Tags:
Film: Student Bodies
Year: 1981
Director: Mickey Rose
Writer: Mickey Rose
Starring: Kristen Riter, Matthew Goldsby and Jerry Belson
Review:
This was a film that I used to catch parts of when it was on the movie channels while growing up. I didn’t fully understand it and never saw it start to finish. This is one that went on a list of movies to check out now that I’m more versed in horror as well in the slasher subgenre. The randomizer selected this as part of my New Year, New Movie segment.
Synopsis: a serial killer with his signature heavy breathing systematically kills the students and teachers of Lamab high school.
We start this with text that makes this seem like it is based on a true story, but it is pointing out how well horror films have done recently. This then shows us a house. We see it over a few different holidays that are associated with slasher films before we hear someone heavy breathing approach on Jamie Lee Curtis’ birthday. Inside is a babysitter, Julie (Angela Bressler). She is getting obscene phone calls while she waits for her boyfriend. He scares her but that doesn’t stop them from going upstairs. More comedy ensues until she is killed with paperclips and him by a garbage bag.
This then shifts over to the funeral where we meet our cast of characters. Our lead is Toby Badger (Kristen Riter). Her boyfriend is Hardy (Matthew Goldsby). They have an odd group of friends who we get to meet. Also attending and speaking at the funeral is Principal Peters (Joe Talarowski), his secretary Miss Mumsley (Mimi Weddell), the woodshop teacher named Mr. Dumpkin (Joe Flood) and even the janitor, Malvert (The Stick). Everyone here is also a suspect, since two teens go off to have sex in a car and are murdered, one with a wooden horse head. The guy is once again killed with a trash bag.
Others of this class are picked by this mysterious heavy breather. Toby ends up at the crime scene and she becomes the prime suspect. She is sent to Dr. Sigmund (Carl Jacobs). He is unable to rule her out as a suspect and with his report back to the teachers, it just makes her even more suspicious. As more of her classmates and faculty are killed, the list of suspects gets narrower.
I’m going to leave my recap and introduction to characters there. This is a hard film to talk about because it is outrageous by nature. There are things that I’m leaving out and that includes naming off all of Toby’s friend group. Since this is a satire that is mocking the slasher genre, this is by design. It almost feels like the movie Airplane! There are gags and set pieces where people are killed that you’d think someone would see something. That’s not the point until that part of the story is here. I’m not even entirely sure there aren’t cheats. I’m going to be lenient for everything I've said here because I did have fun.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, what is impressive is the fact that we are only a couple years into the slasher boom when they’re already parodying it. This film is ahead of its time there. Not only that but it pokes fun at the likes of Black Christmas, Halloween, When a Stranger Calls, The Shining, Friday the 13th and Prom Night. There’s even a homage to Psycho and Carrie. None of these references feel forced which is credit to what they were able to do. It feels like a precursor to Scary Movie.
Then to take this further, what this also does well is incorporating different characters as red herrings. Malvert is an odd janitor. This is a character who could be a killer in a movie like this. Our lead character of Toby is against having sex and pushes her friends to not. She has an odd back-story that would make someone in a giallo or slasher be a killer so she is a likely suspect. It is even gialli-like to prove her innocence. There is also a creepy woodshop teacher, where one of the murder weapons is an item that they make in class. That is just to bring up a few things that help this film for sure. I do need to say here that this uses a troupe that I don’t care for in movies. What they do here though is funny since it pays homage to a classic film. Again, I’ll let it slide.
Since I’m talking about the characters it only seems right to then discuss the acting performances. What I’ll say there is that no one is great, but since this is a comedy that is also by design. Riter though is solid as our lead. What is funny is that they dress her to look homely until the night of the school dance. Goldsby plays well off her. I like Flood, Weddell, Talarowski, Jacobs, The Stick and the rest of the teachers. They make solid red herrings along with the other classmates. They fit what is needed to make this movie work.
All that is left then is filmmaking. For me, this is funny but it does go on a bit too long. This runs under an hour and half, but the problem is that this doesn’t have the most coherent narrative. Since it is just a series of solid set pieces that lead to the next kill or set up something that will happen next, it just is disjointed. The cinematography is fine, especially the point of view shots with the killer. What is funny there is that he’s a heavy breather. There are times where I’m shocked someone can’t hear them. They also say things under their breath that made me chuckle. I do have a gripe that the kills aren’t better. Using the garbage bags as a weapon for the males makes sense. I just wanted more though when other weapons are used. What we do see is fine though.
There isn't much more that I want to say so in conclusion, this film is ahead of its time. We are getting a parodying early into the slasher boom which is impressive. I like all the references and what they poke fun at. There are good elements for a story here, but it ends up feeling a bit disjointed. The actors were all solid, being led by Riter. I do think that the cinematography and sound design were good. More from the effects are needed though for this to be better as a slasher, even if this is a satire. I would recommend it as the oddity it is to fans of the subgenre. Not so much if you want a true horror movie.
My Rating: 6 out of 10