Student Bodies

Name: Student Bodies
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Comedy
Released: August 7, 1981
Duration: 86 min
Rating: 41

1981

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Mixed or average reviews based on 4 Critic Reviews

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7.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: August 7, 1981 | R

Summary: A killer named the Breather terrorizes students at a high school. Whenever the killer finds students having sex, he kills them. Murder weapons? Eggplant, paper clips, and, of course, horse-head bookends. He likes to breathe heavily, and he likes to make prank calls while talking through a rubber chicken. He also hates sugarless gum. Who doesn't?

Director: Michael Ritchie and Mickey Rose

Genre(s): Mystery, Horror, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 86 min

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Critic Reviews

Gary Arnold

Although it frequently misfires and occasionally keeps firing away on empty satiric chambers, Student Bodies is a likably sarcastic and knowing assault on the cliche's of horror movies. [11 Aug 1981, p.C10]

Noel Murray

What Student Bodies lacks in incisiveness—and laughs, frankly—it makes up in gusto. The advantage of having a creative team drawn from middle-aged pros with decades of industry experience is that they knew how to put together a picture teeming with ideas and shot through with energy. Read full review

Vincent Canby

Student Bodies just slowly topples over as you watch it, like a stand-up comedian in the act of failing. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

The film attempts to mock both slasher movies and the mentality that produces them, but its humor is so sophomoric that it's a little like the pot calling the kettle stupid Read full review

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User Reviews

MarcDoyle

Feb 11, 2011

Chicken... Broken..... Fix it. One of the funniest movies of all-time. Yes, Airplane created the genre, but Student Bodies made it great. Makes me want to make some horsehead bookends.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

LamontRaymond

Aug 13, 2010

One of the funniest horror spoofs in history. Boy do I feel like making some horse-head bookends. Eggplant?? Sugarless gum on the stairs. Funerals get me hot. Aces.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Ven-Wede

Jan 10, 2012

Student Bodies is a good example of parody done right. Almost every gag is superbly crafted, with some being so subtle it takes another viewing to notice, and others being so blatant you can't help but giggle. Sure, it's silly, and downright nonsensical in places, but it's all the better forStudent Bodies is a good example of parody done right. Almost every gag is superbly crafted, with some being so subtle it takes another viewing to notice, and others being so blatant you can't help but giggle. Sure, it's silly, and downright nonsensical in places, but it's all the better for it. Some pacing issues let it down (the bulk of the laughs are in the first two acts), but overall it is certainly worth a watch. Also, the woodwork class and psychiatric evaluation are some of the best written scenes I have seen in a comedy. Check it out.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

jasonvoorhees20

Sep 13, 2011

came 10 years too soon. also genuinely creepy in places. some irreverent humor recalls Monty python. also a precursor to scream(LOT of similarity) and scary movie series.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Feb 19, 2022

Another one of those cases where the hype for something that comes to be labeled as a classic becomes problematic due to misguided expectations.

And believe me, I'm judging based on what I saw, but what I saw was only funny for a minuscule amount of time.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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