NEON MARQUEE FILM FESTIVAL (PART 5): CLASS OF 1984 (1982)
While we await the reopening of all our favorite film houses, we’re presenting an ongoing online film festival of a genre (of sorts) of B grade Sci-Fi, legendary cult action and Martial Arts, some ‘so-bad-they’re-good’ faves and unintentionally funny bottom-of-the-video-store-shelf gems! Plus some cinematic misfires and titles that may serve as a great hangover film, movie comfort food or a perplexing head scratch as to how a film like this got made in the first place.
Our procedure will include a pre-show warm up of classic relevant trailers, clips and commercials, then a link to stream either through official channels or via YouTube (multiple options will be presented if possible).
Played in sequence, it’s just like being at the cinema!
TONIGHT’S FEATURE:
We’re going all in on the grindhouse with the schlock classic CLASS OF 1984 (1982) plus a reel of retro trailers and clips!
It’s the kids running the schools in the trashiest way possible! Like a nasty punk version of THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, we follow a new teacher (Perry King) at a troubled inner-city high school who ends up clashing with the delinquent leader of a punk posse that runs the school.
For it’s rather lewd content (including a rape scene), it received a banning in several countries. Censors in the UK, notoriously tough and resulting in the unofficial ‘video nasties’ sub-genre, kept it cut by almost five minutes until it finally saw an uncut release in 2005. An updated sci-fi theme lent itself to two sequels including the absurd CLASS OF 1999 (1990) that made the school district into a war zone and students up against cyborg teachers, followed by the imaginatively titled CLASS OF 1999 II: THE SUBSTITUTE (1994).
For the trivia minded, CLASS OF 1984 features a young pre-Family Ties Michael J Fox and Roddy McDowall, who starred as the ape Cornellius in PLANET OF THE APES.
Full of grit and grime and juvenile delinquency, plus a theme song by Alice Cooper, CLASS OF 1984 is all schlock and no class!
TRAILER:
PRE-SHOW REEL
Our pre-show warm up will help you settle into the mood with a collection of retro grindhouse trailers and clips!
Click play button above to start the show!
MAIN ATTRACTION
Also available to stream via AMAZON PRIME VIDEO.