Cutting Class (1989)

29% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
26% of users liked it
(3,652 ratings)

This reject from slasher-movie remedial school -- featuring copious amounts of teen sex and the usual unimaginative gore murders -- involves the return of a problem teen (Donovan Leitch) to high school after his release from an institution. After essentially pinning the "Red Herring" sign on the… More This reject from slasher-movie remedial school -- featuring copious amounts of teen sex and the usual unimaginative gore murders -- involves the return of a problem teen (Donovan Leitch) to high school after his release from an institution. After essentially pinning the "Red Herring" sign on the main character, the filmmakers then pander what passes for suspense as Leitch's classmates head for that big D-hall in the sky. Not even a supporting performance by then-unknown Brad Pitt managed to rescue this lackluster thriller, which arrived far too late in the game to appeal to the teen-horror crowd -- an audience which by then had already migrated from Halloween clones and Friday the 13th sequels to Freddy Krueger territory after Wes Craven's crafty A Nightmare on Elm Street. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Rospo Pallenberg
Genres: Drama, Horror, Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 1, 1989 Wide
On DVD: Jun 20, 2006

Critic Reviews

Felix Vasquez Jr., Film Threat
It's that guilty pleasure you really won't admit you've experienced...
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
It is safe to say that the film would not be remembered at all today were it not for the presence of Brad Pitt ... and this is the only explanation for its release on DVD now.
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
Positioned as both a slasher movie and a comedy, the movie pretty much fails on both counts.
Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk.com
A D-grade slasher flick that has delusions of comedy and mystery, of interest only to those who lust after Brad Pitt and would love to check out a performance the actor would probably rather forget.
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
Cutting Class definitely didn't break any new ground in any regard [but] I actually enjoyed this little movie from homeroom to final bell.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

Cutting Class like a few horror films of the 80's relies heavily on an overused idea, and by the films release in 1989, The slasher flicks were getting weaker. Cutting Class is nothing new and it doesn't try to be anything original. The film is a collection of old and used… More
Cutting Class like a few horror films of the 80's relies heavily on an overused idea, and by the films release in 1989, The slasher flicks were getting weaker. Cutting Class is nothing new and it doesn't try to be anything original. The film is a collection of old and used ideas that we've seen many times before. We've seen it before, and we've seen better. The film was one of Brad Pitt's debut features, and luckily for him he turned out to have a pretty good career. With this film, it's obvious he wanted to try to make it, but for me he really managed to start acting good in Interview With The Vampire. I haven't seen Thelma & Louise, and its his breakout role, but I'll have to judge him by his earlier efforts that I have seen. The film like I've said does nothing new and the dialogue and acting leaves a lot to be desired. But for what it is, and if you love cheesy B movie, then check out Cutting Class. The film is worth seeking out for some mindless entertainment and if you loved Slaughter High, then this film navigates similar territory, but doesn't really have anything great going for it. The film is good, but Slaughter High was superior, and much more violent. I see Cutting Class as a bad leftover from the Sleepaway Camp and Prom Night series. The acting is terrible, the story lifts almost from the first Prom Night IMO. The film is scrapping the bottom of the barrel, yet there's something that I love about the film, maybe it's because it's so cheesy and over the top thats what makes it a fun film to watch. Don't expect much while watching Cutting Class, but what you can expect is a lot of cheesy fun, think the cheesiest 80's Slashers all rold into one and turn off your brain and try to enjoy this golden piece of shit.
Cassandra M

This movie is often ignored by horror fans, but pretty underrated. Yes its cheesy and yes the only reason most people will pick it up in a video store is because Brad Pitt is on the cover but it does have a huge overall entertainment factor. The story is typical of 80s teen slashers,… More
This movie is often ignored by horror fans, but pretty underrated. Yes its cheesy and yes the only reason most people will pick it up in a video store is because Brad Pitt is on the cover but it does have a huge overall entertainment factor. The story is typical of 80s teen slashers, and the movie does have a strong likeness to Prom Night, Slaughter High and Return to Horror High, which isn't a bad thing. The acting is OK but the story is very good, and the sense of 'whodunnit' is very gripping (nearly as good as Scream). When the killer is revealed in the grand finale, the final battle of good and evil begins in one last fight!!! Its pretty darn good and if you have any hesitations in seeing it...just watch it and i'm sure you won't be disappointed!
Steve B

Poorly written and -- if such is possibly -- even more poorly directed. I expected more from this?
Dr Blood

The "is he/isn't he?" connundrum is played to exhaustion but the ending is, although neat, most unsatisfactory.
Chosen 7

decent cast, somewhat entertaining..