Massacre at Central High

Summary

”Why do people take it?”

Synapse Films has built a strong reputation as one of the better curators of cult and horror cinema over the last few years. I have enjoyed their terrific releases of Suspiria, Tenebrae, and Phenomena and more recently their exceptional release of The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue. I had never heard of the 1976 film Massacre at Central High, but once I had done research on the picture I was excited to check it out. As reviews from Roger Elbert and others mentioned, the film rises above the usual grindhouse fare of the time to deliver a deeper and decidedly more interesting high school drama. I don’t want to spoil any of the tonal changes and twists that the film delivers, but I feel confident that most people who watch the movie will be thoroughly entertained and impressed by the film that Rene Daalder put together on a conservative budget. This film is one of the more enjoyable discoveries I have had this year, and I commend Synapse Films for bringing it to my attention. As is the case with Synapse Films recent releases, the transfer of the film was given a lot of hard work and presentation the picture better than ever before.

At Central High, a shaggy haired student named Spoony (Robert Carradine) paints a swastika on a locker of a jock as an act of protest. Transfer student David (Derrel Maury) arrives at the school and interrupts the bullying of Spoony by three teenagers – Bruce (Ray Underwood,) Craig (Steve Bond,) and Rodney (Rex Steven Sikes.) Davis is simply asking for directions around the school, but the three bullies give him no assistance. In the halls, David meets the beautiful Theresa (Kimberly Beck,) and they casually flirt. That afternoon, David meets up with his friend Mark (Andrew Stevens) who had known him from some time before. Mark warns David that he needs to fit in at any cost. Mark is worried that his association with David could backfire on his current status with the bullies. That day David and Mark hop into a van with Bruce, Craig, and Rodney from earlier. Bruce is the leader of the group. The actions of Bruce, Craig, and Rodney go beyond bullying. For example, they pull over another classmate and bang up his car by crashing it into things. They scare another kid into climbing a rope at knifepoint. Mark has simply joined the gang of bullies to avoid being bullied himself. David is repulsed by the way the group bullies the students and that nobody stands up for themselves. The gang becomes suspicious of David and warn Mark to keep him in line. The bullies are even more sinister than David knows. David interrupts the gang when they try to sexually assault two friends of Theresa. Now that the bullies know he has no intent to back down from them, they plot to get him back. Things quickly get out of hand, as the bullies retaliate against David, and David seeks to rid the school of them.

This is a good film, especially for a modestly budgeted picture from the mid-Seventies. While the name of the film would make one think it is an exploitation film, and there are a few elements of the film that fit in that mold, the film is much smarter than the average exploitation film. The film is not explicitly violent, but it does feature some extended sequences of nudity. Massacre at Central High is more of a drama than an exploitation picture, and the script is much more interesting than I had anticipated. The film has a talent for making the audience feel a certain way and then moving a different direction. The film switches gears and becomes about how power gaps create power hunger. The film plays out like a high school version of Lord of the Flies. It is obviously an allegory about politics and grown up life told through the lens of high school kids. Cut off the head of a hydra, it grows another. The film changes in surprising ways which I really enjoyed and honestly did not predict from the early scenes of the picture. I think it is also worth noting that the film is shot well. Rene Daalder worked with cinematographer Bertram Van Munster. Bertram’s career led him to reality television, but he showed promise with what he accomplished on Massacre. One of the best sequences in the picture involves some hang gliding footage that I found really impressive.

Rene Daalder did a solid job of putting together a good ensemble cast of young actors. While all the cast are all obviously in their twenties, they fit the roles of the high schoolers well. The standout performance in the film is Derrel Maury. He turned in an enigmatic and enjoyable performance as David. Maury brings a lot of levity to his role and never oversells his acting in the film. He is a lot of fun to watch in the film. Andrew Stevens is well cast as Mark. It was fun to see Robert play Spoony years before he would hit it big in Revenge of the Nerds. Kimberly Beck is stunning in the film as Theresa. I can not undersell how beautiful Kimberly Beck is in this film. She is certainly one of the prettiest actresses from that era. Ray Underwood is also great as the preppy ring leader Bruce. Steve Bond is also memorable as Craig. Rene Daalder got every actor to deliver what their roles called for.

One aspect of the film that went against the wishes of the director was the theme song of the film that plays over the opening credits. Daalder had wanted a much edgier song to play that would highlight some of the darker elements of the pictures. He was overruled and a fairly stale ballad was played over the credits instead. I have had difficulty convincing myself whether or not this theme song aided or hurt the film, only because the theme song made Massacre appear as if it would unspool similarly to an after school special or high school drama. The terrible theme song – and it is terrible- may have accidentally helped the film feel more surprising when it took different turns in the last half of the film.

Overall – Massacre at Central High was a really great discovery for me. I would highly encourage checking it out and letting the movie take you on a ride. The Synapse Blu-ray is of very high quality and earns our recommendation.

Video

Synapse presents Massacre at Central High in 1.77:1 aspect ratio in 1080p. The transfer was supervised by Rene Daalder before he passed away. Synapse has done a really solid job on their presentation of the film. Fine detail is very good. I think it is obvious that a good amount of time was spent trying to bring the very most out of the print that they could. I can’t imagine the film looking much better than it does here. Clarity and depth of field are very good. The grain looks filmic and does not exhibit any distracting compression issues. 

Audio

Synapse Video have provided a restored DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track. The mono track has been given a solid restoration that was no easy task. The original audio tracks provided by Daalder were rife with problems and Synapse had to use a variety of sources to create a suitable mono track. Their hard work paid off. Fans of the picture will be happy to finally have a pristine version of the film to enjoy.

Supplements:

• Audio Interviews by Mike White (“The Projection Booth” Podcast) – this condensed  Prohection Booth podcast features interviews with cast members Andrew Stevens, Robert Carradine, Rex Steven Sikes, and Derrel Maury. It plays as a commentary track, but is not scene specific as these interviews were recorded as a podcast episode. If you have watched the film, I recommend listening to the full podcast at your leisure.
• Audio Interview with Director Renee Daalder, Conducted by Writer/Horror Historian Michael Gingold – a twenty-five-minute interview with the deceased director.
• Hell in the Hallways: The Making of “Massacre at Central High”  – this is an excellent documentary by Red Shirt Pictures on the making of Massacre at Central High. Actors Derrel Maury, Tom Logan, Rex Sikes, Robert Carradine, Andrew Stevens, and Jeffrey Winner are all interviewed. First assistant director Eugene Mazzola and cinematographer Bertram van Munster are also interviewed for this comprehensive piece. Red Shirt Pictures are wonderful at pieces like this, so this feature is well worth your time.
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Radio Spot

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Massacre at Central High is another wonderful addition to Synapse Films’s library of releases. I had never heard of the film prior to Synapse Films’s announcement of the steelbook edition, and I am glad that they exposed me to it. One of the best aspects of film collecting is discovering interesting films like this. As word gets out about this film, I have a feeling that many cult film lovers are going to want to add this to their collections. The film is an extremely unique and enjoyable drama from the Seventies that deserves to be rediscovered. The film was well directed and written by Rene Daalder. It manages to elevate itself above the exploitation genre that the title would suggest. The performances in the film are all enjoyable. Synapse has brought the film to Blu-ray with a great looking transfer. Nothing was easy about their restoration efforts, but I believe the final product is worth all their work. Fans of the picture are going to be extremely pleased by the new restoration. The documentary by Red Shirt Pictures on the making of the film is also of very high quality. This film was a very enjoyable discovery for me. Highly recommended.