Someone is killing students and staff at a local high school. Cutting Class won't be the only crime committed in this fairly unknown late 80's slasher.
The film begins with introducing us to Paula, a young high school student who is dating a popular jock type named Dwight. A fellow student of theirs Brian has just been released from a psychiatric facility and we seen that he and Paula have a little chemistry with one another. This of course makes Dwight very jealous which leads to many fights and arguments between the two teen boys. As the movie goes on, an unseen assailant starts attacking and murdering members of the school faculty, all of whom have either upset or affected Paula in some negative way. Once the killer is revealed, it will be up to Paula to escape death and end their reign of terror.
Cutting Class was an average addition to the late 80's slasher genre, giving the audience nothing they haven't seen before. The whodunit plot was super predictable which took a lot of the fun out of watching the entire movie. Some of the scenes and dialogue were super corny, especially surrounding Paula's dad and his hunting trip gone wrong. I think the movie could've done without it honestly. In terms of positives, I enjoyed the Paula character (mostly due to Jill Schoelen and her final girl brilliance).
In terms of acting, we get Brad Pitt in his film debut (a film he no doubt wants to forget exists). I thought he was a great actor as the lead male, juggling the hero and villain role very well. Jill Schoelen was her usual awesome self, she really excelled in these "final girl" horror roles throughout the late 80's into the early 90's. Other than that, we get almost cameo like appearances from Roddy McDowall and Martin Mull. Nothing spectacular.
Overall, Cutting Class is watchable, but will definitely not blow your mind with entertainment and scares. It's a fun sleepy murder mystery at times and features a very young Brad Pitt, but can drag on a bit and the ending is ho-hum at best, very predictable. If you're a horror completist like myself, I'd give it at least a watch.
5/10.
The film begins with introducing us to Paula, a young high school student who is dating a popular jock type named Dwight. A fellow student of theirs Brian has just been released from a psychiatric facility and we seen that he and Paula have a little chemistry with one another. This of course makes Dwight very jealous which leads to many fights and arguments between the two teen boys. As the movie goes on, an unseen assailant starts attacking and murdering members of the school faculty, all of whom have either upset or affected Paula in some negative way. Once the killer is revealed, it will be up to Paula to escape death and end their reign of terror.
Cutting Class was an average addition to the late 80's slasher genre, giving the audience nothing they haven't seen before. The whodunit plot was super predictable which took a lot of the fun out of watching the entire movie. Some of the scenes and dialogue were super corny, especially surrounding Paula's dad and his hunting trip gone wrong. I think the movie could've done without it honestly. In terms of positives, I enjoyed the Paula character (mostly due to Jill Schoelen and her final girl brilliance).
In terms of acting, we get Brad Pitt in his film debut (a film he no doubt wants to forget exists). I thought he was a great actor as the lead male, juggling the hero and villain role very well. Jill Schoelen was her usual awesome self, she really excelled in these "final girl" horror roles throughout the late 80's into the early 90's. Other than that, we get almost cameo like appearances from Roddy McDowall and Martin Mull. Nothing spectacular.
Overall, Cutting Class is watchable, but will definitely not blow your mind with entertainment and scares. It's a fun sleepy murder mystery at times and features a very young Brad Pitt, but can drag on a bit and the ending is ho-hum at best, very predictable. If you're a horror completist like myself, I'd give it at least a watch.
5/10.