Based On a Play?

 

(youtube)

THE GALLOWS-2015-Really annoying found footage nonsense about a bunch of high school dorks who plan on finishing a play that was interrupted 10 years earlier when a kid was accidentally hanged during the performance. A bunch of them get trapped in the theater and seem to be terrorized by the dead kid's spirit. Lots of shouting, characters making faces and emoting outrageously, shots of the floor and characters feet. Occasionally a guy in a hangman's outfit shows up. Of course, a sequel was made. 2 directors are credited.

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Hey Cat!

 

 (imdb)

DARK CAT-1991-In this slight anime, 2 brothers Ryoi & Hyoi, are actually shape shifting cats battling their former master Jukokobu, a green faced demon at their high school. Tentacled monsters attack and two students are caught in the middle. Generally dissed by anime smarties because of it's dubbing, I kind of liked it. Director Iku Suzuki is also known for URUSEI YATSURA and RANMA ½.

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High School Punks

 

 (subscene.com)

CLASS OF 1984-1982-New teacher Andy Norris (Perry King) runs afoul of a moronic gang leader Stegman (Timothy Van Patten) in a high school from hell (Abe Lincoln High). His gang includes Stefan Arngrim (TV's LAND OF THE GIANTS) and Lisa Langois (also in DEADLY EYES the same year). They terrorize the school with shakedowns, drugs and gang fights and have no respect for anyone. Norris butts heads with them despite warnings from a pathetic principal (David Garner) and an alcoholic bio teacher Corrigan (Roddy McDowall). The gang puts on masks and squirts Norris with blood, then beats him up and burns his car. When Norris' appeals to Stegman's equally moronic mother fail, he uses reverse psychology and wrecks Stegman's car. Corrigan freaks out when they kill his rabbits, and he threatens them with a gun then gets drunk and tries to run everyone over before dying in a fiery car crash (stand out performance). 

An ineffectual police officer (Al Waxman) is no help either. While Norris tries to whip the school band into shape, a nerdy student (Michael J. Fox) who is due to testify against the gang is stabbed during a lunchroom melee. It cumulates with the gang raping and kidnapping Morris' wife (Merrie Lyn Ross). He goes for revenge and despite taking a few lumps destroys the gang and saves his wife. Stegman winds up hanged to death over the concert hall.

There's a lot of violent action in this typical '80's revenge action story by director Mark L. Lester. Screenplay by Tom Holland (Lester says much of it was based on several real-life incidents he read about).

Thanks for reading. Class dismissed....

John Ashley

HIGH SCHOOL CAESAR-1960-At a high school for over aged teenagers tough guy Matt Stevens (John Ashley) and teen thug buddies rule with fists and intimidation. He even rigs the school election so he becomes class president and his little boy toy Cricket (Steve Stevens) becomes treasurer. The principal is a real dullard who has no idea what's going on. Matt is actually a spoiled rich kid whose parents aren't around. Despite being a big bully he’s unhappy and after ripping off some student dance money he goes home and cries. Trouble starts when Matt plans to set up Cricket with a girl named Wanda (Judy Nugent). He dispatches his girlfriend Lita (Darla Massey) to set this up but Wanda wants no part of it. Lita doesn't tell Matt and pretends the whole date is ready but Wanda only has eyes for Bob (Gary Vinson). At a place called The Wagon, Matt confronts Bob who punches Matt after he slaps Wanda (who called Matt a “pampered pretty boy”). Then Bob’s friend Kelly (Lowell Brown) wins Matt’s gold coin in a drag race. Later Matt forces Kelly off the road and he’s killed in a crash (Matt takes his coin back). Everything seems ok until two of his henchmen are almost caught stealing from the school. And when Matt kidnaps and tries to molest Wanda, Cricket in a jealous rage admits to everyone that Matt was responsible for Kelly's death. Matt’s birthday party is ruined when everyone turns against him and Bob roughs him up. He’s left alone in the dirt a whimpering jerk. 

HIGH SCHOOL CAESAR really pushes the envelope on adults playing teens and it's obvious this kind of teen drama was on the way out by 1960 to be replaced with “beach” movies. Ashley would co-star in a few (and suffer a starring role in Larry Buchanan's ATTACK OF THE EYE CREATURES) before acting in and producing horror movies in The Philippines. Writer/director O'Dale Ireland also made a movie called DATE BAIT (with Gary Clarke) the same year. Other than that his claim to fame is having edited Al Adamson's PSYCHO A GO GO!

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The Fix Is In

THE BASKETBALL FIX-1951-Alone in a bar, reporter Peter Ferreday (John Ireland) remembers how he helped high school basketball player Johnny Long (Marshall Thompson) get a scholarship with the help of coach Becker (Walter Sande). Mike Taft (William Bishop)), a sleazy bookmaker involves Johnny in a shaving points scheme. Johnny is in a money crunch taking care of his little brother and wants to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend Pat (Vanessa Brown) (“Can you put glory in the bank?”). He gets in too deep, gets beat up and ruins his whole life. Nobody's learn a thing since....

This low budget film noirish quickie that's very serious and doesn't have a happy ending was directed by Felix E. Feist who a few years later made DONOVAN'S BRAIN and later moved to TV. A year earlier lead actress Vanessa Brown had played Jane to Lex Barker's Tarzan in TARZAN AND THE SLAVE GIRL.

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Tamara

 

TAMARA-2005-A high school student named Tamara (Jena Dewan Tatum) is bullied and disliked by her classmates. Her father doesn't treat her much better. In her spare time she practices witchcraft. After some (typical) moronic students play a prank on her in a hotel room she's accidentally killed. Even though one of the girls involved wants to come clean, the others blackmail her to keep quiet and bury the body. Much to everyone's surprise the next day Tamara shows up in class. Apparently she's come back for revenge! In a cringe worthy scene she makes a nerd cut off his ear, part of his tongue then stab himself in the eye. She makes her pervert father eat beer bottles and makes two male jocks have sex together. Then she makes one of their bulimic girlfriends puke up her guts and eat her own fingers. The two remaining teens get help from a teacher Tamara has a crush on. She sends the two jocks to kill the teacher's wife in a scene that goes on way too long (the wife kills both jocks). It really gets ridiculous when Tamara terrorizes what's left of the cast in a hospital devoid of doctors, nurses and patients. The teacher sacrifices himself to destroy Tamara but they forget about one other person...

As back from the dead for revenge flicks go this isn't too bad but like most modern day horror stories it's too long and runs out of steam relaying on long chases and pointless secondary side stories. Director Jeremy Haft directed some video games after this and according to at least one source is writing the screenplay for a film bio of late rapper Tupac Shakur.

Because

BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG-1960-American Bandstand's Dick Clark (who died in April 2012 at 82)  is a new high school teacher. His students include a loving couple (Doug McClure & Roberta Shore; 5 years later they would both co-star on TV's THE VIRGINIAN) who want to get married, skinny Warren Beringer (who later became a pudgy TV character actor) who doesn't know his mom's a floozy, bad boy Riff Rimer (Michael Callan) and his ex-girl friend Anne (Tuesday Weld) who has a nagging mother. Chris Robinson (later the lead role in STANLEY) is a toughie who tries to cause trouble at a dance where James Darren and Duane Eddy (who also does the theme song) perform! 


Riff gets involved in a hold up staged by his butcher shop boss. Lying and misunderstandings (and a knife fight) follow but the man who made lip-synching fashionable on music shows straightens out everything in the end. 


Also with Victoria Shaw (who was Maria Van Braun in I AIM FOR THE STARS the same year) as Clark's love interest, Phillip Coolidge, Bess Flowers and John Zaremba. It's based on a novel called "Harrison High". 


The year before BTY director Paul Wendkos had directed the original GIDGET (and would also make its two sequels) but later devoted himself mostly to TV. 


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