CLASS OF 1984

Class of 1984

Every cinematic generation has its share of teen paranoia. From the rough and tumble greasers who drove around in their convertibles listening to rock n' roll in the 60s to the damn dirty hippies of the 70s, the cinema had a genuine preoccupation with the idea that the kids just ain't right. The 1980s were no different. There was a definite boom of apocalyptic films in late 70s and early 80s and the teen paranoia cycle this time around worked as an extension of that trend. The apocalypse was indeed upon us, only it wasn't going to take down the whole planet. It was confined within the boundaries of suburbia. While masked killers were running rampant, tearing apart students during their summer vacations or on weekends, during the school week they were well and truly ripping each other to pieces in the halls.


Class of 1984

A Canadian cult classic, CLASS OF 1984 finds an idealistic music teacher named Andrew Norris being dropped into the vicious hallways of Abraham Lincoln High School. Warned about the dangerous behavior of its students by the principal and a fellow teacher named Terry Corrigan, Andrew meets his class for the first time. This is also his first encounter with the school's head thug, Peter Stegman, and his drug-using, drug-pushing, pimping, murdering band of cronies. Andrew tosses Stegman and his crew out of the classroom, beginning a long and torturous series of confrontations that lead to the near fatal stabbing of a student and the vicious gang rape and kidnapping of his pregnant wife. Repeatedly frustrated by the lack of police action taken against Stegman (he is told more than once that without a direct witness, no action can be taken against a minor), Andrew rolls up his sleeves and takes matters into his own hands.


Class of 1984

Playing out like an exploitation version of BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, CLASS OF 1984 pulls absolutely no punches. Aside from a few unfortunate, unintentionally comedic moments, this film is as serious as can be. It is unrelenting in its desire to get across its message. Kids without supervision will become monsters. The only ones that won't will be the ones with no the power to defend themselves. Parental guidance will be replaced by peer domination and everyone will suffer for it. The only way to avoid the suburban apocalypse is through the strong handed application of parental and adult control. And if that involves a little bit of rough physicality, so be it. The revelation that Stegman is not only a vicious sociopath but a damned fine piano player serves as a fine example of this. Imagine what kind of a good kid he could have been if only his mother wasn't such a weak-willed waste that allowed her son to just lounge around on the couch and go out whenever he wanted.


Class of 1984

This clash between generations serves as the main thrust of the film with Andrew (played with conviction by TV regular Perry King) confronting Stegman, being beaten by Stegman, having his car torched by Stegman, etc. until he is forced into doling out bloody retribution. I find it amusing how my opinion of Andrew has changed over time. When I first saw this film, I was 12 or 13 years old. I remember disliking him greatly. Andrew seemed to me to be just another pompous adult throwing hissy fits and generally being a major buzzkill. While I found Stegman (played rather well by a pre-MASTER NINJA Timothy Van Patten) and his gang to be annoying and loathsome too, I was well on the opposite side of this films moral spectrum. As I've aged, I found myself becoming more and more sympathetic with Andrew. Having sat down for dinners with my girlfriend only to find our evening ruined by obnoxious teenagers or unsupervised children, my first thought on a great many of those occasions was along the lines of "where the hell are their parents?" I came to appreciate the need the need for proper moral, ethical and behavioral instruction. In other words, I became an adult. It will be interesting to see how I feel about this film once I've reached my "get off my lawn" years.


Class of 1984

CLASS OF 1984 would rest somewhere near the middle of my list of essential 1980s exploitation films. It definitely has a sadistic streak to it and an unwillingness to back down and play it safe. The revenge meted out by Andrew in the final third of the film packs a punch (especially a scene in which one of Stegman's crew is dispatched with a table saw) and while the message of the film (written in part by future CHILD'S PLAY and FRIGHT NIGHT director Tom Holland) is obvious, it never feels preachy or overbearing. Good clean fun? Definitely not, but it has attitude and velocity. It's easy to see why it is a cult classic.


Recommended.