"He's a good friend of yours, Mark. The best. There's a moment before the accident that we were on the beach, talking and feeling close. We went skinny-dipping. I wanted to make love and I think he did too. But he wouldn't, because of you." — Theresa (Kimberley Beck)
A lot of people like to take any film involving high school violence and draw Columbine comparisons, mining the depths of cinema to find more possible influences for the perpetrators of school shootings.
One movie that draws such attention is the 1976 flick Massacre at Central High. A schlocky exploitation flick, this Rene Daalder piece is one of the original retaliation classics.
Massacre at Central High is often applauded for its resolute portrayal of high school violence and its clever look at the philosophies that build our social hierarchies. But make no mistake about it: this is B-movie exploitation stuff.
Central High is somewhat of a strange place, to say the least. It is a school, sure, but there doesn’t appear to be any teachers or authorities. There is mention of a principal in passing, but no “adults” appear on screen until the final sequence. Central High is essentially run by a group of bullies and the social pecking order is determined by the anarchy these young men promote.
When David (Derrel Maury) shows up at Central he becomes reacquainted with Mark (Andrew Stevens), one of the bullies running the school. He also lays his eyes on Mark’s girlfriend, Theresa (Kimberley Beck) and is instantly love-struck. While Mark and his bully friends run the school, David diffidently exists in the background and refuses to get involved. Eventually, however, events begin to spiral out of control and David intervenes to show the bullies a fatal lesson and to help the “nerds” fight back. As David’s vicious actions undo the social order of Central High, chaos erupts and David becomes a madman in an attempt to restore “order.”
Massacre at Central High is the epitome of '70s exploitation filmmaking. The violence is gory, but Daalder’s erratic camera work cuts most of the red intensity. An intrinsic lack of character reaction helps, too, as most people at Central High simply go about their business as usual after the various explosions and “accidents.” The police are never involved, there is no sign of any authority, and the Chaos Rule of the school appears in full function. The lack of authority offers an appealing take on the violence, as there really are no repercussions for David’s deeds.
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