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Class Reunion Massacre
[East West]
1978; color
Directed by Constantine S. Gochis
Starring: Jeanetta Arnette, Michael Hollingsworth, Gyr Patterson, Nikki Barthen, Nick Carter & Damien Knight
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Some films are forgotten classics, some are best left forgotten. Class Reunion Massacre falls solidly into the latter of those two categories. Shot in 1977 and released in 1978, this movie predates the modern slasher flick (even beating the release of Halloween by a full six months) yet displays some of the hallmarks of that era - possibly by sheer luck. Unfortunately it displays none of the flair and originality so many of those pictures had, which helped make the genre so successful. The first 30-plus minutes plods along at a snail's pace, and even once the first reunion attendee dies (at about the 45-minute mark) things still don't really pick up. 95 percent of the film is shot inside a now-closed down high school where six graduates have been invited for a ten-year reunion. Why only these six were singled out is never revealed. Nonetheless, once they realize they're the only people there, they ignore the oddness of the situation and dig in to the sumptuous banquet laid out for them. At some point they decide to try and call a fellow graduate who lives nearby, but the pay phone goes dead mid-call. Soon after we get the first killing, and then everyone realizes they're locked in and being hunted by a maniac. While a few different killing methods are employed (stabbing, shooting, flamethrower, drowning), and the kill scenes themselves are fairly well done for 1978 and an obviously threadbare budget, the characters so generally regrettable and forgettable you pretty much can't wait for them to get it over with and be killed already. Also released as The Redeemer: Son Of Satan! (which may have been it's original title) there's a religious / biblical set-up in the beginning and a wraparound biblical quote at the end that tries to serve as some sort of justification for the killings, but all that did was make me wonder if this film wasn't some thinly veiled scare tactic made by religious fanatics to scare wayward teens onto a more straight and narrow path. Seriously, with the exception of one cast member who was in a handful of films before this and has done tons of TV work right up to the present day, no one else involved with Class Reunion Massacre ever made another film, including the writer, director and producer. Then again, they may have all turned to different paths because this movie is so laughably bad it couldn't possibly bode well to have this as a credit on your acting resume.
—the Kommandant
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