Nick Duguay This really is somewhat of a hidden gem among slashers, which as you will know if you are a slasher aficionado, is a valuable find. I went into Night School not really expecting much for some reason. Well, I say 'for some reason', but let's face it- even if you are a hardcore slasher and/or horror fan, you can't deny the fact that most of these films can be unoriginal at best and downright trash more often than you'd like to admit. Especially 80's slashers, i'm sad to say. But every so often in our sojourns we find a pleasant surprise that makes the hours spent watching awful movies worthwhile. Night School is one of those movies. This film, while really not too original, is still head and shoulders above most of its peers. Beholden more to the Italian giallo of the decade before than its Halloween inspired contemporaries, Night School makes up for what it lacks in plot with atmosphere and campy situations and dialogue. I say campy, but I mean campy in the way that films such as Suspiria or even Friday the 13th were campy; the dialogue can be peculiar and silly but it contributes to an overall sense of dream logic. The London setting also adds to the overall atmosphere. In conclusion this film is a good (but not great) one by my standards, but don't go into expecting a typical 80's cheesy slasher. I enjoyed it once and I'd probably enjoy it again; I'd say it's definitely worth a re-watch. Oh and as a little side note all of that talk about anthropology and ancient cultures practicing beheading and cannibalism gave me an intense urge to watch Fulci's Zombi 2 again... seek it out and watch it if you can get your hands on it, that one is highly recommended if you like Italian cannibal exploitation films.

Mr_Ectoplasma "Night School" has the female students of a Boston night college quite literally losing their heads at the hands of a psychopath in a biker helmet, with an anthropology graduate student (Rachel Ward) caught in the middle of it all.Overlooked and underexposed are two key words that come to mind after seeing this film; it's been bashed by critics and hasn't exactly gotten the love that other slashers of the period have amassed, but I knew I was in for a treat from the film's opening scene. I won't claim that the film is wildly original, because it obviously isn't— but it does have unique touches to it and some of the most savage murder scenes of its era. Directed by Ken Hughes— who, strangely enough, directed "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" a childhood memory of my own— the film opens with a horrific slashing scene involving a merry-go-round that sets the stage for what's to come. The cinematography here is moody and dark, and the photography of Boston's cobblestone streets and foggy evenings are effectively creepy. The attention to the city itself and its old-world architecture gives the film an almost British feel.What I found perhaps most impressive about the movie is its understated yet absolutely macabre murder scenes. The body count is relatively low compared to many of its peers, but each kill here counts. The method is the same in each scene, and yet it doesn't become any less unsettling as the bodies begin to pile up. There is little in the way in of extreme gore (in fact, Hughes sort of teases the audience by rarely giving in and showing us all), but the horrendous sound effects that come with each slashing, paired with the jarring score and killer's POV shots make the scenes unexpectedly disturbing.Off-setting the film's gritty edge is the slightly comedic relationship between the determined lieutenant and his bumbling assistant. Unconventional thematic elements are also at play here, including a blatant anthropological bent to the entire murder plot, an examination of the sexual politics of academia, and a surprising lesbian subplot between a female professor and her student. Rachel Ward plays Eleanor Adjai, the cool and levelheaded graduate student, and the film is ostensibly most known for being her film debut. Drew Snyder plays her smarmy professor, and we also have Leonard Mann as the headstrong "Harvard" police officer.Some have said the conclusion to the film is predictable, which I suppose is true, but given the context, this was a fairly original approach for 1981 (albeit a bit of a self-conscious riff on Hitchcock and the Italian giallo). There is a well-shot motorcycle chase sequence through Boston's narrow streets that concludes the film, as well as a nice graveyard denouement. A final "gotcha!" moment closes the proceedings, that appeared to me to have been directly lifted four years later in Paramount's "April Fool's Day." In fact, there were several moments throughout that were reminiscent of other films of the era, including a bathroom scene that may or may not have been re-created in "Curtains," as well as a culinary disaster in the vein of a particularly grim moment in "My Bloody Valentine." The connections are difficult to make and it's hard to say who did what first given that many of these films were shot around the same time, but there are striking similarities nonetheless. "Night School," also distributed by Paramount, does seem to have the signature Paramount feel that many of these films had.Overall, "Night School" is an underrated slasher film that somehow was unjustly glossed over in horror history books. It is a smarter slasher film than most, and also successfully incorporates elements of the psychothriller to bolster its effect. It is effectively shot, and its confrontational yet tightfisted approach to violence make for some of the most jarring murder scenes of any eighties slasher. Highlights: the aquarium scene, and a wicked "Friday the 13th"-esque after hours diner attack. 8/10.

slasherstudios Anne Barron (Meb Boden) is a teacher's aide at the Jack-N-Jill Daycare Center in Boston. It's the early evening and the last child has been picked up by her mother. Anne is relaxing on the playground carousel when someone pulls up on a motorcycle, wearing a pink helmet. Anne is startled. Suddenly the stranger pulls out a machete and starts spinning the carousel. The machete is held up in the air and the terrified woman goes around and around - until she's struck with it.Judd Austin (Leonard Mann) is the cop assigned to the case. He is called to the scene and when he gets there, he sees a gruesome sight. The girl was decapitated and her head was put in a bucket of water nearby. The distraught director of the center tells the officer that Anne worked there during the day - and was attending night classes at Wendell College. At the hospital, Judd and his partner Taj (Joseph R. Sicari) discuss a similar case from the previous week. Another girl was found decapitated and her head was dumped in a pond. They wonder if there's any connection between the two murders."Night School" is a typical run-of-the-mill early 80's whodunit slasher with a decapitation twist. This is the kind of movie where half of the money is trying to figure out where the detectives are going to find the missing heads. The twist ending is pretty predictable and the acting is a bit wooden (Rachel Ward, in her film debut, is all sorts of terrible here) but the film is never boring and has been directed with style. Boston looks positively wretched on film here and it gives the slasher a bit of a grungy "Departed" vibe. Overall, it's definitely worth checking out, just check your expectations-and your head--at the door.

Dagon With a barrage of Slashers from the early 1980's, how could any casual horror fan keep all of them straight? Unless you're a fanatic, or have an extremely good memory – or both, then it's easy to get lost with so many titles to consider. This trend of repeating similarly-based movies isn't a foreign concept to cinema and yet the Slashers of the '80's stand out in most people's minds as an overbearing exercise. Night School, although existing on the rare side of the heap, is featured next on our operating table.Night School recounts the tale of a young teacher's aid found slain in a back alley. This vicious act featured her decapitation at the hands of an individual donning a black outfit and a darkened motorcycle helmet. Lt. Judd Austin, a scholarly and effective crime scene investigator, is called out to examine the details. He concludes that the victim was employed by a local all-girls night school. Judd broadens his investigation by interviewing several acquaintances of the deceased woman. The murders that follow thereafter all showcase the preferred method of execution – beheadings! These are tied closely together by an additional similarity; each severed head is submerged in water. The premise of this film spells out a traditional who-dun-it. Director Ken Hughes, the creator of this project, made his debut in the early '50's and Night School would be his last piece of work in the directorial field. He is also responsible for 1968's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Ken died at the age of 79 in 2001 and was not a major player in the horror industry by any stretch of the imagination. Night School was also the debut of Rachel Ward who led a successful career as an actress after her involvement with this movie.Right off the bat I noticed a glaring mistake in the editing. This can be the result of various practices – whether poor editing all around or a scene removal process to make the grade are viable occurrences to blame. Night School also went by the name of Terror Eyes in the UK and was denounced as a "Video Nasty" by the British Board of Film Censors in the 1980's. Like other films found on that list, the ban has since been lifted. Warner Bros currently owns the rights to Night School and fans have yet to see a DVD release as of November of 2010.The thing about Night School is that it's more of a cop story than your average teenage entourage ushered into slaughter. In this respect it's a breath of fresh air but with moments of cop humor thrown in for good measure it's hard to fully classify the film alongside it's kin. I certainly wouldn't be able to write an in-depth essay on the articulation of the actors and actresses found within but their mannerisms and emotional output are believable enough. As far as the characters go, the masked killer is highly reminiscent of that dopey buffoon that I had the displeasure of viewing in 1985's The Nailgun Massacre (well it's a stretch I guess).Night School's soundtrack was composed by Brad Fiedal – a young and ambitious composer at the time who would later be responsible for working on all 4 installments of the Terminator series. Fiedal can also be credited with the likes of Just Before Dawn from 1981, Fright Night 1 & 2, and the Serpent and the Rainbow. Fiedal currently works on writing and arranging original musicals and holds no interest in returning to cinema. It never ceases to amaze me how so many professionals get their start doing horror films in one way or another…almost as if it's the proving grounds for talent.I think all-in-all, Ken Hughes had fun making this movie. I believe the players did too. Night School is, to some extent, considered a rare Slasher in comparison to some of the other greats established in '81 (and not-so-greats, too). When we discuss a film's rarity in the horror genre one can rest assuredly that a cult following is close at hand. So where does that leave me? A film's notoriety isn't a selling point for me to own it – there has to be something more; an air of panache, a chilling soundtrack, or great set of characters. This particular title just didn't hold my interest for long. In order for someone to swallow the very large pill that Night School is, they'd have to be a die-hard Slasher film collector or a completist such as myself. Is it a rare film? It is, and if it has even stricken your fancy to embark on a Slasher tour perhaps it's within your interest to give this a once-over. Like Eyes of a Stranger, which I've covered previously, Night School plays it too safely and by the numbers. Don't expect anything shocking or dangerous.