User reviews

One of the great exploitation films of all time built equally off mainstream society's inherent mistrust of youth culture and a complete misunderstanding of the causes of criminality. To Sir, With Love meet Death Wish. Memorable performances by Roddy McDowell and a young Michael J. Fox add to the cult cache of this intentionally shocking, explicit and problematic classic.

I kinda hated this film when it first came out, thinking that it was unrealistic and ultra-violent, what with the metal detectors at the entrances to the high schools and depictions of punks, etc...little did I know. This film, a kind of update of "Blackboard Jungle" by way of "Clockwork Orange" and "Death Wish" is a fascinating look at an urban high school controlled by punk gang leader Stegman (Timothy Van Patten). Perry King plays the new music teacher, and he gives a decent performance. Roddy McDowell steals the show as the biology instructor. His best scene -- pointing a gun at his students and threatening to kill them if they get the wrong answer to a science question! This film is extremely well made, a classic b-movie that is first rate compared to junk like "The Faculty" or any of the other awful "I Know What you Did Last Summer" type of teen flicks out these days...

"Death Wish" meets "The Blackboard Jungle" in this brutal, increasingly violent thriller. If I were to judge it from a strictly objective point of view, I'd have to be very negative - it's a totally exploitative piece of work. But there is something inherently absorbing about this movie, and you simply can't take your eyes off it. Its 93 minutes pass like a breeze, and for that alone it probably deserves two stars. Has pretty good acting, too.

The 1980s were a bit of a let down after the 1970s for exploitation fans, but there were a few gems released alongside the 'Risky Business's and 'Mr.Mom's. 'Chained Heat' and 'The Exterminator' immediately spring to mind, and 'Class Of 1984' is another. This movie has got it all - a cheesy theme sung by Alice Cooper, a high school terrorized by drug dealing punks, a classic sequence where a square student, high on something or other, decides to salute the flag... at the top of the flagpole... plus a bit with rabbits which I won't spoil. TV regular Perry King, no stranger to exploitation movies (see 'Mandingo'), plays a new and idealistic music teacher. He is befriended by another teacher, the cynical secret drinker Roddy McDowall ('Planet Of The Apes'), who tries to wise him up. Future 'Sopranos' writer/director Timothy Van Patten plays Stegman who sells drugs to his classmates, and leads a ruthless gang of hoods. When King tries to break Stegman's hold on the school he enters into a world of pain. This is a silly but hugely entertaining pile of trash. Be sure to keep an eye out for Michael J. Fox in one of his earliest roles, as a horn playing dweeb. Director Mark Lester eventually made a sequel in name only 'Class Of 1999', but it was disappointing and silly sci fi nonsense about robot teachers. I can't recommend that one but 'Class Of 1984' is classic beer'n'pizza material that will be enjoyed by any fans of nasty b-grade exploitation.

On the arrival as a replacement music teacher in a dangerous high school, Andrew Norris (Perry King) befriends his colleague Terry Corrigan (Roddy McDowall). The veteran teacher advises Andrew to overlook what the students do, but Andrew clashes with the seventeen year-old delinquent Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten), who is the leader of a violent gang that deals with drugs and prostitution and intimidate the other students. While trying to get evidence to arrest Stegman, Andrew organizes an orchestra with talented students. But the reaction of Stegman and his gangsters put in danger Andrew and his pregnant wife Diane Norris (Merrie Lynn Ross).

"Class of 1984" is a 1982 film that foresees the situation of many schools in the present day. The violence in the early 80´s seemed to be exaggerated but unfortunately has become reality. The performances are believable and the conclusion is satisfactory. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Donos do Amanhã" ("The Owners of Tomorrow")

When looking to create a movie that will agitate the Tipper Gores' of this world, you simply combine sex, violence, teenagers, rock music and presto you have The Class of 1984 :)

For me Class of 84 (as it was known amongst my school friends at the time) was the greatest of all the trashy exploitative movies that exploded via home video.

Actually a pretty good story (definitely not knew) revolving around anarchy and authority, played out in school. The acting (if we dare call it that) is uber cheesy but gets the job done. The violence and sexual aspects of the movie are strong, even though not as much details is shown as we would all experience in movies throughout the years.

Does hold its place as the king of the trash :)

Strong as well as brutal entertainment , set in the near future , and dealing with Andy (Perry King , he was the first and only actor considered for the role) , a man happily married to a pregnant wife called Diane (Merrie Lynn Ross) . He is a new music teacher who has his own ideas of discipline . He goes to work at an inner city high school that is like nothing he has ever seen before , as he must face off a motley crew of adolescents in the classroom . Ring leader is a student psychopath (Timothy Van Patten) , a baddie who doesn't seem human , he leads his groupies on a reign of terror through the high school halls . Meanwhile , a teacher (Roddy MacDowall , though Dennis Weaver was originally offered the role but turned it down as being too violent, and this character was inspired by several true stories of school violence director had read about in papers) has brought a gun to class to control his students . There takes place some murders and a police inspector (Al Waxman) starts investigating with no results . The ominous group carries out a gang rape , then the music teacher pull off his vendetta leading to an ever higher body count . As a high school teacher determines to enforce law and order by using all kind of means , including torture and killing . Class of 1984 , is this the future?

Well-remembered violent school drama from the eighties in which teenager gangs terrorize the entire high school and surroundings executing crimes and murders at random . This nasty as well as thoughtless film contains thrills , chills , intense drama , high body count and lots of violence . In fact , due to the films violent content Lester had a difficult time getting a US distributor for the film, though overseas numerous distributors bought the film and made it quite successful abroad . Upset at the violent content after a screening, screenwriter Barry Schneider had his name taken off the credits as a screenwriter of the final film . This is a bloody and gory remake update of ¨Blackboard jungle¨ (1955) . Nice acting by Perry King as an idealistic teacher in a slum area who fights doggedly to dominate his unruly students . Special mention to Timothy Van Patten playing as one of the worst villains of the cinema history and a brief role by subsequently famous Michael J Fox . As nearly every shot of Timothy Van Patten is done from a low angle, to make him more threatening. The picture achieved great success and some theaters showed the film on double bill with 'The Road Warrior (1981)' . Evocative cinematography , though a perfect remastering is urgent . Director of photography Albert J. Dunk was hired by Mark L. Lester after Lester saw his work in the film Incubus (1981). Thrilling and creaking musical score by Lalo Schifrin with initial song by Alice Cooper . The motion picture was professionally directed by Mark L Lester, who he calls this his best film . Being shot in 45 days and he cited 'Clockwork Orange (1971)' as the films biggest influence .

The original picture dealing with a teacher fighting students and violent confrontation in the classroom was ¨Blackboard jungle¨ (1955) by Richard Brooks with Glenn Ford , Anne Francis , Louis Calhern , Sidney Poitier , Vic Morrow , Paul Mazurski ; it was followed by this ¨Class of 84¨ by Mark L Lester ; continued by ¨Class of 1999¨ by Mark Lester with Malcolm McDowell , Bradley Gregg , Tracy Lind , Stacy Keach , Pam Grier , Patrick Kilpatrick ; and another sequel titled ¨Class of 1992¨ by Spiro Razatos with Sasha Mitchell , Nick Cassavetes ,and Richard Hill .

wonderful and amusing punk rock version of the teen gang movie. when new teacher andy norris (perry king) arrives at lincoln high, he unwittingly pits himself against a gang of punks led by the legendary timothy van patton (who shocks the audience with a beautiful self-written piano solo). as norris continues to investigate the punks' behavior, he finds himself and his wife caught up in violent world of high school brutality. some of the best and worst moments in video history are caught within the action-packed 93 minutes. absolutely fantastic cult film, deserves many, many viewings...

At Lincoln High School, new music teacher Andrew Norris (Perry King) eagerly approaches his new position while being warned to keep his expectations in check by biology teacher and new friend Terry Corrigan (Roddy McDowall). Andrew's path eventually crosses with Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten) a psychotic and manipulative delinquent who also operates various criminal enterprises using his status as a minor to avoid consequences. As Andrew tries to teach his students and create a good learning environment, Stegman and his gang engage Andrew in an escalating feud.

Class of 1984 is a 1982 revenge thriller made by noted drive-in director Mark Lester and marked something of a transitioning point between Lester's grindhouse work to more mainstream fare like Firestarter and Commando. Inspired by the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle as well as the decay that had overtaken his former high school. Lester collaborated with Tom Holland and John Saxton on the screenplay. While the film only performed modestly upon initial release, it received decent critical reception from many who appreciated the film's satire of decay of educational institutions as well as the performances. Class of 1984 follows a familiar template, but it does so with intelligence, humor, and a certain level of tradecraft that you just have to appreciate.

Perry King makes a likable hero as Andrew and you really buy him as someone who's dedicated to teaching and who values education and his students. King has some great moments with Roddy McDowall's Terry Corrigan who gets to exhibit a wide range of talents including subtle humor, heartbreaking tragedy, and over the top anger that it's little wonder McDowall would go onto another project with Holland leading to his iconic performance as Peter Vincent in Fright Night. But stealing every scene he's in is Timothy Van Patten as Peter Stegman who is an effortlessly hateful antagonist who has the brains and the charisma to make it look easy and really makes us want to see him knocked down a peg. Van Patten is just fantastic in this film and with both his performance and the way his character is written, he's like a James Cagney type hood filtered by way of James Dean's image and he walks that line between being legitimately threatening and also darkly humorous.

Class of 1984 is a fantastic exploitation film and it's everything you want to expect from a movie of this ilk but with that extra something that really makes it stand out.

Rape, gory violence, great villains, a killer signature song from Alice Cooper ("I Am The Future"), and solid performances from genre vets such as Perry King ("Mandingo", "Search and Destroy") and Roddy McDowell equal one of the greatest exploitation films of all time. King starts work at a crime-ridden school and is targeted by a nasty gang led by the disturbed, spoiled, vicious, gifted youth Stegman (Timothy Van Patten). Not able to ignore the non-stop assaults and abuse of other teachers and students, King wages a nasty war with Stegman and his goons and, in the process, endangers both his own life and the life of his wife. Director Mark Lester, who was handed the "Commando" gig after the surprise international success of this pic, never made another movie as tight, violent and dramatically coherent. It is a textbook example of how to do exploitation right. In addition to the mean-spirited mayhem, there are other special treats such as a moving scene in which the arrogant Stegman sits at a piano and plays like a maestro in front of his stunned class and teacher. Actor Van Patten, who gives a believable, knock-out performance, actually composed and played the piece himself. Michael J. Fox plays a nerdy student ally of King's, and McDowell, always reliable, is great as a teaching veteran pummeled into submission by decades of classroom violence. The film carried a prophetic message back in the early 80's when it was made, and it's a message that is even more appropriate today in our politically correct times where teachers have no power to discipline students and students have every right at their disposal and know it. The film's climax is explosive and Lester never lets a gory opportunity pass him by. A classic in every sense.

Perry King plays Andrew Norris, a new music teacher at an urban school where the walls are covered in graffiti, students have to enter through metal detectors and some of the teachers are armed. He quickly comes up against a very nasty gang of school bullies, led by Stegman (Timothy Van Patten), culminating in the rape of his wife. We have Clockwork Orange gang violence meets revenge in the manner of Death Wish, this is a very violent movie that was subjected to a great deal of censorship. I have the original British Thorn EMI VHS, this was a popular choice to teens such as myself back in the 1980's, but was very heavily cut. My 7/10 reflects this. As was the case with many movies we have minors being played by actors who were in their 20's but one notable name amongst the cast is Michael J Fox. The late, great Roddy McDowell is great as a somewhat camp science teacher who ends up losing the plot and conducting his class at gunpoint. Brilliant! Class of 1984 is an excellent example of 1980's violent exploitation, I do need to seek out an uncut - or at least more complete - version. Alice Cooper sings the "I am the future" on the soundtrack, not one of his better songs in my opinion.

I've seen this flick a few times throughout the decades and clearly remember the first time I did. It was on the boat my uncle was a captain of at the time and we were headed down the Mackenzie River in Canada's North. That was during the summer and in the year of this movie's title.

I thought it was riveting and disturbing that first time I saw it on TV in that ship's galley. They had a collection of videotape movies there and Class of 1984 was among one of them. Now that I viewed it last night on my Blu-ray player, I got refreshed on the disturbing subject matter of this old film. It still holds the disturbance today like it once did eons ago on that cruise down the river.

I also viewed everything last night from a more wiser and older perspective now which is what I'm now basing my review on. There's all the elements here of a good teacher trying to cope with the hellraising atmosphere of the new urban high school he's gotten a job at, but his sincere efforts proved to be futile. It's all due to an arrogant gang of punks who cause chaos and problems within the school system and a principal who constantly turns a blind eye to it all.

Timothy Van Patten.is absolutely menacing here as the leader of the hoodlum gang who clearly has psychotic problems, but that no one else seems able to see or prove, except for the new music teacher, Mr. Norris. The harassment, bullying and downright malicious actions of the gang is rampant in the school, but of course, the authorities can't do anything about it due to the "lack of proof".

There's overtones of "Death Wish" when the gang starts attacking Mr. Norris on a personal level, such as making attacks on his home and later, to his spouse. That gets things kicked into ultra-revenge mode and causes Mr. Norris to fly at the hoodlums in a rage.

This is indeed exploitation at it's highest where a teacher struggles to overcome the evil and manipulating ways of a blood-thirsty teen gang who constantly use, "I'm just a kid" to escape persecution from the authorities. Their tactics work, but later, as their actions get more gruesome and more heinous, the more the victims start to lash out at the trouble they are causing.

Roddy McDowall is a highlight as the science teacher, Mr. Corrigan, who always looks the other way regarding the nuisance of the gang, but when one of their attacks finally falls on him, he has major trouble dealing with that. His sanity is then brought into question afterwards when he tries to teach his students with a gun pointed at them. He had clearly reached a breaking point.

This movie is definitely not a pleasant one, most especially the frustrating and difficult situation Mr. Norris found himself in regarding the gang's evil attacks. He tries to expose their criminal deeds, but ends up getting branded as the bad guy instead due to the gang leader's downright dirty way of framing him for assault.

Things, of course, brew up into an explosive confrontation during a school concert. There's no holds barred here on revenge and it's all a -cat-and-mouse-game until the teacher finally tries to get the justice he's been wanting, but at a bloody level.

This old movie addressed the violent nature of inner-city schools way back in 1982 and the message can still be heard these four decades later. It also came out way before the Columbine tragedy and other notorious school shootings occurred. It clearly expressed a message that still hasn't been solved to this day.

The graffiti covered school featured in this film back in 1982 symbolized the problems that can be found within the educational system and it's a problem that still persists now. All in all, this is exploitation at it's most graphic, but at the same time, delivers a powerful message about how the education system really needs to finally change.

I do recommend this film, but only for those who are able to stomach the violent scenes depicted. Not for all tastes, but it's effective as far as revenge movies go. It's well acted too.

Class of 1984 (1982) is an entertaining and thought-provoking combination of the Vigilante and High School Drama flick. The film describes the punks as the next generation of important people. It was done as a reworking of Blackboard Jungle (it is much better than Cruel Intentions and more gutsy). Class of 1984 (1982) is an errie movie because the depiction of unsafe Urban high schools, metal detectors at schools, and security guards would be a reality eight years later in many high school cities. It is a courageous movie that isn't afraid to deal with important issues. Class of 1984 (1982) will be noted for the appearance of Michael J. Fox known in the credits as Michael Fox.

Considering this was an eighties exploitation film I was surprised to see that it is still relevant today. The problems in our schools haven't changed in twenty years. I found the political satire truly fascinating and the fear of a school run by a gang of drug dealers and not the authorities that should have been running it a genuine nightmare. The problem is that there are many unbelievable and questionable factors associated with the production. This is entertaining mostly because it shows that nothing changes (except special effects) in a stark way. Deserves a graphic disturbing remake now!

This film begins with some statistics being flashed on the screen detailing the number of violent acts committed in American schools per year. The scene then shifts to a young man by the name of "Andrew Norris" (Perry King) arriving at Lincoln High School to begin his first day as a teacher. To that effect, one of the first people he meets is a biology teacher named "Terry Corrigan" (Roddy McDowell) who gives him a little advice and then shows him to the principal's office. To his surprise, "Principal Morganthau" (David Gardner) also gives him some dire warnings prior to his first class as well. Not long after that, he has his first encounter with some rowdy students who are led by a teenager named "Peter Stegman" (Timothy Van Patten) and things immediately deteriorate from that point on. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was one of those films that features a number of violent and sexually explicit scenes which are clearly not intended for a general audience. Having said that, however, none of these scenes are really that unique and there isn't that much gore associated with them. But there is some surprise value here and there and quite a bit of suspense throughout as well. On the minus side, these scenes tend to get more ridiculous the further along this film continues and eventually ends with an extremely preposterous conclusion. How disappointing, as this could have been a really great film. Be that as it may, it's still entertaining to a certain degree and I have rated it accordingly.

Class of 1984(1982) is trash at it's best. Punk kids running the schools, driving the teachers crazy. An idealistic teacher (Perry King) tries to change all that. But like all people who share his ideals in movies, they always run into a couple of bad eggs. This time "Teacher" has several of them,and their leader (Timothy Van Patten) who enjoys making the faculty go crazy. Everyone except "Teacher", he's from the "there's no such thing as a bad kid" school of thought. Boy, is he wrong. When those two bump heads, it's show time!! Over the top acting and mugging coupled with huge amounts of sleaze and bloody, bone crunching scrapping makes this one a winner. Check out the very young and pudgy Michael J. Fox! Roddy McDowall co-stars as a teacher who's seen way too much. One scene from this classic was shamelessly ripped off in 21 Jump Street!?

Highly recommended for cult fans.

"Class of 1984" must be the grandfather of all those 'teacher gets victimized by students and has to take matters into his/her own hands' flicks we have all come to know and love. ("The Substitute," "187," "Dangerous Minds," etc...) The teacher in this one is played by a rather wimpy guy who gets harassed by a group of 'punks' who throw around the N word and base their operations in the back room of a shady punk rock hole in the wall club. Gosh, how scary! The dude ends up being tortured by these punks, led by Tim Van Patten, who went on to direct several episodes of "The Sopranos." Timmy is not very scary, but he pulls off the roll okay because he is pretty likable as a punk rocker. The others in his gang include a fat boy who wears swastika t-shirts, a super pale blondish chick, a psycho dude who likes playing with chains and various other undesirables.

If you have seen films like "Tenament: Game of Survival" or "1990: The Bronx Warriors," "Class of 1984" will not bring you anything you haven't seen before. The last 15 minutes definitely redeem it. I was beginning to get sleepy about halfway through.

5 out of 10, kids.

Class of 1984 (1982) is a movie I recently watched on Shudder. The storyline follows a high school that has become overrun by gangs and students with little to no regard for the staff and school rules. When one teacher thinks he can make a difference he may discover he's bit-off more than he can chew.

This movie is directed by Mark L. Lester (Commando) and stars Perry King (Mandingo), Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future), Roddy McDowall (Fright Night), Merrie Lynn Ross (Bobbi Jo and the Outlaw) and Timothy Van Patten (The Sopranos).

It was awesome seeing a young Michael J. Fox in this. The storyline is a bit over the top, but they do a good job setting the tone with the opening statistics and building off that message to create an entertaining film. They did a good job making the kids the villains and horror elements. The gang segments were well done. I really loved the intensity and acting for those gang members. The ending for this is out of this world, unpredictable and very well done.

Overall this is a fairly unique film with better action and acting than you'd expect. This is a very solid movie that I'd score a 7.5/10 and strongly recommend.

There's not much more to say, I'm a huge mystery science theater fan and somehow I overlooked this film my whole life. Any chance to see Timothy Van Patten chew scenery like he's Jack palance is A OK by me. I think this is the slowest burn in human history, but man does it catch up at the end.

This film is really vile. It plays on the urban paranoia of the 70s/80s and puts it into a school context. I'm not saying that urban crime wasn't a problem for a lot of people or that schools weren't/aren't problem areas but this vile piece of exploitation takes the biscuit. Violence is beyond anything realistically imaginable but in this case it's not a case of social issues but a white, upper-middle class student uses it to turn himself into the crime kingpin of his local high schoiol. And of course he knows how to play the system. Does that sound familiar. Yes. This turd is pure violent exploitation, a really nasty piece of work. It's disturbing brutality dressed up as a social comment. This belongs in the same category as trash like Exterminator, Death Wish 2-5 and so on and so on. The only remarkable thing is that Michael Fox was so broke at the time that he had to do stuff like this.