Customer Reviews

Cutting Class (Unrated Version)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

One thing you have to love about this movie is the angsty, sexually frustrated teen Brad Pitt--no one knew who he was then, and we can enjoy it at his expense now. Another is the light, almost frolicsome way we're taken through the string of murders and ensuing panic. Some people don't like this movie, but I think it's because they missed the sappy, pulsating heart of it. This movie wasn't meant to be taken seriously. It was meant to make us cheer when grumpy teachers and naughty, promiscuous teens meet their bloody ends. If you enjoy this one, you might also like Return to Horror High, which features not only Marcia Brady as a rather perverse cop, but also a young George Clooney, who has about five lines and then is the first to die (the indignity!). Anyway, Cutting Class has my favorite quote from a teen slasher, and it might give you some insight into what you'll be getting out of this movie: "I was a murderer. It wasn't as prestigious as being a doctor or a lawyer...but the hours were good."

Plain and simple, watch it! At first you may find it a mistake that anyone could love or even like this movie, but once you get about half way through, you'll understand. I saw this movie many years ago and to this day I think about how funny some of the scenes and lines were. Classic B or C movie. Add it to your collection.

Gigantically entertaining, scrumptiously sexy slasher/who-done-it combo, set in a high school where the student population is beginning to be killed off. "Cutting Class" is obviously not re-inventing the wheel plotwise, but it does what it does with extreme flair and effectiveness, being one of the few from the vast batch of relatively unknown, sequel-less, usually direct-to-video horror slashers released regularly in the 80s/early 90s (and, welcomely, to an increasing extent today) that can actually hold its own with the best of the famous fare, like "The Return Of Michael Myers", "Jason Goes To Hell" and "Wrong Turn". Unpredictable, with the rare distinction of having some genuine wit and humor instead of just wince-inducing would-be jokes like many of its peers. The acting is several cuts above the norm for similar unheralded high-school horror types, starring Jill Schoelen (from the 1989 "Phantom Of The Opera" and "When A Stranger Calls Back", among others), Brad Pitt, Brenda Klemme (who also shone in "The Channeller", another of horror's unheralded greats), Donovan Leitch, Roddy McDowell (from the original "Planet Of the Apes" series) and Marin Mull. Some unexpectedly tense moments, but also manages to be huge fun without ever straying into the dreaded realm of corniness.

And did I mention how sexy this is? From Jil's quick wardrobe change to Brenda's pantyless cheerleading performance, this is red-hot. Does it with class too - hot and delightful but never crude or vulgar.

Right now, it looks like videocassette is the only place this can be tracked down. If any DVD licencers are seing this (like maybe Anchor Bay, who's earned a great reputation by releasing obscure/unavailable titles on the DVD format), please do us all a favor and at least consider putting this out, preferably with the original late 80s version cover, in a done-right, high-quality audiovisual version (not just transferred directly off a faded fiftenn year-old tape like a few movies seem to have been on some of the smaller distributors. I don't know, maybe it's not their fault, maybe they simply can't afford to do a decent remastering or transfer?) For the record, a few of the other horror movies that NEED to be out on the DVD format are "Elves" (with the "Gremlins" stuff, this is one of the few great Christmas-oriented horror movies, in my opinion), "Basket Case 2" (1 & 3 are out now), "The Channeller", the Barker/King-derived "Quicksilver Highway", "The Channeller", "Night Terrors", the sizzling white-hot "Spellbinder", "Ghoulies III" (flawed but with some awesome moments) and the tragically unappreciated/maligned "Rawhead Rex" and "Proteus".
Until then though, a videocassette copy of "Cutting Class" (or the other above-mentioned) are well worth snapping up for your collection.

Omg, I haven't seen this movie in years! Yes, ladies and gents, that *is* Brad Pitt on the cover, but the cover tries to fool you. This isn't Brad Pitt's breakout roll, that was the hitchhiker in Thelma & Louise. But this movie may be one of his first films. He plays a minor character with one scene of his own.

Cutting Class isn't a great classic like The Haunting or The Legend of Hell House. So why three stars instead of two? Because it was a favorite of mine, and anyone who enjoyed movies like Chopping Mall, Night of the Comet, Prom Night, or Return to Horror High, etc will find this movie to be an enjoyable addition to your collection!

District Attorney Martin Mull leaves on vacation to go duck hunting, leaving his pretty teenage daughter home alone. Sure, she's responsible enough to be trusted by herself for an entire week...at least, to a point. But hey, I can understand the peer pressure being a little more influential when Brad Pitt is your boyfriend. The timing is impeccable, though, for a institutionalized young man to be released after five years for killing his father. Returning to school after such a stint is enough of a transition to deal with. Now imagine daily electric shock therapy during said stint on top of that. Still, there should be no jumping to conclusions when the high school's faculty and student body starts, well..., losing bodies. You can't rule out perv principal Roddy McDowall, for example. And everybody knows the high school custodian is as much of a suspect as, say, the butler in the old mansion when it comes to whodunits. Only there's not as much mystery as there could have been. Or horror. Or comedy, for that matter. Maybe that's the reason this "cult classic" falls into so many subgenres; nobody can determine exactly where it should go due to its content. The interest in seeing an early major role for Pitt will likely provide the majority of the contributing towards any longevity this quasi-slasher film has. Still, there's enough small doses of blood/gore, T&A and chuckles to feel your curiousity was treated fairly. 5.5/10

I already bought this back in 2007 b/c I grew up watching the VHS version time after time. I was pleased as punch when this arrived in the mail & I promptly watched it. There are some inconsistencies from the original VHS. the DVD is missing blood spurts & some gore. Cutaways are used instead. I was looking through the reviews to see if anyone else had caught them, but did not see anything mentioned. I'm going to pick up the AmazonUK version to see if their version is closer to the one I remember from my younger days. Great little movie, though!

This is the very first movie I ever saw starring Brad Pitt, and I just knew he was going to be a superstar someday. I was only 12 years old at the time when I first watched "Cutting Class" (over and over again, BTW)... so I basically already knew who Brad was, and fell in love with him and his acting wwwaaaaayyy before almost any of those "Legend Of The Fall" or "Interview With The Vampire" fans that all of a sudden spewed out left and right during his mid 90s climb to superstardom. So HAH!! *insert sarcasm* I'm SPECIAL!! <<------------------------ J/K BTW. My brother and I still quote this movie to this day, LMAO. "I thought it was going to be a little bit more romantic than this, but I guess I can't have everything, can I?"

Anyways, I couldn't wait for this DVD to be released, and as soon as I saw that it was out-- it was MINE, muhahahahaha! It's about time it came out, too!! When I think of Brad--I think of this cheesy teen-slasher flick first, LOL. It seems that almost all big celebs start with horror movies during the very early days of their careers before they 'make it big'. Personally, I'm a horror-movie fanatic to the CORE, so I don't think it's that big of a deal at all. Plus hey... ya' gotta start somewhere right? ;)

This movie has all the elements needed for a good "B" slasher movie spoof. I was surprised to see all the talent in this. I will not mention everyone as the surprise is worth experiencing. I will mention the Principal, Roddy McDowall, who as you remember was his own intriguing teen movie "Lord Love a Duck" (1966).
The basic "who is doing this and why?" story starts out with a Father going hunting and leaving his (you guessed it) inappropriately clad daughter home to study. Now we add to the mix several suspects. The boyfriend (Brad Pitt) that seems a tad dysfunctional. Their old friend (Donovan Leitch) fresh from the psycho ward. And a whole cast of uniquely weird suspects that all had motive and opportunity.

A pretty good array of dispatching tools are used, as people are being removed right and left. They left out the railroad tracks and the saw mill (close though) and the kitchen sink.

I f you enjoy this sort of movie then you need to see one that does rings around this one with a similar scheme "Student Bodies" (1981),where they use Horse Head Book ends.

This movie (although a horror movie) is very funny! Brad Pitt was an exceptional actor (and always will be). His co-stars were just as good. And I give this movie two thumbs up!! :o)

Slasher film from the Eighties...with humor as a side dish. Delightfully conceived and ardently executed (along with several students)...you will find yourself slyly amused and asking if Brad Pitt could ever have been that young and in need of acting lessons! The real stars of the movie carry it well with Martin Mull and Roddy McDowall taking kudos for scene stealing. This movie had it's own self-deprecating humor woven in and I for one think it is a perfect sendup of the genre and a clever beginning for Brad's career. That is...for those of you who remember who he was before he became the male side of Brangelina.