Student Bodies is a 1981 comedy film.
A parody of numerous horror films (particularly slashers),
Student Bodies stars The Breather, a mysterious murderer
whose face is never seen, who kills teenagers about to have sex. All the while, all eyes are pointed to the innocent Toby Badger.
In spite of having done a lousy job at the box office in its original release, the film has achieved cult status, largely in part because of its comic nature and rapid-fire subversions.
Tropes found in Student Bodies:
- A Date with Rosie Palms: The Breather has one in the girls' locker room.
The Breather: I'm doing what mommy told me not to do!
- A Man Is Always Eager: Mercilessly parodied.
- Avoid The Dreaded G-Rating / Rated M for Money: Parodied in one of the film's most famous scenes:
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, in order to achieve an "R" rating today, a motion picture must contain full frontal nudity, graphic violence, or an explicit reference to the sex act. Since this film has none of those, and since research has proven that R-rated films are by far the most popular with the moviegoing public, the producers of this motion picture have asked me to take this opportunity to say "Fuck you."
- Every theatrical movie also has to show the trademarked MPAA logo alongside its assigned rating; this is one of the few movies to show it in the middle of the movie (most show it after the movie, but some show it before it even begins).
- Based on a True Story: played with in the Opening Scroll: "This film is based on a true story: last year, more than 30 horror films were made in America. None of them lost money."
- Death by Sex: Pretty much the whole movie.
- Gainax Ending:
- Hand of Death
- Harassing Phone Call: Of the "heavy breathing" variety, complete with drooling through the phone. Also notable that the breathing is heard virtually any time a phone receiver gets picked up.
- Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: Parodied with the movie's beginning, which tells us that it is Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Jamie Lee Curtis's birthday.
- I Love the Dead: Invoked casually by one of the doomed boyfriends.
Oh geez, you're dead!
*beat* How about one for old times' sake?
- No Fourth Wall / Medium Awareness: A staple of the movie.
- Out with a Bang
- Precision F-Strike: The example in Avoid The Dreaded G-Rating.
- Running Gag: "I can't help it, baby, _______ gets me hot!"
- Sex Is Evil: Comically used as a Freudian Excuse.
- Spit Take: Everyone (understandably) when Malvert describes how he "helped make" the punch.
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