I've been wanting to add this 80's classic to my DVD library for ages.
Added 10/17/2009
Class of 1984 is not only a searing look at inner-city schools, but also a lesson in survival. Perry King ( star of Riptide)delivers an excellent performance as a music teacher trying to live a normal life, but is interupted by the school's gang of vicious punks led by Timothy Van Patten. The film explodes with violence and carnage to flim buffs delight. A must see................
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Interesting Movie
Added 10/16/2009
I thought "Class of 1984" was good for it's time. It was like a documentary movie, and a really violent movie into one. One good thing about this movie. Is the fact it has Micheal J. Fox in the movie.
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Stegman "Life is pain! Pain is.......everything!!!".
Added 3/11/2009
Great early 80's cult classic exploitation flick, this is one of those films that actually lives up to it's infamy. The screenwriter of the film Barry Schneider got so upset over the violent content at a screening that he had his name taken off the credits as a screenwriter of the final film. There is some shocking and disturbing stuff here, I would probably say that it was a cross between The Warriors and A Clockwork Orange and it has quite an intense finale. These devastating punks aren't the type of kids you want to bump into! And actually the shock is you'll be rooting for the teacher this time around. The kid gang members were so despicable that it's almost a relief when the teacher finally gets his revenge, and it was quite bloody too. Perry King stars as Andy Norris, a high school teacher from Nebraska who has transferred to a big city school. Norris is shocked to find both the students and teachers carrying weapons, drugs running rampant and a general lack of respect for authority on the part of the students. He had no idea just how dangerous this place is and all the students must go through metal detectors (this all seems prophetic since this is how most schools in the U.S. are like only not as over the top as this film). Soon Norris makes enemies with the punkish, drug-pushing, slightly psychotic Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten) and his gang. The violence escalates as Norris and Stegman push each others buttons until eventually Stegman goes too far and it is up to Norris to end his reign of terror permanently!.
This was probably one of the best b-movies I've ever seen and is one of my favorites, director Mark Lester was also responsible for other cheesy cult classics like Commando and Truck Stop Women and his dark and gritty style fit perfectly with the rest of the film. Timothy Van Patten's portrayal of the cool and crazy Stegman had me sometimes cheering against Norris at more than one point. This is one of the better teen villains of the 80's I've ever seen. Some of the lines this guy spews out are classic and the way he beats himself up in a high school bathroom is disturbing and calculated, and yet the authorities and principal himself cannot question this guy's actions they'd rather turn a blind eye. Where so many other villains in this type of movie get totally cheeseball by the end, Stegman remains powerful and his acting was brilliant. If you're looking for exploitation fun then this one has it all, among other things we get a some punk chick nudity courtesy of Helena Quinton, stabbings, a hanging, dead bunnies (real according to Lester), a guy high on angel dust falling off a flagpole, Roddy McDowall teaching biology with an interesting choice of motivation technique, a hilariously chubby Michael J. Fox, a gang rape, a death and dismemberment by table saw and an awesome live performance by punk rock group Teenage Head. Mark Lester has made some really entertaining flicks in the past and Class of 1984 was one of his best, he also returned to highschool territory in the sequel Class of 1999 which I haven't seen yet but I might check it out later although I heard that it was a totally different film. Writer Tom Holland went on to direct Child's Play and pull double duty on the fantastic Fright Night.
The theme song was also performed by Alice Cooper and can be found on the "Zipper Catches Skin" album, yeah it does sound very 80's but it really captures the time period in which the film was made in. Anchor Bay did a terrific job with this transfer, the image quality looks very clear and the aspect ratio is 1:77.1 Widescreen. As for the extras, first up we have a 35 minute featurette entitled "Blood and Blackboards" that featured interviews with Mark Lester, Perry King, and Merrie Lynn Ross (who played Mrs. Norris). This was a fun look back but I would have liked to seen the actors who played Stegman and his gang participate in this. Next, we have a commentary with Lester and DVD producer/moderator Perry Martin which was interesting but recycled much of the info from the featurette. Still, it makes me want to hang out with Lester for a day and talk about his films because he remembers being on set very clearly and obviously loves what he does. Rounding out the extras we get trailers, TV spots, a poster/still gallery and an 8-page booklet. As far as I'm concerned Class of 1984 works primarily as a piece of 80's exploitation trash, it's brutal, over the top, violent trash but it's great trash and it's very entertaining. If you like this kind of stuff then you're going to love it.
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Classic Oldie
Added 3/8/2009
Can't believe that Amazon had this DVD.
Looked for it for a long time. The last time I saw this was 25 years ago on VHS tape. I rented it at the video store for 88 cents!
Brought back memories of a crazy classic 80's movie.
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2.5 stars out of 4
Added 1/19/2009
The Bottom Line:
It's great fun watching Roddy McDowell totally lose it, but Class of 1984 is overall pretty routine; most of the acting is fine, but this is a standard "man pushed over the edge strikes back" horror film that doesn't rise above the ordinary.
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now this is a movie!
Added 4/15/2008
just found this obscure gem at Best Buy yesterday and watched it last night. i was blown away. terrific story, script, acting, directing, cast, aesthetics, and message.
yeah, this is a dark, bloody look at high school of the "future". i also liked the documentary about the film and stills in the extras section. it gets a well-deserved 5 stars from me, and i'm extremely picky about movies.
D
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