Class of 1984 (1982)

Director:

Mark L. Lester

Writers:

Tom Holland (story)
Mark L. Lester (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 August 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Class of 1984. Is this the future?

Plot:

Andy is a new teacher and an inner city high school that is like nothing he has ever seen before. The...

Plot Keywords:

High School | Teacher | City | Teenage Boy | Lesbian

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Perry King	...	Andrew Norris
Merrie Lynn Ross	...	Diane Norris
Timothy Van Patten	...	Peter Stegman
Roddy McDowall	...	Terry Corrigan
Stefan Arngrim	...	Drugstore
Michael J. Fox	...	Arthur (as Michael Fox)
Keith Knight	...	Barnyard
Lisa Langlois	...	Patsy
Neil Clifford	...	Fallon
Al Waxman	...	Detective Stewiski
Erin Noble	...	Deneen (as Erin Flannery)
David Gardner	...	Principal Morganthau
Steve Pernie	...	Rejack
Robert Reece	...	Leroy
Joseph Kelly	...	Jimmy

Also Known As:

Guerrilla High (Canada: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:18 (DVD rating) (uncut) (2005) | USA:R (cut) | Norway:15 (DVD rating) (2006) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2006) | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1982) (1983) (1986) | Finland:(Banned) (heavily cut) (1984) | Australia:R | Denmark:15 | France:-16 | Germany:18 (cut version: 2002) | Iceland:(Banned) | New Zealand:R18 | Sweden:15 | UK:(Banned) (video rating) (1987) | UK:18 (original rating) (cut) | UK:18 (video re-rating) (2005) | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Central Tech. High School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Guerilla High Productions

Trivia:

A real high school orchestra was used for Mr. Norris' band.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Perry puts the thug's arm on the table saw, the amount of blood, and its position, changes, depending on the shot.

Quotes:

Peter Stegman: Life is pain. Pain is everything.

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Soundtrack:

Ain't Got No Sense

One of the greatest exploitation movies of all time

Rape, gory violence, great villains, a killer signature song from Alice Cooper ("I Am The Future"), and solid performances from genre vets such as Perry King ("Mandingo", "Search and Destroy") and Roddy McDowell equal one of the greatest exploitation films of all time. King starts work at a crime-ridden school and is targeted by a nasty gang led by the disturbed, spoiled, vicious, gifted youth Stegman (Timothy Van Patten). Not able to ignore the non-stop assaults and abuse of other teachers and students, King wages a nasty war with Stegman and his goons and, in the process, endangers both his own life and the life of his wife. Director Mark Lester, who was handed the "Commando" gig after the surprise international success of this pic, never made another movie as tight, violent and dramatically coherent. It is a textbook example of how to do exploitation right. In addition to the mean-spirited mayhem, there are other special treats such as a moving scene in which the arrogant Stegman sits at a piano and plays like a maestro in front of his stunned class and teacher. Actor Van Patten, who gives a believable, knock-out performance, actually composed and played the piece himself. Michael J. Fox plays a nerdy student ally of King's, and McDowell, always reliable, is great as a teaching veteran pummeled into submission by decades of classroom violence. The film carried a prophetic message back in the early 80's when it was made, and it's a message that is even more appropriate today in our politically correct times where teachers have no power to discipline students and students have every right at their disposal and know it. The film's climax is explosive and Lester never lets a gory opportunity pass him by. A classic in every sense.