Synopsis
A lesson in terror.
A Boston police detective investigates a series of gruesome decapitations of various college coeds, committed by a helmeted, black-leather clad serial killer.
1981 Directed by Ken Hughes
A Boston police detective investigates a series of gruesome decapitations of various college coeds, committed by a helmeted, black-leather clad serial killer.
Leonard Mann Rachel Ward Drew Snyder Joseph R. Sicari Nicholas Cairis Karen MacDonald Annette Miller Bill McCann Margo Skinner Elizabeth Barnitz Holly Hardman Meb Boden Leonard Corman Belle McDonald Edward C. Higgins William McDonald Kevin Fennessy Edward Chalmers Jr. John Blood Lisa Allee Elizabeth Alice Patricia Pellows J.J. Wright Ted Duncan Patricia Rust Jane-Leah Bedrick Wally Hooper Jr. Kevin King Nancy Rothman
Terror Eyes, Escuela Nocturna, Les yeux de la terreur, Il killer della notte, Psicosis II, Ojos de terror, Escuela nocturna, Terror Eyes - Der Frauenköpfer, Les Yeux de la Terreur, 지성의 한계, Fejvadászat Bostonban, Escola Noturna, 夜校惊魂, Вечерняя школа
This is a super fun giallo-sequels slasher from the early 80’s that I can’t believe I’m just now seeing for the first time. I mean look at that poster. Look. At. It. It’s beautiful especially with the ridiculous tag line that’s unfortunately not on this particular version of the poster shown: “A is for Apple, B is for Bed, C is for Coed, D is for Dead, F is for FAILING to keep your head!” lol wut i love it.
It’s not terribly gory, but it’s got some great scenes. There’s one involving a decapitated head that you know is going to pop up at some point, but damn if it isn’t a great tense time getting there. The killer looks…
American giallo from Ken ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ Hughes with a decapitation twist features a leather clad, helmet wearing biker picking off women left and run with a kukri Blade. Heads will roll.
Lecherous professors, carousel decapitations, grime crime Boston, severed heads galore, and dead coeds, Night School is a moody piece with a great sleazy early 80’s Boston setting, nice editing, and quality direction. It isn’t perfect (pacing gets a little wonky in the middle) but it delivers the goods, there’s a lot to like here.
Finally got around to checking out the Warner Archives blu and although it’s light on features it looks way better than my old dvd—worth picking up.
#SlasherSaturday
Very solid giallo/slasher. I loved the opening merry-go-round kill. After the opening, I was really hoping we would be getting a variety of playground kills. Monkey bar massacres, and see-saw slashings. That was not the case, but plenty of heads roll (float) as a result of the knife weilding, motorcycle helmet weilding killer. I was close to 3.5 stars, but the killer was incredibly predictable. Has excellent giallo vibes though.
Great pick, @BrashBelle.
Degrees of Kevin Bacon: 2
1. Rachel Ward and Rose Byrne in Peter Rabbit
2. Rose Byrne and Kevin Bacon in X-Men: First Class
Night School reminds me of a ‘70s Italian giallo. A slasher, made before the rules of the slasher game were published in the slasher manual. It features a synth-esque musical score, a few red herrings and a killer who never takes off their motorcycle helmet. Also, an ending that’s literally, laugh-out-loud hilarious.
My favorite character is the sidekick cop with a perm. Night School isn’t too gory, but it still manages to bring some chills and thrills. My issues have to do with the slowish beginning and the sad fact I correctly guessed the identity of the killer without using any of my lifelines. Still, Night School is a serviceable entry into the slasher canon of films.
Heads up!!
A sleazy American Giallo being the final film from the man who directed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sounds Like some made-up fact but here we are with NIGHT SCHOOL! A leather-clad killer on a motorbike armed with a Kukri slicing, dicing, and in most cases decapitating a bunch of Coeds in the Boston area. The killer would later be ripped off in NIGHTMARE BEACH at least in this case boston is a bit more of a realistic setting to be going around butchering people in leather than on a damn beach but I digress.
I really dug the opening sequence on the merry-go-round it made the opening decapitation a creative fun kill from the get-go unfortunately the rest of the…
“The old head-in-the-fish tank routine”
‘Twas a fine giallo-esque (autocorrected esque to Edwige and I laughed out loud, Edwige Fenech💘) slasher based in Boston (while no one has that strong Boston/Bawstin accent, which was truly missed) there’s a killer wearing a full-blown biker outfit, helmet and leather gloves, carrying a large curved knife, ya know the one to decapitate womens heads and leave them in... wet places...for people to find...
Immediately sold.
Thought the pacing was pretty good, with.. kill, story, kill, story, slow motion kill, story...so it was pretty entertaining from start to finish.
The only thing truly missing is the excessive gore (and previously mentioned Boston accent) but not too bothered by it, easily forgiven with that intense…
2nd Ken Hughes (after Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
Night School is what happens when you let a professor get really too deep into his research assistants. I'm pretty sure that smearing your lover with tribal paint taken from your anthropological research trips is some sort of violation of good practice as a professor, but considering the upper management of the Wendall College I don't think there's much professional oversight in place. Definitely cause for an external investigation. But I do love an English voice in an American film. Like a cup of tea at a Golden Corral. And Rachel Ward's honeyed tones and feathered hair makes this tensely rendered (check out that café misdirect!) Boston horror weirdly comforting to a filthy Limey like me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be having a weak tea with milk. No need to get it for me, I'll do it myself.
Ken Hughes in Order:
1. Night School
2. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Scavenger of Human Sorrow (A Spooky Season Marathon)
If you'd told me yesterday, that the director of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang directed a giallo-esque slasher, and that it's actually really friggin' good, I... well, I would have probably believed you but I would have thought it was weird.
Anyway, this was great. Toronto-born cinematographer and frequent Cronenberg collaborator, Mark Irwin, brings some stylish visuals to the table. There's a bangin' Brad Fiedel score. The motorcycle-helmeted, leather-clad killer is all spiffy looking. And heads are never where you expect them to be. What's not to love?
I will say, however, that the killer's identity is telegraphed pretty early, if you're paying attention.
*** Potential Spoiler ***
I said to Jozlyn, "If the waitress is the next victim, I know for sure who the killer is." And, sure enough... the stew is ready.
Watched with Jozlyn
A is for Apple
B is for Bed
C is for Coed
D is for Dead!
F is for FAILING TO KEEP YOUR HEAD!
How's that for a tag line holy smokes! I wish they went through the whole dang alphabet! Night School is a subtle little slasher/giallo that opens with a bang!
A woman is merrily riding on a merry go round when a motorcycle helmeted figure approaches...he starts spinning her ferociously. As she starts screaming and flinging around the killer takes advantage of the merry go round velocity and wallops her head off! W IS FOR WATCHOUT FOR HEAD WALLOPS!
A Killer is stalking college girls and carrying out ritualistic decapitations. A subject covered in one of their…
A nice little early 80s studio slasher with heavy Hitchock/Giallo influences and some gnarly kills for what I assumed would be pretty tame (and a badass slasher, too—a psycho biker w/ an elaborate knife and a penchant for lady night school students). The killer reveal is sorta stupid/sorta vibey, and overall it’s nothing special within the genre, but I had a fun time with this.
[OkGOREberfest ‘23, Day 14, #31]
“Let’s hope this isn’t going to become an epidemic.”
Jarring to watch a giallo in English. Set in Boston. Americans! My brain kept anticipating the sound not to match up to everybody’s lips, and then when it did, WHOA. Fun. First five mins and we got a killer wearing black head to toe and a bike helmet (Strip Nude, anyone?) chopping off heads around 6pm EST.
Rachel Ward makes a hell of a debut adding some classy Britishness to the investigation. Unique & sexy shower scene*, terrifically timed slash cuts, strong 80s vibe. “Man is the only animal who kills his own kind for the sheer pleasure of it.” Mm hmm. Nah, babe. There’s always a reason.
Many thanks…
“The old head in the fish tank routine huh?”
A leather clad jump-scare fuelled decapitation joint this may be, but a Giallo? Yeah, nah. I don’t think so. Although Night School does carry an interesting crime procedural storyline, it’s just not got that uniquely Italian feeling to distinguish it from the plethora of similar night stalker films of the era. Somewhere between ‘Psycho’ and ‘9 1/2 Weeks’, with a feint whiff of ‘Strip Nude for your Killer’ perhaps.
That being said, the storyline stands up well, the Hitchcockian vibe is pretty damn sexy and the addition of tousled lovely Rachel Ward really adds something, in an Edwige Fenech kinda way.
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