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Kristen Riter, Matthew Goldsby, Richard Brando, Joe Flood, Joe Talarowski ... see more see more... , Mimi Weddell , Carl Jacobs , Peggy Cooper , Janice O'Malley , James Oscar Lee , Gary Chason , Cullen Chambers , Kevin Mannis , Richard Belzer , Sara Eckhardt

In this slasher film parody, a psychotic serial killer called "The Breather" is killing off sexually active high school students when not making threatening phone calls (with a rubber chicken disguisi... read more read more...ng his voice). Among The Breather's weapons of choice are paper clips, eggplants, and wooden horse-head bookends, and one of the murders is committed to commemorate Jamie Lee Curtis's birthday. Student Bodies was written and directed by Mickey Rose, who previously collaborated with Woody Allen on the screenplays for several of Allen's early films. The film had a notoriously difficult production and producer Michael Ritchie (best known as director of such films as The Candidate and Downhill Racer) opted to take his name off the picture, instead using the Director's Guild pseudonym Alan Smithee. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

50% liked it

2,810 ratings

Critics

29% liked it

7 critics

R, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: Joe Flood, Joe Talarowski, Kevin Mannis, Kristen Riter, Matthew Goldsby, Mickey Rose, Mimi Weddell, Richard Belzer, Richard Brando, Sara Eckhardt

Release Date: August 7, 1981

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DVD Release Date: June 3, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (232)

  • ajv2688
    January 10, 2011
    ajv2688
    A very funny spoof of slasher flicks! It's kind of stupid, but it's enjoyable anyway if you've seen a lot of slasher horror movies. I really enjoyed it.
  • matertenebraum
    September 8, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Exuberant, right-on parody of the then-current crop of horror films like HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH is one of the great parodies of the period, twenty years before SCARY MOVIE claimed to do the same thing for the first time! Like all good spoofs, it alternates between perfect ... read moreimitation and surreal departure. There's lots of sexy teens running about in bras and panties, and a really creepy double-jointed guy known only as "The Stick". And this may be the only horror movie to have its "R" rating stuck right in the middle of the picture, thanks to a hilarious bit excised from TV airings of this neglected comedy. Funny murders, kooky/grotesque characters, great trick ending. What's ironic is how many of the trademarks bits of these movies, like the stalking camera and the telephone terrorist, haven't changed a bit in two generations of bad horror films! Produced by the enigmatic non- producer, Allan Smithee. For my money, the three great parodies of this era are AIRPLANE!, CAVEMAN and this.
  • Beefy
    March 29, 2009
    Beefy
    "Talking?! During horse head bookends?!"

    Early 80's spoof of slashers is filled mostly with silly gags that don't work. A handful of them, however, made me laugh, so I'll be kind.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 14, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    A comedy spoof making fun of slasher film where kids at a high school are being killed off one by one. There were a lot of stupid groaner jokes. I liked the on-screen body count; a number would appear each time somebody died. The breathing on the phone bit was dumb. The killing b... read morey wooden horse head bookend in the wood shop was a bit overused. It had its good bits. They needed better writers to make some truly hilarious jokes like Airplane!, Naked Gun and Scary Movie installments have done.
  • snakegeek1
    October 6, 2010
    snakegeek1
    (film made in 1981)

    This film is based off an actual incident.

    Last year, 26 horror films were made.

    None of them lost money.

    So begins the horror spoof entitled Student Bodies.It is a very cute spoof of the slasher genre made in the same style as the movie Airplane! ... read morewhich served the movie well. I rather enjoyed it.

    Acting: well, the acting is decent. It was all that was needed for the movie. You don't need Anthony Hopkins level acting you just need enough so that the audience isn't cringing the whole movie with how dumb the actors are. And if the actors do act dumb, well, it can pass off as another element in the spoof of the slasher genre. 8/10

    Plot: The plot does many things to make the film enjoyable
    film points out stupid mistakes made by stupid slasher film teenagers and how repetitive those ploys can be. Although, this plot could be repetitive to the point of annoyance which was not good. It also pretty much combined a ton of slasher films into one. All told it spoofed The wizard of Oz, Psycho, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Black Christmas, When a Stranger Calls, Carrie, Carnival of Souls, and Prom Night. I feel that it does this very well. The Killer is a spoof off of the heavy breather sort of killer (most likely mainly Billy from Black Christmas) But I will say that his constant heavy breathing got annoying after a while. Overall though, I really really liked the plot. 8.5/10

    Screenplay: The film had a very very cute screenplay. They did little things with the script to make it really funny that you could catch if you paid attention. It is very quick humor. Since it is a spoof, there are points in the film that are really too ridiculous to even be considered good for any other genre but this one. But the screenplay helps solidify the fact that this film is so bad that it's good. I really enjoyed the screenplay and I found myself laughing at it quite a bit. 8.5/10

    Likableness. I really enjoyed the film quite a bit. I liked its spoof nature, I enjoyed the screenplay and the acting. There were a few points that I didn't enjoy. Mainly how repetitive the film could be but it was repetitive with a definite point behind it. I would highly suggest it to anyone who likes films like this. 9/10

    Final Score: 34/40 85% (N)


    TRIVIA TIME: 1. The film was funded by Paramount because of the writers strike that was going on in 1981. The studio wanted to put out as many non-union films as possible during the strike.

    2. Producer and director Michael Ritchie had his named removed from the film's credits so as not to run into trouble from the striking writer's guild. Instead, screenwriter Mickey Rose was given on-screen director's credit.

    3. Though the film was a failure upon release in theaters its subsequent airings on television helped to gain it a cult following. It was frequently shown on television due to the fact that the film featured little profanity or violence.
  • silentbob66
    June 26, 2010
    silentbob66
    A killer named the Breather decides he wants to go after some high school kids and of course the only good way to kill someone is when he finds them having sex he also seems to have a thing about making prank calls and talking threw a rubber chicken. well by reading this you can ... read moretell by now this movie doesnt take itself seriously its a parody of sorts that made fun of all the big movies out at that time Halloween,Friday the 13th etc overall the movie was decent as most parodies are some gags work some dont so its a 50/50 worth a watch
  • DrStrangeblog
    June 17, 2010
    DrStrangeblog
    Indefensibly stupid but still pretty funny horror movie parody, one of the first of its kind. Miles better than 'Scary Movie' for instance. The problem is the teen actors aren't very good and the gags run out after an hour. But the adult characters are funny, including the gli... read moreb principal ("And here is the float with the prom queen candidates...what's left of them anyway"), the school psychiatrist who wants to be called Daddy, and the shop teacher with an unhealthy obsession over horsehead bookends. Enough laughs to be found by horror movie fans to make it worthwhile. Smartest gag probably stems from their effort to earn an 'R' rating.
  • threefolddado
    July 17, 2008
    threefolddado
    Although the middle sags, I wouldn't be drinking milk during this spoof of 80's slasher films, because it might go out your nose.
  • kingmob6
    August 17, 2011
    kingmob6
    A surprisingly fun slasher parody that pre-dates the Scary Movie series by many years, appearing during the hey-day of the '80s series of films, this was something that I had somehow never seen.

    It's got some cute bits and is worth a rental at the very least.
  • sumsitup
    April 28, 2011
    sumsitup
    Cheap 80's movie that parodies the horror genre. It's "Scary Movie" of the early 80's, and although it's pretty awful it does have it's share of hilarity and fun. You can't help but laugh at such bits as the over-the-top so-named "breather", or the instruments of murder (eggpla... read morent? seriously?), and I admit I've never been privy to the wood horse head phenomenon before. I feel like I"m now part of a "in-crowd"... somebody in-the-know. Gotta love that kind of originality.

    From the cover image you'd expect something raunchy, but it's much more mundane. Actually, I think the cover image might be the sexiest thing about the film! There is one locker scene, but unlike a movie of the current age, the girls remain in nothing less than bras & panties. The "Breather's" comments in this scene make me laugh just thinking about it!

    Actually, one of THE most interesting things about this movie is the character Malvert - played by an actor called, "The Stick". He truly is a sight - very tall, paper-thin with gangly arms that hardly even seem to have joints. Every scene with him walking was a trip... worth watching the movie just to see him in action.

    Not a masterpiece, but funnier and more original than a lot of the gross-out trash they slap the "spoof" label on these days.

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Critic Reviews

Scott Nash
March 8, 2012
Scott Nash, Three Movie Buffs

It's rough around the edges, but any fan of slasher horror will get a chuckle out of it. Full Review

Staci Layne Wilson
June 3, 2008
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com

The class ring of horror/comedies. Full Review

Ken Hanke
October 2, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Nowhere near as funny as the movies it mocks

Philip Martin
January 23, 2003
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Brian J. Arthurs
October 4, 2002
Brian J. Arthurs, Beach Reporter (Southern California)

No review available.

John J. Puccio
September 16, 2002
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

No review available.

Scott Weinberg
July 25, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

January 1, 2000
Jam! Movies

No review available.

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Student Bodies Trivia

  • In what movie does the killer make prank phone calls through a rubber chicken?   Answer »
  • What was the name of the killer in the early 1980's horror "B" flick "Student Bodies"  Answer »
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