As the world spins, what was old inevitably becomes new again, and there has never been a greater example of this in genre filmmaking than with the slasher film. Rising to prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s, slashers became a staple of the horror genre, churning out countless films where masked killers stalked clueless teenagers before killing them in some violent, and usually creative way. After a brief lull, the slasher film had a resurgence in the 90s after the success of Wes Craven’s Scream, and today we seem to be in the early stages of a mini slasher revival, with a revitalized Halloween franchise in theaters, a new Scream on the way, and the Fear Street trilogy on Netflix, just to name a few. In the midst of this comes director Mark Cantu’s Massacre Academy, a campy throwback slasher that fully embraces its roots and evokes the feeling of turning on the TV to find one of the myriad of sequels to any slasher film airing. Though you’ve never seen the first film, you’re able to put enough pieces together to figure out what happened, and now you’re just along for the ride.
The year is 1987, two years after a vicious murder spree on a college campus by a killer dubbed Carnie the Clown, and Kris McNeil, a survivor of the massacre, is attempting to deal with the trauma and move on with her life. Of course, this being a horror film, Kris’ attempts to heal are impeded by an apparent copycat killer. Massacre Academy feels like a sequel to a horror film that never existed, as the audience is brought up to speed thanks to news footage during the opening credits. This film also trusts that its audience is smart enough to know that even though they haven’t seen what happens during the initial massacre, they can put the pieces together based on what they’ve seen in previous slashers. We know that a masked killer murdered college students in all sorts of fun ways, and we know that Kris most likely barely defeated the killer and escaped with her life, and most importantly, we know that the killer was dealt with in a way that leaves room for an eventual return. By giving us the highlights of the “who” and “why”, this film is able to dive into the fun stuff (like murder) and the psychology of a final girl trying to pick up the pieces of her life.
It’s an interesting take for a film to skip straight to the aftermath and focus on what the final girl does after she’s defeated the killer, and underneath the blood and gore is a story about survivors and moving on after a traumatic event. This also makes Kris a main character that is very easy to root for, and the film makes her a fully-fledged character beyond just her trauma. Of course, this is a slasher film, and there’s plenty of blood and violence for those looking for thrills and chills as well. What sets this film apart from most slashers though is that the masked killer isn’t really the focus, as the film rests squarely on Kris’ shoulders, with the slasher more or less representing the ghost of Kris’ past.
If there is a flaw, it’s that some of the side the characters could have been as fleshed out as Kris is. A lot of slasher films go out of their way to make a lot of the supporting cast unlikable in order to get the audience to root for their eventual demise, and Massacre Academy is no different. Unfortunately though, asking an audience not to invest in some of these people makes it all too obvious as to who will make it to the final reel and who won’t, but also it means that the audience cares less when the bodies start dropping because they were expecting it. Though the film does also make up for this with some incredibly fun, gory, and inventive kills, including a rather gruesome deep fryer murder.
Flaws and all though, Massacre Academy is a film that wears its heart on its sleeve and is upfront about what it is. The 80s setting makes it very obvious what influenced this film, and it fully embraces its B-movie roots. It’s a film that never takes itself too seriously and doesn’t want its audience to either. This is a film about the past not staying buried, which is a fitting subject for a slasher film as just when everyone thinks that the sub-genre is down and out, it rises up for another go-round, much like the killers in many of these films.
As a slasher, Massacre Academy may not reinvent the wheel, but it’s a fun love letter to the classic slashers of the 80s. Some of the victims... er...side characters could have been fleshed out a little more for maximum impact when they die, but the story of trauma and healing will keep viewers invested well enough, and if you’re watching for death and dismemberment, then Massacre Academy surely lives up to its name.
James Reinhardt