Massacre At Central High (1976) - Coming Soon from Synapse Films!

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Lord Summerisle

Hopefully a standard edition is in the works. This is way overpriced. I've paid $50 for a single movie exactly once: Synapse's Suspiria steelbook. Unlikely to happen again unless it's something major like Dawn of the Dead.

Originally Posted by darkness2918

I’m also waiting for the standard edition like I did for all the other ones that got steels first.

I have no regrets having purchased the Steelbook but that is largely influenced by the fact that I've purchased all the other Synapse Steels except for Living Dead at Manchester Morgue. Had I not already had all those others it would have been easier to wait for a standard edition here. I will say that of all the previous steelbook releases I'd consider this to be the weakest of the films and one that arguably had no business being a steelbook in the first place. The film is interesting and enjoyable but has no business carrying a $46 price tag. You both are smart to wait this one out. It isn't essential viewing as far as I am concerned and your enjoyment will likely be more significant if/when you have the satisfaction of knowing you paid a fair MSRP instead of the inflated one currently available.

[The Great Owl]

David, played by Derrel Maury, is the new kid at Central High, a school run by three sadistic bullies who constantly torment other teenagers on the lower rungs of the pecking order. Our antihero protagonist is torn between loyalties, since his old friend, Mark, played by Andrew Stevens, runs with tough crowd in order to fit in, and since Mark's girlfriend, played by Kimberly Beck, has her eye on him. David takes a stand to protect other students, only to be attacked and severely injured by the gang. After a hospital stay, he returns to school with revenge in mind. During the days that follow, as the bullies are hunted down one by one and as social hierarchies shift in unexpected ways, bloodshed and mayhem become the new classroom lessons.

The 1976 horror thriller, Massacre at Central High, written and directed by Rene Daalder, initially comes across as a standard exploitation revenge slasher, but the narrative takes some darkly fascinating social commentary side roads during the final half. The end result is not far removed from William Golding's 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies, which explores the notion that unrest and violence are inherent fixtures of human interaction. The fact that this screen tale focuses solely on the young characters without featuring any adult parents or teachers adds immensely to the menacing thematics.

When I first saw Massacre at Central High during my own adolescence, I was awed by the creative murders, including the electrocution death of a teen who flies into power lines while hang gliding and the bloody demise of a diver who leaps into an empty pool. Several years later, I was amused to see it airing as a double feature with the 1989 dark comedy, Heathers, for reasons that become apparent during both films. A sappy coming-of-age type of song, "Crossroads" by Tommy Leonetti, guides us through the opening credits as just one of this movie's many curveballs. This is hardly Academy Award material, but it is a wildly entertaining and surprisingly resonant endeavor.

Be on the lookout for Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith, whom all of you know from Caged Heat and The Pom Pom Girls, as a blonde student. Robert Carradine, who also appeared in The Pom Pom Girls before enjoying mainstream recognition as a lead in Revenge of the Nerds, also has a prominent role. Kimberly Beck would go on to star in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.

This Synapse Blu-ray sports a beautifully filmic video presentation. I wish that all such drive-in movies from the 1970s would receive such love in high definition. A long documentary with present-day interviews from many key players is a joy to watch. Right now, I'm enjoying the audio interview tracks.

[Jobla]

Kimberly Beck played the smarmy neighborhood girl who made things uncomfortable for Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock's MARNIE (1964), although Beck wasn't listed in the film's credits.

[Matt89]

So I caved and bought this after saying I would wait for a standard release. LOL. F*ck it, I've waited more than a decade for this film to get a proper release. Last time I watched this was on VHS. Can't wait to finally have a watchable version of this film, and the reviews have been extremely positive. I also really want to check out the making-of doc included on the disc.

Would make a nice double (or triple) feature with Savage Streets and Class of 1984, and I may or may not do just that when this arrives.

~Matt

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Matt89

So I caved and bought this after saying I would wait for a standard release. LOL. F*ck it, I've waited more than a decade for this film to get a proper release. Last time I watched this was on VHS. Can't wait to finally have a watchable version of this film, and the reviews have been extremely positive. I also really want to check out the making-of doc included on the disc.

Would make a nice double (or triple) feature with Savage Streets and Class of 1984, and I may or may not do just that when this arrives.

~Matt

That has basically been my response to every steelbook release they've put out (minus The Living Dead in Manchester Morgue). I've found pre-ordering immediately upon announcement takes out most of the sting of overpaying as I am typically at peak excitement/enthusiasm at that point.

[jaws3dfan]

This was a blind buy for me and I loved it, the Steelbook looks amazing, the movie itself was great and the PQ was top notch!

Scenes in the movie I didn't expect to see:

[Show spoiler]"Trish" from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter do full frontal nudity
"Mary Bradford" the oldest daughter from "Eight is Enough" topless
"Lewis" from "Revenge of the Nerds" as a Hippie having a 3-way with 2 hot chicks.

[DaveyJoe]

Something like

[Show spoiler] six high school students explode in this film.

Movie is crazy.

[Matt89]

Love how shipping came to almost $30 CAD for this and my order has sat in pre-shipment for almost 5 days now, yet an order I placed directly from Eureka in the UK was shipped within hours of placing my order and delivered in 5 business days. And shipping on that was FREE.

They can at least hurry the f*ck up when you're paying $80 CAD for a single order. Christ.

~Matt

[davidthenikonuser]

Originally Posted by Matt89

Love how shipping came to almost $30 CAD for this and my order has sat in pre-shipment for almost 5 days now, yet an order I placed directly from Eureka in the UK was shipped within hours of placing my order and delivered in 5 business days. And shipping on that was FREE.

They can at least hurry the f*ck up when you're paying $80 CAD for a single order. Christ.

~Matt

It's probably moving in the system, but not getting scanned. Post Office his been doing that a lot lately.

[Matt89]

Originally Posted by davidthenikonuser

It's probably moving in the system, but not getting scanned. Post Office his been doing that a lot lately.

Alright well that is good to know lol.

Watch it just show up with zero movement in tracking.

~Matt

[drb124]

Are people getting emails with tracking info or what? I bought a copy on the 26th and nothing.

[defile959]

I didn't get a shipping email or tracking details. A box just showed up unexpectedly one day.

[mantro174]

I didn't get a shipping email either so I won't worry if that is normal for Synapse.

[nekromantik]

come on announce standard now lol

[emmet otter]

Has Synapse ever dropped a price of a limited steel close to around $30?
It is my understanding that they are still sitting on a ton of these, collecting dust.

[scribe1964]

Originally Posted by emmet otter

Has Synapse ever dropped a price of a limited steel close to around $30?
It is my understanding that they are still sitting on a ton of these, collecting dust.

Yeah, I've wanted to see this again for quite a long time, but not enough to pay for the steel book (especially since I expect to be underwhelmed).

[HorrorBlu]

Living Dead At Manchester Morgue just got a standard release announced coming June 7th (steelbook released Sept 2020). Central High steelbook was two months later in November 2020.

[nekromantik]

Originally Posted by HorrorBlu

Living Dead At Manchester Morgue just got a standard release announced coming June 7th (steelbook released Sept 2020). Central High steelbook was two months later in November 2020.

yup lets hope they announce standard edition of MACH next month

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by emmet otter

Has Synapse ever dropped a price of a limited steel close to around $30?
It is my understanding that they are still sitting on a ton of these, collecting dust.

No, and they won't either. They sat on those copies of Demons/Demons 2 for years and years until they finally sold through the full allotment of them. It's more likely that a standard edition will come along and they'll continue to charge full price for the steelbook at conventions and online than it is that they'll drop the price.

[BluPat]

Bought this from Synapse and it's shipped. I haven't seen all of this movie just bits and pieces so I watched the trailer and I laughed out loud at the end of the trailer when the dude

[Show spoiler]opens his locker and then *BOOM*!!!!

lol I just found that hilarious.