"Studen Bodies" is the movie that started the Horror parody movies. The winning formula of the movie is a mix between sexual/scatological humor and cheesy/teenager humor.
I had to dig into a rare video store's catacombs and after researching and finding some atrocities, I found "Student Bodies". I searched for this movie for years and finally the time came. The VSH copy I found to my surprise had good sound (although Mono) and decent image. I prepared myself pop corns and sat to enjoy this hidden gem.
The Slasher genre has a lot of clichès and "Student Bodies" makes the adequate and necessary parody of them. Sex being the motive for death scenes, gore, dumb characters and a lack of logic are the elements that this movie makes fun of.
The movie makes fun of "Friday the 13th", "When A Stranger Calls" and "Prom Night" mostly (also, look for the "Carrie" ending spoof). I wonder if Wes Craven was inspired by this movie to create "Scream" because most of it's scenes are very similar (including plot!).
The situations are very funny and perfectly mix with the funny lines and one-liners. With some discriminatory jokes towards a black guy, a minus-valid guy, a foreign student, etc. the movie works without being very rude. The script is clever and asks for the jokes and parodies. They don't make movies like this anymore. I prefer 10 times "Student Bodies" than the "Scary Movie" trilogy.
The actors do what they have to do. "The Stick" is a great comedian! and a cult classic character of the 80's cheesiness. The body count meter is another classic moment in the genre. I watched this movie under the name "Thirteen corpses and a half"; the title is explained because of the body count meter. My only beef with the movie is it's silly ending. I know the movie is a Horror Comedy but still the ending left a lot to desire. With a dumb explanation the events get resolved although I felt good for Malvert!
I wonder if they re released this movie in these days, would it be a hit? I think yes. It's a cheesy but funny movie and a good way to kill 80 minutes.
Student Bodies
1981
Action / Comedy / Horror / Mystery
Student Bodies
1981
Action / Comedy / Horror / Mystery
Plot summary
A killer named the Breather terrorizes students at a high school. Whenever the killer finds students having sex, he kills them. He has some intense issues with which to deal. He likes to breathe heavily, and he likes to make prank calls while talking through a rubber chicken.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
The best of it's kind. Way ahead of it's time.
"Sex kills! Sex kills!"
Before "Scary Movie" decided to spoof the slasher genre, the 80s had its very own send-up called "Student Bodies". It came quite early you might add, even before the sub-genre had completely hit it off. Anyhow despite that, we know where the ammo for this fun is coming from. "Halloween" and "Black Christmas" comes to mind. Quite variable, but this cheeky and in bad-taste enterprise pokes fun at everything (no one that's no one is safe),including itself which makes it enjoyably amusing as the typical stereotypes are turn upside down. The story is old-hat and a little tame, but the craziness of the situations makes it hard not to get a tickle out of it. The script holds an exceedingly self-knowing attitude, filled with smart-lipped dialogues and the humour is visually evident too. Slapstick bumbling (the murderer's weapon of choice is just ridiculous) to the humorous use of subtitles pointing out the obvious. The intro perfectly paints it ("I have the feeling this is the last time I baby sit"). Even the music score gets into the action. The apparent genre staples are turned into gags, because how blatant they are in a story's progression for things to work. Horny students, suspicious red herrings, virgin heroine and of course heavy breathing. Some gags are repeatedly used, some to good effect and others became a little tiring. After halfway through it was starting to wear a little thin, but then it breaks out even more insane revelations one topped off by another. There are about three climaxes! The ending has a nice little homage to a horror classic which you simply see coming. The performances are spot-on, aiming for a mock seriousness approach and it works with the kooky array of memorable characters like Malvert the janitor. A more than decent little slasher parody.
"What's Going on in my Home at 75 Cents an hour?"
Question:"Did you hang up?" Answer: "No I just said 'click'" This is just one of the hysterically funny lines in the very first horror-comedy ever made "Student Bodies"! This movie set the standard for future funny fear flicks like "Scary Movie" and it is hysterically funny. There are so many references to other movies in this one that at times it's hard to keep up. It's not just full of funny lines like "It was the killer, Chicken Lips!" but it is also full of funny visuals, like the teacher who erases the man's penis from the drawing on the chalk board and says "This is totally ugly, unnecessary and gets in the way!" or the teacher who quiets her class by clapping her erasers together and creating a huge puff of chalk dust! The killer wears green rubber gloves and uses the most bizarre murder weapons in cinema history such as an eggplant, a paper clip and yes even a horse head bookend! In this film you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about horse head bookends! This is a must-see horror comedy that will have you laughing till you pee yourself!