MovieChat Forums > Massacre at Central High (1977) Discussion > Wow, ridiculous

Wow, ridiculous

posted 14 years ago by ry-the_stunner
6 replies | jump to latest

Sorry, but aside from the concept, the movie itself was ridiculous and horrible. Some points to note:

1) Horrible acting start to finish...especially the part where he got his leg crushed under the car. He's screaming bloody murder and then suddenly he's out like a light.

2) Are we really supposed to believe that once the original bullies were gone, that all the lower kids suddenly became bullies? Sorry, that just doesn't happen. Maybe one or two, but all of them? No...especially the handicapped kid.

3) The kid had his leg crushed underneath a car. He can't walk on that leg at all anymore, but he can still manage to push a van down the road (when killing Paul)? Really?

4) When the bomb exploded and killed him at the very end, the explosion was very small. That sort of explosion isn't going to level an entire school. It would barely do any damage outside of the room it was confined to, which appeared to be in the basement.

5) Is it normal for a girl to walk in on a gang of guys raping two girls and to just laugh about it and stand around waiting for her friends and watch? And is it normal to get mad at the guy who comes in and rescues them, saying he's just as bad as them. Hmmm...raping two girls or saving two girls from getting raped? I don't see how they're the same.

6) This veers away from nearly every horror/slasher film I've ever seen in that the main bad guy (or main character) was killed off first. Bruce was the jerk ringleader of the gang of bullies...logic would tell you that he'd be the last of them to be killed off. Usually you kill off the henchmen first, and then the main guy goes. This isn't really a complaint, just an oddity in the film.

7) The guy who jumped in the pool had his head crushed and his face was driven into the bottom of the pool. Nobody touched him, so how did they all know that it was Craig? Surely they couldn't identify him from his face as it was crushed and face down in a pool of blood.

8) I found it funny how Mark was chasing the runaway van down the road as Paul plummeted to his death. Then he overlooked the cliff as the van exploded and pretty much had no reaction. He didn't run to the scene, he didn't show any emotion, he kind of just walked away and was like "Oh, well crud, Paul died."

I'm sure there were more oddities and unusual occurrences/plot holes that I noticed, but these were some main ones.

[–] leczorn 14 years ago

I'm a big fan of the movie while acknowledging its flaws. The acting is mixed. Derrel Maury, Andrew Stevens, and Kimberly Beck are all good, but many of the others aren't. The low budget definitely hurt.

But I think you're making the same mistake that many of the movie's detractors do - taking it way too literally. Most fans of the movie accept is as a political allegory; particularly saying that no matter how well intentioned a political revolution is, the new people in charge turn out just as bad as the last ones; that the oppressed become the oppressors.

It is a very unusual movie; no question about it. It's probably the only political drama done in the context of a 70s exploitation movie and I think its uniqueness is a big reason for its cult status.

[–] Wuchak (8855) 3 years ago

you're making the same mistake that many of the movie's detractors do - taking it way too literally. Most fans of the movie accept is as a political allegory;

It has deeper meaning, so what? (Most movies do). Being allegorical isn't an excuse for lousy writing with glaringly unbelievable bits. I enjoyed the first half for the most part, but then it increasingly went off the rails with implausibilities, most cited by the OP. If it took a more low-key route it would've worked, but it went over-the-top and became both eye-rolling and uninteresting.

[–] pscriswell 14 years ago

Why do you even watch these low-budget exploitation movies if you're going to apply rigid logical standards and expect top-notch performances? Most of your comments are so petty that they aren't even worth rebutting.

But I do give you credit for avoiding the "OMG NO TEACHERS" complaint.

[–] [deleted] a year ago

Good point.

[–] OKLacoste 13 years ago

that Hot girl Theresa (Kimberly Beck) keep me watching this crappy film

Central High of Morons

Nothing lasts Forever but the Earth and Sky

[–] leczorn 13 years ago

I like your signature! Kansas for many years was to me what The Beatles are to some people! I ran a print fan magazine dedicated to the band and saw them in concert 26 times before getting burned out!