Synopsis: A high school transfer student is pushed to the edge by a group of bullies causing him to resort to murder. Removing the threat creates a power vacuum causing him to continue his killing spree.
Although technically not “horror” per se, the revenge film Massacre at Central High is a close cousin. I mean he kills quite a few people. He just doesn’t go about it in a traditional slasher manner. Instead employing a series of staged accidents and improvised explosives. So I guess he could be considered a serial killer by definition thus qualifying this flick as a horror.
After arriving at a new school, David Derrel Maury quickly learns that his helpful demeanor is not appreciated by the gang of bullies. There is a catch though, Mark Andrew Stevens, one of the crew of ruffians, knows David. They have a history together from his previous school. Where David saved Mark from the bullies there. There isn’t much shown of their history other than a fire-lit fight scene during the credits. But we are made aware that David is not one to fuck with.
There’s a few run-ins between them and Mark tries to bridge the gap between the guys. That is, until he sees David with his girlfriend Theresa Kimberly Beck frolicking naked in the surf one night. Stepping back, he knows there’s nothing he can do to stop the inevitable. Even he’s not safe from David. One day things go too far and David has his leg crushed under a car by the trio. This sets off a murderous rampage, orchestrated by David behind the scenes. Mark tries to calm things down to no avail.
Once the balance has been restored, the oppressed act out and become the new oppressors. David methodically judges and eliminates the others as they rise up, creating chaos at the school. The ending is fairly predictable after this but I won’t ruin it for you.
Mirroring Lord of the Flies, Massacre at Central High plays with the hierarchy of a school environment when children are left to themselves. I’m not sure if that was intentional but I could see it. Adults don’t even make a showing until the final act and at that point they’re really just there for effect.
There were a few recognizable faces in this that had me opening up IMDB to see where I knew them from. Namely the love interest Kimberly Beck from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and her numerous television roles. There was even an appearance by a pre-Revenge of the Nerds Robert Carradine as Spoony. One of the students that was the focus of the bullies, eventually rising up and being eliminated himself. I was kind of surprised by that one.
I actually quite enjoyed Massacre at Central High. It was pure 70’s cinema. Not quite the gritty, unpolished aesthetic that I usually go for but good nonetheless. It almost had a “made for tv” drama kind of feel with an edge. My only complaint would be that song. The title song that made me cringe every time it popped up. Crossroads by Tommy Leonetti if you want to feel my pain.
I would definitely recommend this one for a fun evening of revenge with a cheesy 70’s aesthetic. If you’re looking for something entertaining to watch, I found this one streaming on Tubi. Have I said how much I love that service? It is jam packed with all the lesser known good stuff.
4 out of 5
So grab your popcorn, kill the lights and join me again tomorrow as we continue our journey on this strange little trip down the 31 Days of Horror rabbit hole. See you soon…
