Massacre at Central High

"VIOLENCE-DRENCHED VARIETY"

1976 1h 27m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 76

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Maimed by bullies at a California high school, a new student engineers acts of revenge.

“VIOLENCE-DRENCHED VARIETY”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Derrel Maury
David
Andrew Stevens
Mark
Robert Carradine
Spoony
Kimberly Beck
Theresa
Ray Underwood
Bruce
Steve Bond
Craig
Rex Steven Sikes
Rodney
Lani O'Grady
Jane

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: René Daalder
Writers: René Daalder
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

50 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by René Daalder, shot by Bertram van Munster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tommy Leonetti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor Harry Keramidas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Derrel Maury and Andrew Stevens and Robert Carradine carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "VIOLENCE-DRENCHED VARIETY".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0074875 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

René Daalder directs. Bertram van Munster behind the camera. Tommy Leonetti scores. Harry Keramidas cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
250 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by René Daalder, shot by Bertram van Munster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Tommy Leonetti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Harry Keramidas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Derrel Maury and Andrew Stevens and Robert Carradine carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "VIOLENCE-DRENCHED VARIETY".
8IMDB entry: tt0074875 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 76 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bertram van Munster
Original score: Tommy Leonetti
Editing: Harry Keramidas
Makeup / hair: Peter R.J. Deyell
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Massacre at Central High (1976)

Also by

René Daalder

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2022-06-16
★ 5/10
When you conquer the bullies, then what? A handful of wannabe toughs reign in terror at a SoCal high school. When a new kid shows up (Derrel Maury) he decides not to take their sheet. You would think this would be a good thing for the other students. “Massacre at Central High” (1976) is a high school drama/thriller with slight horror bits that has developed a cult following and influenced future flicks, like “Heathers” (1989). It came out at the same time as the similar “Carrie” and pales by comparison, but not just because of the much lower budget. I enjoyed the first half for the most part, but then it increasingly went off the rails with implausibilities. If the film took a more low-key route it would've worked, but it went over-the-top and became both eye-rolling and uninteresting by the last act. Someone argued that I took it too literally since it’s really a political allegory. Okay, it has deeper meaning, so what? (Most movies do). Being allegorical isn't an excuse for lousy writing with glaringly unbelievable bits. As far as the underlying theme goes, I’m not going to give it away because it’s obvious (think “Lord of the Flies” set in a school). I suggest sticking with better examples of the genre, like “Carrie,” “Christine” (1983), "Disturbing Behavior" (1998) and "The Rage: Carrie 2" (1999). For a quality micro-budget example, check out the more recent "Love Everlasting" (2016). Still, it has its points of interest, such as the coastal locations in the L.A. area, the bold Jan-Michael Vincent-looking protagonist (Jan, by the way, was considered for the role), and a few lovely females, headed by Kimberly Beck, who went on to appear in the Buck Rogers episode “Cruise Ship to the Stars” (1979) and, more notably, “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” (1984). Also on hand are Lani O'Grady (Jane) and Cheryl “Rainbeaux” Smith (Mary). Writer/director Rene Daalder was so upset with the unfitting theme song & score that producers strapped his film with that he refused to watch it in its entirety for three decades. The movie runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles and Malibu with Pomona College standing in for the exterior high school and Villa Cabrini High School in Burbank being used for interiors. GRADE: C+

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