{"id":1168,"date":"2006-06-04T10:10:55","date_gmt":"2006-06-04T17:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1168"},"modified":"2020-12-15T20:57:45","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T03:57:45","slug":"massacre-at-central-high-1976","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1168","title":{"rendered":"Massacre at Central High (1976)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;There&#8217;s definitely a message in all these accidents: the higher you feel, the deeper you fall.&#8221;<\/strong> <\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Poster-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Poster-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Poster-671x1024.jpg 671w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Poster.jpg 1933w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA high school student (Derrel Maury) takes revenge on the bullies who crippled him. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bullies<\/li>\n<li>High School<\/li>\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/li>\n<li>Serial Killers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review:<\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, this unusual hybrid film is &#8220;a real sleeper&#8221;. Unfortunately, its misleading slasher title will prevent most mainstream viewers from seeking it out (not to mention disappointing horror fans who are looking for typical mindless fare).  The story tells of a trio of bullies (Ray Underwood, Steve Bond, and Steve Sikes) who effectively rule Central High with their scare tactics. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies-1024x520.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"325\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies-1024x520.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies-128x65.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies-768x390.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies-1536x780.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies-531x270.png 531w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Bullies.png 1801w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But when newcomer David (Maury) manages to knock them off one by one (without adult intervention, it should be noted): <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution-1024x524.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"328\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution-1024x524.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution-128x65.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution-768x393.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution-1536x786.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution-528x270.png 528w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Retribution.png 1789w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; the remaining students prove themselves incapable of handling their newfound freedom &#8212; thus prompting Maury (once sincere and heroic, now cynical and heartless) to continue his descent down the slippery slope of retribution-by-death. <\/p>\n<p>Peary offers a fascinating, in-depth political analysis of the film in his <em>Cult Movies 2<\/em> (which I recommend reading). In a nutshell, he proposes that every character represents &#8220;a different political force&#8221;, and that Maury&#8217;s job &#8220;is to politicize [the two sympathetic protagonists], who are always neutral, and make them into activists willing to fight.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury-1024x524.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"328\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury-1024x524.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury-128x66.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury-768x393.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury-1536x786.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury-528x270.png 528w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Maury.png 1815w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic-1024x533.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"333\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic-1024x533.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic-128x67.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic-768x399.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic-1536x799.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic-519x270.png 519w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-Sympathetic.png 1759w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Many have likened this film to George Orwell&#8217;s <em>Animal Farm<\/em> &#8212; another tale of power and corruption told from the perspective of &#8220;lower class&#8221; citizens &#8212; and the analogy is apt: high school students and farm animals both represent &#8220;oppressed&#8221; citizens who ultimately require more than simply &#8220;freedom&#8221; to improve their lot. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fascinating use of a popular genre (teen slasher flick) to support a subversive message<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2-1024x517.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"323\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58128\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2-1024x517.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2-128x65.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2-768x388.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2-1536x776.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2-534x270.png 534w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/06\/Massacre-at-Central-High-David2.png 1803w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. Don&#8217;t let the low budget and mediocre acting turn you off; it&#8217;s the story that counts in this one. Discussed at length in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=5986\">Peary&#8217;s <em>Cult Movies 2<\/em> (1983)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0074875\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moria.co.nz\/horror\/centralhigh.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.terrortrap.com\/reviews\/massacreatcentralhigh\/\">Terror Trap Review (and detailed plot summary)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s definitely a message in all these accidents: the higher you feel, the deeper you fall.&#8221; Synopsis: A high school student (Derrel Maury) takes revenge on the bullies who crippled him. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Bullies High School Horror Revenge Serial Killers Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: As Peary notes, this unusual hybrid film is &#8220;a real sleeper&#8221;. Unfortunately, its misleading slasher title will prevent most mainstream viewers from seeking it out (not to mention disappointing horror fans who are&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1168\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58130,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions\/58130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}