, and Rex Steven Sikes

Theatrical trailer

TV spot

Radio spot

Still gallery

Booklet featuring writing by journalist Michael Gingold

When new student David (Derrel Maury) arrives at Central High, he discovers that it is lorded over by a gang of bullies who rule the school through intimidation and violence. David’s friend Mark (Andrew Stevens) encourages him to join this dominant clique, but instead David stands up for their victims, and the gang cripples him in retaliation. Soon David begins taking steps to end their reign of terror permanently, setting in motion an explosive cycle of killing that may not end until no one is left to graduate!