Cutting Class
Short description
Cutting Class is a 1989 American horror film set in a high school, where student Paula Carson finds herself at the centre of two classmates' attention: Dwight, a temperamental basketball player, and Brian, who has just returned home after time in a psychiatric hospital following his father's suspicious death. When people connected to the school begin dying, suspicion falls on Brian, though it stays unclear whether he is responsible or whether someone else is using his past against him.
The film was directed by Rospo Pallenberg from a screenplay by Steve Slavkin, and produced by Rudy Cohen and Donald R. Beck. It runs 91 minutes and blends horror and mystery with comedy and crime elements. The cast includes Donovan Leitch as Brian, Jill Schoelen as Paula, Brad Pitt as Dwight, Roddy McDowall as Mr. Dante, Martin Mull as William Carson III, and Brenda James as Colleen.
On IMDb, the film holds a rating of 4.6 out of 10 from around 7,000 votes, while on TMDB it has a rating of 5 out of 10 from 136 votes. A film critics' rating of 4.7 out of 10, based on seven reviews, sits close to both audience scores, indicating broad agreement rather than a sharp divide between reviewers and viewers.
What's left behind the scenes
- Once, the police appeared on the film set. They were called by someone from the passing cars, complaining about the indecent, in his opinion, appearance of Brad Pitt (he was playing Dwight).
- Producer Rudy Cohen was vehemently opposed to Brad Pitt’s candidacy. To convince him otherwise, director Rospo Pallenberg had to enlist the help of several women, who unequivocally stated that Pitt would look spectacular on screen.
- Jill Shoelen (who played Paula) was reluctant to appear in this film and initially rejected all offers. Eventually, she was persuaded that it would help her acting career, as Rospo Pallenberg was already a well-known screenwriter, and the film was to be his directorial debut. Over time, Shoelen agreed to film, mainly for the opportunity to work with Roddy McDowall and Martin Mull (who played Mr. Dante and William Carson III respectively), whom she had long admired. According to Shoelen, working with Pallenberg was difficult – he constantly insisted that lines be delivered exactly as he wanted, and no other way, an approach that many actors strongly dislike. Shoelen has no warm memories of working on the film.
- Unlike Jill Shoelen, Donovan Leitch Jr. (who played Brian) enjoyed filming in Rospo Pallenberg's directorial debut. Furthermore, Pallenberg was one of the screenwriters of Leitch Jr.'s favorite film – the fantasy action film 'Excalibur' (John Boorman, 1981). Shoelen said that Pallenberg did not allow actors to improvise, while, according to Leitch Jr., much of the filming was invented 'on the fly', and Pallenberg allowed him to try different variations of a particular scene.
- Jill Shoelen had been friends with costume designer Kelly Trupp for many years. They only found out they were working on the same project during costume fittings.
- The film was shot in 4 weeks in 1987, but was not released until 1989.
- Neither Donovan Leitch Jr. nor Brad Pitt appeared in the murder scenes. A stunt double was used each time to prevent viewers from identifying the killer by their physique.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
