Troma amuses me, no doubt, but I really like the older stuff better. "Class of Nuke 'em High" is a great example. Nowadays it's like Troma's gotten TOO good at what they do, which sort of kills the charm of their special brand of filmmaking (Though I anticipate "Citizen Toxie"). This one's pretty funny in just about every way, completely ridiculous all around. I love that the pot grows right outside the power plant and only 1 or 2 workers notice. I love how all the signs featured look like someone glued cut-out construction paper letters to a piece of poster board. I love the dialogue from the fat guy who runs the power plant. I love the Cretins' incredible overacting, and who couldn't love the monster? The heroine's pretty cute, too, and this is just that special brand of cheezy charm Troma used to bring us....I guess it's tough to recommend it to anybody who doesn't already have a taste for this stuff, but if you do and haven't seen it, rent it! And check out the narrator's voice in the trailer when he announces the title....
76 Reviews
A "masterpiece" of crap dedicated for a juvenile audience.
insomniac_rod10 February 2007
I'm glad I was part (I was very young but still) of the Troma boom. Troma is a production company well known for crappy and sometimes cheesy movies. This isn't the exception! Oh no, "Class of Nuke 'Em High" has the winning formula that has given Troma a name in the business. We have cheap but likable f/x, glorious and gratuitous nudity, kick-ass action, cheap music , and campy acting. This is my kind of entertainment. Thank you USA's "Up All Night" for educating me on crap cinema. I got majors thanks for it.
This movie has plenty of good black humor and intense action a la Troma. So you get a sui generis cheap action flick with the occasional mix of blood and boobs.
No, don't expect a typical high school although in my teenager years I expected my school to look like this! A classic in Troma. If you want to get in the ideology of this noble production company, watch "Class of 'Nuke Em High". Jeez, even the title fits with everything.
This movie has plenty of good black humor and intense action a la Troma. So you get a sui generis cheap action flick with the occasional mix of blood and boobs.
No, don't expect a typical high school although in my teenager years I expected my school to look like this! A classic in Troma. If you want to get in the ideology of this noble production company, watch "Class of 'Nuke Em High". Jeez, even the title fits with everything.
Hilarious trash flick!
The_Void25 October 2006
When it comes to stupid trash films, Troma have no equal; and while the vast majority of their output is absolute rubbish, now and again you'll find a few gems in the rough; and unlikely as it may seem, Class of Nuke 'Em High is one such gem. The film presents a post-apocalyptic style similar to that seen in films such as The Warriors and Escape From New York, and blends it with the idea of a school being run by several students; which is reminiscent of the hit thriller Class of 1984. This is all then mixed in with stoner culture; as its toxic weed that causes all the problems, and you have a recipe for a successful trash flick. The film opens with a 'routine nuclear evacuation drill' at Tromaville High; a school situated next to a nuclear power plant. One kid goes mental, and it's not long before we see that a local gang are buying weed from a nuclear plant worker and selling it to the kids at school. The weed grows faster than normal; and there's a reason for that, as toxic waste has contaminated it and pretty soon the kids of Tromaville High start acting rather strangely...
If this film was made by any other production company; I'd probably say it has a point to make about the advent of nuclear power, but since this is Troma it's clear that they've simply lifted a common fear and turned it into a schlock film. There's absolutely no point to it; but seeing all the general carnage is a lot of fun, and director Richard W. Haines isn't afraid to go completely over the top, despite the obvious limitations of his special effects budget. The film plays out something like a zombie movie; although there are influences from other sources, and not all the afflicted characters turn into mindless beings. The gang at the centre of the film is an interesting troupe, and their style fits the jokey tone of the film very well. It's good to see a film like this that has a sense of humour, and absolutely nothing in the film is to be taken seriously; shown best by the fact that the central location is 'Tromaville', and is the 'toxic chemical capital of the world'! The special effects towards the end get a little silly, but it's all in good fun; and while this movie won't be to everyone's tastes, if you enjoy schlock horror - you'll love this!
If this film was made by any other production company; I'd probably say it has a point to make about the advent of nuclear power, but since this is Troma it's clear that they've simply lifted a common fear and turned it into a schlock film. There's absolutely no point to it; but seeing all the general carnage is a lot of fun, and director Richard W. Haines isn't afraid to go completely over the top, despite the obvious limitations of his special effects budget. The film plays out something like a zombie movie; although there are influences from other sources, and not all the afflicted characters turn into mindless beings. The gang at the centre of the film is an interesting troupe, and their style fits the jokey tone of the film very well. It's good to see a film like this that has a sense of humour, and absolutely nothing in the film is to be taken seriously; shown best by the fact that the central location is 'Tromaville', and is the 'toxic chemical capital of the world'! The special effects towards the end get a little silly, but it's all in good fun; and while this movie won't be to everyone's tastes, if you enjoy schlock horror - you'll love this!
fun times
chaosnbeer16 January 2004
If only my highschool was like this...eerily predicting a violent chaotic state of highschools in the future loaded with biker gangs and mutants. I first saw this movie on USA's "Up All Night" back in the early 90's when I was about 8 years old and it became one of my favorite late night viewings especially since I was very heavy into the Toxic Crusaders. Movies like this and the Toxic Avenger played a big part in my childhood and thanks to Lloyd Kaufman's influence I am the sick demented horror fan I am today...as if it's a bad thing. 10/10
Only in Troma films one gets to see a high school located next to a nuclear power plant and
Fella_shibby7 May 2021
Students pick leaves from a radioactive marijuana plant located in the yard of the nuclear plant.
I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs n found the creature to b a cheap copy of Alien.
Was never a fan of Troma movies in the late 80s cos they were more gross than gory.
Revisited it recently.
Their earlier effort Toxic Avenger is far superior to this one.
I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs n found the creature to b a cheap copy of Alien.
Was never a fan of Troma movies in the late 80s cos they were more gross than gory.
Revisited it recently.
Their earlier effort Toxic Avenger is far superior to this one.
Funny - Sexy - Gory
gridoon19 February 2006
Funny: The comedy is wittier than you'd expect. Along with the obvious gross gags, there are some deadpan character reactions that made me laugh, like when some of the men checking the plant for radioactivity were dropping like flies and their colleagues, who were standing right beside them, didn't seem to notice or care. Also, you learn a useful lesson here: when you find a barrel full of green slime that smells bad and makes weird noises, DON'T stick your hand into it!
Sexy: The heroine is cute, but the two (or were there three?) bad girls are from another planet!
Gory: Considering the budget they probably had to work with, the gore effects are ingenious. The mutations, mutilations and monsters all look good.
I've not seen enough Troma films to compare this with, but it's fun for at least one viewing. (**1/2)
Sexy: The heroine is cute, but the two (or were there three?) bad girls are from another planet!
Gory: Considering the budget they probably had to work with, the gore effects are ingenious. The mutations, mutilations and monsters all look good.
I've not seen enough Troma films to compare this with, but it's fun for at least one viewing. (**1/2)
Entertaining trash
CuriosityKilledShawn17 November 2013
This movie opens with a shot of Manhattan Island and then never features New York for the rest of the running time. Much like this paragraph.
Nuke 'em High is a Tromaville hellhole populated by a diverse range of characters, some annoying, some funny. The Cretins (a punk gang in the vein of Griff Tannen's gang from BTTF Part II) have a deal with the neighboring nuclear power plant to deal toxic weed grown on the grounds. The sludge from the plant has already infected the school's water supply and is having a terrifying effect on the students. But the toxic weed causes horny feelings, speedy demon pregnancy, and sporadic superhuman powers (other students being completely unaffected by it is one of an infinity of logic errors).
Wholesome couple Chrissy and Warren, affected by the contamination and toxic weed, battle with the Cretins in a stupendously disjointed and senseless plot, but that's missing the point. Anyone watching a Troma film for serious art will no doubt be disappointed and confused. These movies barely hang together and were made by amateurs that make Ed Wood look like Orson Welles. The cinematography is wobbly and uncertain, the acting just about passable, the sound is barely audible, and for some reason generic 80s rock music plays in the distance during every single scene.
But it entertains. Class of Nuke 'em High may be trash of the lowest order, but it has a lot of energy, a lot of ideas (no matter how underdeveloped or misunderstood), crazy and interesting characters, is frequently intentionally funny, has mediocre-to-decent gore effects, has a gorgeous female lead in Janelle Brady (a sort of 80s Katherine Heigl, who has sadly massively deteriorated since then - missing and presumed dead in Las Vegas), and is never once boring.
If that is all the movie sets out to do then does that make it a huge success? It led to a sequel and a spin-off - so yes?
Nuke 'em High is a Tromaville hellhole populated by a diverse range of characters, some annoying, some funny. The Cretins (a punk gang in the vein of Griff Tannen's gang from BTTF Part II) have a deal with the neighboring nuclear power plant to deal toxic weed grown on the grounds. The sludge from the plant has already infected the school's water supply and is having a terrifying effect on the students. But the toxic weed causes horny feelings, speedy demon pregnancy, and sporadic superhuman powers (other students being completely unaffected by it is one of an infinity of logic errors).
Wholesome couple Chrissy and Warren, affected by the contamination and toxic weed, battle with the Cretins in a stupendously disjointed and senseless plot, but that's missing the point. Anyone watching a Troma film for serious art will no doubt be disappointed and confused. These movies barely hang together and were made by amateurs that make Ed Wood look like Orson Welles. The cinematography is wobbly and uncertain, the acting just about passable, the sound is barely audible, and for some reason generic 80s rock music plays in the distance during every single scene.
But it entertains. Class of Nuke 'em High may be trash of the lowest order, but it has a lot of energy, a lot of ideas (no matter how underdeveloped or misunderstood), crazy and interesting characters, is frequently intentionally funny, has mediocre-to-decent gore effects, has a gorgeous female lead in Janelle Brady (a sort of 80s Katherine Heigl, who has sadly massively deteriorated since then - missing and presumed dead in Las Vegas), and is never once boring.
If that is all the movie sets out to do then does that make it a huge success? It led to a sequel and a spin-off - so yes?
Nuclear power...
fmarkland3226 October 2006
In Tromaville, New Jersey (Where all Troma movies take place) a power plant is across the street from the local high school. Being a kid in high school is bad enough, Living in New Jersey is bad enough but living in Tromaville is extremely tough especially since the cretins rule the high schools and in Tromaville (As witnessed in Toxic Avenger 1-3) toxic waste is the only thing that can give you the necessary edge to defend your girlfriend, your school and indeed yourself from the cretins who rule the Tromaville high school. Ah yes, is there anything more signature in terms of feel and exploitation outside of the classic 80's Troma film? Well I don't think so. It's hard to explain exactly why this movie is so enjoyable. I mean quality wise it's no better than ROTOR but for some reason the movie's tone conveys an enjoyable feel that kept me mildly amused. Of course I saw this for the first time on TV a long time ago (I only remembered the nerd who puked green slime) but on re-watch this is a fairly fun movie. I give it three stars even though it doesn't make sense on any level, it's poorly made and it's just a mess but because it's a watchable mess and it has that nostalgic Troma feel that I find somewhat endearing. Plus the girl in the movie is very easy on the eyes. So check it out and chances are you won't ever see a movie quite like it. Plus it's called Class Of Nukem High and it pretty much delivers what you would expect. (Even a little more)
*** out of 4-(Good)
*** out of 4-(Good)
They don't need no education
Coventry22 January 2007
Typical Troma-trash, this smutty 80's flick is considered one of the "highlights" of Lloyd Kaufman's notorious production studio, alongside "The Toxic Avenger" released one year earlier. "The Toxic Avenger" is far superior if you ask me, but this demented splatter-flick is nevertheless endurable as well; just make sure you leave your full brain capacity at the door. The events take place in Tromaville, a little town that proudly claims to be the toxic chemical capital of the world, and they certainly aren't lying. The safety precautions in the local nuclear power plant are substandard, to say the least (even Homer Simpson never was this nonchalant) and toxic waste seeps through to the nearby high school. The first intoxicated victim is the stereotypical nerd, who starts spurting green stuff out of all his body cavities, but his death is believed to be an accident because he had no less than TWO microwave ovens in his house! Oh, the humanity! Shortly after, however, the nuclear leaks also affect the school's weed plantation and thing really start to get messy. After smoking a joint at a party, the cutest couple in school produce a gigantic worm monster that settles in the basement and feeds on teenage scum. "Class of Nuke 'em High" is bottom-of-the-barrel horror film-making, with dialogs so dumb they hurt your ears and make-up effects that give a whole new meaning to the word tasteless. If you enjoy watching faces melting away, getting crushed or splitting in half, this is definitely a must-see! Unlike the aforementioned "The Toxic Avenger", this film suffers from a couple of really dull and overlong moments where nothing really significant happens, like for example when Chrissy and Warren try to figure out what's wrong with their hormones. The crude humor isn't as effective as in "Toxic Avenger" and the acting performances are unforgivably amateurish. Proceed only if you're an avid Troma-fanatic.
Wonderfully trashy and garish.
Sleepin_Dragon18 December 2022
When you look through the back catalogue of Troma films productions, you'll see some real trash, and a few gems, my favourite of them, being this one, Class of Nuke 'em high.
A group of students smoke some marijuana, which has been infected by toxic substances from a nearby plant, the effects have a huge effect on the school.
I'd have been ten when I first saw a VHS of this, it probably gave me a few nightmares, last night for nostalgia's sake, I returned to it.
Trashy, trashy in all aspects, the visuals, camera work, music, and most of all the acting, some of it's awful, but it's all in keeping with the weird tone of the movie.
One thing that does hold up, the monster at the end, I thought it looked pretty good, it's quite menacing looking, some gross moments too, including the tadpoles. Definitely a few attractive characters, and many not quite so too.
If you're after something sharp, polished and creepy, then look away, if however you're after a few laughs, and something a little different, then you may just enjoy this.
7/10.
A group of students smoke some marijuana, which has been infected by toxic substances from a nearby plant, the effects have a huge effect on the school.
I'd have been ten when I first saw a VHS of this, it probably gave me a few nightmares, last night for nostalgia's sake, I returned to it.
Trashy, trashy in all aspects, the visuals, camera work, music, and most of all the acting, some of it's awful, but it's all in keeping with the weird tone of the movie.
One thing that does hold up, the monster at the end, I thought it looked pretty good, it's quite menacing looking, some gross moments too, including the tadpoles. Definitely a few attractive characters, and many not quite so too.
If you're after something sharp, polished and creepy, then look away, if however you're after a few laughs, and something a little different, then you may just enjoy this.
7/10.
Barely watchable but oddly satisfying
hellholehorror1 October 2017
This is pure trash in film form. Vile, disgusting, gross, moronic, idiotic, cheap, nasty, fun. There are breasts and mutations and bad acting. There is nothing high-class about this at all. It is just low- budget high-school jinks at a subhumanoid level. Barely watchable but oddly satisfying.
A nuclear reefer joint by Troma!
Cescotto3 July 2003
The secondary school described in this movie is totally crazy! Every character's got an insane streak. The vandal gang is perfectly caricatural and it made me laugh several times. The nuclear plant near the school is completely bad-managed and the consequences are terribly funny: at the beginning of the movie, a weak-looking geek turns into a drooling monster after drinking nuclear-polluted water and this makes him become outstandingly strong -- though dead and melt, after jumping through a first floor window! I think that when the heroes smoke a joint made with nuclear stuff is the best scene of this mad movie! The way Troma shows you nuclear power is so horrific that you could believe this movie was made by environmentalists! I recommend to watch this film with friends. It's an outstanding horror-comedy!
Troma have made worse (understatement of the millennium!).
BA_Harrison7 April 2011
Your typical 80s Troma film is a trashy low-budget piece of B-movie excess featuring lousy acting, lame humour, comic-book violence, gratuitous nudity, bad music, and even worse fashion; generally, this kind of exceedingly puerile, deliberately crappy nonsense has me cursing the day Lloyd Kauffman was born, but very occasionally I find that the Troma formula actually delivers a pretty good time, as is the case with Class of Nuke 'Em High, which displays just enough manic inventiveness and anarchic energy to ensure that boredom is never an option. Lots of gloopy gore and the impressive sight of lovely Janelle Brady in (and out of) her bikini also go a long way to make this one much easier to endure.
Janelle plays Chrissie, one of the students at Tromaville High School, which lies in the shadow of the town's nuclear facility. When Chrissie shares a joint with her boyfriend Warren, unaware that the weed has been grown on the toxic land adjacent to the power plant, she finds herself in a sudden state of arousal leading to some impromptu rumpy pumpy with her more than eager beau. Of course, as everyone knows, unprotected sex while high on radioactive reefer can result in the birth of an ugly slug-baby only a few days later, a creature that can rapidly grow into a massive monster given the right environment—such as a warm basement full of toxic waste, just like the one under Tromaville High!
With wee gags, fart gags, a gang of outrageously daft punks, lots of ugly people, a swim-wear frat party, and plenty of surprisingly decent make-up effects (including the monster punching right through a woman's head), this clearly isn't high art, but if you're only going to watch one Troma film in your life, and you cant lay your grubby paws on Poultrygeist or The Toxic Avenger, you might as well make it this.
Janelle plays Chrissie, one of the students at Tromaville High School, which lies in the shadow of the town's nuclear facility. When Chrissie shares a joint with her boyfriend Warren, unaware that the weed has been grown on the toxic land adjacent to the power plant, she finds herself in a sudden state of arousal leading to some impromptu rumpy pumpy with her more than eager beau. Of course, as everyone knows, unprotected sex while high on radioactive reefer can result in the birth of an ugly slug-baby only a few days later, a creature that can rapidly grow into a massive monster given the right environment—such as a warm basement full of toxic waste, just like the one under Tromaville High!
With wee gags, fart gags, a gang of outrageously daft punks, lots of ugly people, a swim-wear frat party, and plenty of surprisingly decent make-up effects (including the monster punching right through a woman's head), this clearly isn't high art, but if you're only going to watch one Troma film in your life, and you cant lay your grubby paws on Poultrygeist or The Toxic Avenger, you might as well make it this.
Class act
kosmasp3 June 2020
Actually it isn't. It is quite horrible and vicious. But those would be considered trademarks and something positive. If you know anything about Troma movies, you know they don't care about political correctness. And I salute them for that. Troma is not a place to find yourself in if you are squeamish or faint of hearted. Gore effects, nudity, verbal attrocities and more.
Now you can just take this for what it is, with a story that can barely hold anything together and just have fun with it or be annoyed and complain about the movie. But don't blame the movie if you knew what you were getting yourself into. Watch the trailer, make sure this is something you want to watch ... otherwise save your nerves and your precious time
Now you can just take this for what it is, with a story that can barely hold anything together and just have fun with it or be annoyed and complain about the movie. But don't blame the movie if you knew what you were getting yourself into. Watch the trailer, make sure this is something you want to watch ... otherwise save your nerves and your precious time
Seminal Troma
Crap_Connoisseur11 April 2006
Class of Nuke 'Em High is one of Troma's best loved and most seen films. This film helped to define the Troma formula that crap addicts the world over would grow to love - gory violence, gratuitous nudity and black humour, all mixed with a large dose of irony and an incredible lack of taste.
Class of Nuke 'Em High was released just after "The Toxic Avenger" and it shares a similar nuclear theme. In this case, a nuclear waste facility is leaking toxic goo into the local high school with some rather unfortunate consequences for the student body. Unlike the poor nerd in the film's brilliant opening sequence, our heroes are not directly exposed to the toxic waste. Rather, Warren and Chrissy smoke marijuana grown on the grounds of the nuclear power plant. This ultra-potent pot not only makes Chrissy incredibly horny, but mutates her unborn child and imbues Warren with super-human strength.
The film then focuses on Warren's rivalry with the Cretins (former honours students who have turned into freaks after smoking one too many toxic joints) and Chrissy's rampaging miscarried foetus (which lives in the toilet and hides out in a vat of toxic waste). These situations provide the filmmakers with plenty of opportunities for hilarious sight gags, gory violence and camp action - and they deliver.
As with much of Troma's early output, this film has been crafted with considerable care and attention to detail, despite budgetary restrictions. The plot has its own ludicrous sense of logic and the direction is captivating - Kaufman, Herz and Richard W. Haines all share a directorial credit but the action sequences reek of Kaufman's mercurial style. I love the scene where Warren literally punches one of the cretins through the mouth, down into his chest. The special effects also deserve a mention. The creature effects used for Chrissy's mutant foetus are hilarious.
The Class of Nuke 'Em High does not quite match "The Toxic Avenger" for originality or style, but it is a great example of what Troma does better than any other studio and why they are still around 20 years later.
Class of Nuke 'Em High was released just after "The Toxic Avenger" and it shares a similar nuclear theme. In this case, a nuclear waste facility is leaking toxic goo into the local high school with some rather unfortunate consequences for the student body. Unlike the poor nerd in the film's brilliant opening sequence, our heroes are not directly exposed to the toxic waste. Rather, Warren and Chrissy smoke marijuana grown on the grounds of the nuclear power plant. This ultra-potent pot not only makes Chrissy incredibly horny, but mutates her unborn child and imbues Warren with super-human strength.
The film then focuses on Warren's rivalry with the Cretins (former honours students who have turned into freaks after smoking one too many toxic joints) and Chrissy's rampaging miscarried foetus (which lives in the toilet and hides out in a vat of toxic waste). These situations provide the filmmakers with plenty of opportunities for hilarious sight gags, gory violence and camp action - and they deliver.
As with much of Troma's early output, this film has been crafted with considerable care and attention to detail, despite budgetary restrictions. The plot has its own ludicrous sense of logic and the direction is captivating - Kaufman, Herz and Richard W. Haines all share a directorial credit but the action sequences reek of Kaufman's mercurial style. I love the scene where Warren literally punches one of the cretins through the mouth, down into his chest. The special effects also deserve a mention. The creature effects used for Chrissy's mutant foetus are hilarious.
The Class of Nuke 'Em High does not quite match "The Toxic Avenger" for originality or style, but it is a great example of what Troma does better than any other studio and why they are still around 20 years later.
Better than usual effort from Troma.
poolandrews19 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Class of Nuke 'Em High starts at 'Tromaville Nuclear Utility' where a leak of radioactive material is reported to the boss Mr. Finly (Pat Ryan as R.L. Ryan) but he insists there is no problem & doesn't want any hassle from the authorities & tells everyone to forget about it. It's not long before the nearby 'Tromaville High School' is contaminated with radioactive water & a gang of drug dealers start selling weed that also has been contaminated with radiation. It's not long before the whole school goes into complete meltdown & slimy radiation monsters are running around poking people's eyes out...
Directed by Richard W. Haines, Michael Herz & Lloyd Kaufman as Samuel Weil I thought Class of Nuke 'Em High was better than most of the crap Troma make although that by no means makes it a masterpiece, far from it. The script by co-directors Haines & Kaufman along with Mark Rudnitsky & Stuart Strutin is dumb, has no real story, no real character's & it isn't particularly brilliant on any level. The script goes for comedy, a bit of social commentary & the usual bad taste gags that Troma are notorious for, any successful attempts at achieving these are purely by accident. The films funniest scene is when someone farts in someone's else's face, yep that the highest level of intelligence that Class of Nuke 'Em High reaches I'm afraid. It moves along at a fair pace, something is always happening even if it's not very entertaining at times, it doesn't take itself too seriously & it works on a basic level.
I can't quite understand why it took three people to direct Class of Nuke 'Em High (& four people to write it, four!?) because it's a pretty shoddy looking production throughout but is still better than most Troma films. There's no scares or shocks & it lacks any atmosphere although some may find it distasteful with scenes of old ladies being mugged & beaten up, guys growing breasts & girls giving birth to tadpole like creatures. The special effects are actually quite impressive & the slimy radiation monster at the end looks really good which was the last thing I was expecting. There's some gore here, a decapitation, a poked out eye, a severed hand & a cool scene where someone's face melts down to their skull.
Technically Class of Nuke 'Em High is basic but isn't as bad as I'd feared. One thing I must say though is that I hated the music which seems to play constantly in the background, it gave me a headache. The acting was variable but again better than the usual crap I've come to expect from the average Troma film.
Class of Nuke 'Em high is an OK way to pass 90 odd minutes, it's not brilliant & has virtually no story but there's enough twisted & depraved Troma nonsense here to make it worth a watch. Followed by Class of Nuke 'Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown (1991) which is the better film...
Directed by Richard W. Haines, Michael Herz & Lloyd Kaufman as Samuel Weil I thought Class of Nuke 'Em High was better than most of the crap Troma make although that by no means makes it a masterpiece, far from it. The script by co-directors Haines & Kaufman along with Mark Rudnitsky & Stuart Strutin is dumb, has no real story, no real character's & it isn't particularly brilliant on any level. The script goes for comedy, a bit of social commentary & the usual bad taste gags that Troma are notorious for, any successful attempts at achieving these are purely by accident. The films funniest scene is when someone farts in someone's else's face, yep that the highest level of intelligence that Class of Nuke 'Em High reaches I'm afraid. It moves along at a fair pace, something is always happening even if it's not very entertaining at times, it doesn't take itself too seriously & it works on a basic level.
I can't quite understand why it took three people to direct Class of Nuke 'Em High (& four people to write it, four!?) because it's a pretty shoddy looking production throughout but is still better than most Troma films. There's no scares or shocks & it lacks any atmosphere although some may find it distasteful with scenes of old ladies being mugged & beaten up, guys growing breasts & girls giving birth to tadpole like creatures. The special effects are actually quite impressive & the slimy radiation monster at the end looks really good which was the last thing I was expecting. There's some gore here, a decapitation, a poked out eye, a severed hand & a cool scene where someone's face melts down to their skull.
Technically Class of Nuke 'Em High is basic but isn't as bad as I'd feared. One thing I must say though is that I hated the music which seems to play constantly in the background, it gave me a headache. The acting was variable but again better than the usual crap I've come to expect from the average Troma film.
Class of Nuke 'Em high is an OK way to pass 90 odd minutes, it's not brilliant & has virtually no story but there's enough twisted & depraved Troma nonsense here to make it worth a watch. Followed by Class of Nuke 'Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown (1991) which is the better film...
Not What I Expected... And That's a Good Thing
Scars_Remain21 February 2008
I've only seen 3 Troma films thus far(The Toxic Avenger, Bloodsucking Freaks, and this one) but this is my favorite so far. It's a fun piece of 80's trash that most horror/exploitation fans should enjoy. Aside from obvious similarities to The Toxic Avenger's storyline, I think this is a good movie that should be checked out.
The acting is awful but hilarious. I think the one thing Troma usually does well is gore, I thought the gore in this film was great and pretty disturbing. I also liked the look of the creature. This one has cheesy but great effects and an okay storyline. Check it out if you liked The Toxic Avenger!
The acting is awful but hilarious. I think the one thing Troma usually does well is gore, I thought the gore in this film was great and pretty disturbing. I also liked the look of the creature. This one has cheesy but great effects and an okay storyline. Check it out if you liked The Toxic Avenger!
Class of Nuke 'Em High
Scarecrow-8815 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Tromaville High has become an amoral wasteland of filth thanks to the aftereffects of the nearby nuclear plant's accidental release of toxic waste.
Unrestrained chaos crammed with absurd violence and crude behavior. Rather horrible, obviously intended to be, mess of a film with the filmmakers cutting loose the reins allowing the untalented cast free reign to ham it up. Craft was far down Troma's list of objectives for this gory sleazefest. The honor society are punks with eerie face paint jobs and wacky outfits. The German teacher who becomes a member, through a "toxic kiss" has the streaks down one side of her face that really gave me the creeps.The toxic monster, which dispatched the ANNOYING punks towards the end, is pretty cool, though.
Kind of movie trash connoisseurs will embrace wholeheartedly.
Unrestrained chaos crammed with absurd violence and crude behavior. Rather horrible, obviously intended to be, mess of a film with the filmmakers cutting loose the reins allowing the untalented cast free reign to ham it up. Craft was far down Troma's list of objectives for this gory sleazefest. The honor society are punks with eerie face paint jobs and wacky outfits. The German teacher who becomes a member, through a "toxic kiss" has the streaks down one side of her face that really gave me the creeps.The toxic monster, which dispatched the ANNOYING punks towards the end, is pretty cool, though.
Kind of movie trash connoisseurs will embrace wholeheartedly.
Cheese 'em High
Tweetienator14 April 2021
A fine example of a cheesy trash horror show of the 80s. Every cliche you want you get, but served with verve and fun, plus a lot of excellent and surprising ideas. Class of Nuke 'Em High, best watched if you're high ;)
Not Troma's Best
truemythmedia8 October 2019
I know this film has a cult following, but I honestly couldn't tell you why. This movie was popular enough to spawn two official sequels and two more recent installments, so I know some people love it, but again, it didn't do much for me. If you are going to get into Troma, I definitely recommend "The Toxic Avenger", but other than that, so far, I haven't been ultra impressed with what Troma has to offer.
A GORY GRUESOME GRITTY GLORIOUS 80'S MUTANT PUNKS MOVIE!!! GREAT CRAZY FUN.
lukem-5276020 November 2019
WOW!!! "The Class Of Nuke'em High" is a glorious gritty splatter fest of gross out gags & slime splattered toxic craziness, i love this movie!!!
I haven't seen as many "Troma" films as I'd like to but i grew up watching the first Cult Classic "The Toxic Avenger" from the 80's & always loved it & it's Cool & Colourful Animated series "The Toxic Crusaders" during the early 90's but that's about it, I've recently finally discovered the other Troma Cult Classic "The Class Of Nuke'em High" another of the 80's gory Troma favourites & i absolutely loved it.
"Nuke'em High" is like a Comedy-Horror Splatter Thriller, it's a mix of genres & a mix of those post-nuke Apocalyptic grindhouse flicks of the 80's like Mad Max 2 & Death Wish 3 & many other crazy punk gang films that were at the cinema or on the video store rental shelves, i love those psycho punk films & i love gory monster mutant films & that's exactly what this is!!! There's ridiculous silly humour but still with a sense of Horror & danger so it's not simply just a silly spoof as that would take me right out of the movie!!! But "Nuke'em High" is a perfect blend of both silly raunchy rude Comedy & violent gritty gross Horror, it's extremely gruesome & extremely fun, the "Tromaville High School" is sat right near the Tromaville Nuclear Power plant & the effects of it's dangerous Toxic fumes are gradually infecting the students & turning them into wild & crazy violent punks & the Toxic waste is contaminating the water supply so it's gonna get super slimey & super violent.
The goofiness of it's characters only make this 80's Gem more fun & wild just like the typical 80's Sex Comedies of it's time for example "Porky's" but when it gets dangerous it's taken more seriously & works great.
I love all the grimy & gritty punk costumes & the gritty rundown locations used where the punks are hanging out & causing trouble, at times it felt like a "Death Wish" film & i expected "Paul Kersey" the Vigilante to show up & take out the punks lol, This is a trashy film on it's slimey surface but it's so well made on it's low-budget that it's ridiculously entertaining for a gross little B-movie.
The slimey mutant monster at the big showdown near the end is a fantastic design & looks AWESOME!!! I just wish we could've seen much more of it. The punk rock music works great throughout the movie & the main kids are great fun & the sense of fun is in the tone of the film but still when it gets darker it works perfectly.
All in All "Class Of Nuke'em High" is a True Cult Classic of the 80's non-mainstream Cinema, it's a low-level Gem of the more Grindhouse Cinema & a blistering B-movie Gem.
I haven't seen as many "Troma" films as I'd like to but i grew up watching the first Cult Classic "The Toxic Avenger" from the 80's & always loved it & it's Cool & Colourful Animated series "The Toxic Crusaders" during the early 90's but that's about it, I've recently finally discovered the other Troma Cult Classic "The Class Of Nuke'em High" another of the 80's gory Troma favourites & i absolutely loved it.
"Nuke'em High" is like a Comedy-Horror Splatter Thriller, it's a mix of genres & a mix of those post-nuke Apocalyptic grindhouse flicks of the 80's like Mad Max 2 & Death Wish 3 & many other crazy punk gang films that were at the cinema or on the video store rental shelves, i love those psycho punk films & i love gory monster mutant films & that's exactly what this is!!! There's ridiculous silly humour but still with a sense of Horror & danger so it's not simply just a silly spoof as that would take me right out of the movie!!! But "Nuke'em High" is a perfect blend of both silly raunchy rude Comedy & violent gritty gross Horror, it's extremely gruesome & extremely fun, the "Tromaville High School" is sat right near the Tromaville Nuclear Power plant & the effects of it's dangerous Toxic fumes are gradually infecting the students & turning them into wild & crazy violent punks & the Toxic waste is contaminating the water supply so it's gonna get super slimey & super violent.
The goofiness of it's characters only make this 80's Gem more fun & wild just like the typical 80's Sex Comedies of it's time for example "Porky's" but when it gets dangerous it's taken more seriously & works great.
I love all the grimy & gritty punk costumes & the gritty rundown locations used where the punks are hanging out & causing trouble, at times it felt like a "Death Wish" film & i expected "Paul Kersey" the Vigilante to show up & take out the punks lol, This is a trashy film on it's slimey surface but it's so well made on it's low-budget that it's ridiculously entertaining for a gross little B-movie.
The slimey mutant monster at the big showdown near the end is a fantastic design & looks AWESOME!!! I just wish we could've seen much more of it. The punk rock music works great throughout the movie & the main kids are great fun & the sense of fun is in the tone of the film but still when it gets darker it works perfectly.
All in All "Class Of Nuke'em High" is a True Cult Classic of the 80's non-mainstream Cinema, it's a low-level Gem of the more Grindhouse Cinema & a blistering B-movie Gem.
Any Monkey Can Pull A Trigger
sidterror-0991817 September 2022
I know there are those who are big fans of Troma films, but I have a confession to make... Out of the tens of thousands of movies I have seen in my life, I have built up a pretty high tolerance for bad movies... Thusly, I have only walked out of maybe three movies ever, and two of them were Troma movies. Come to think of it, the third one might have been too.
They just seemed to be geared toward that lowest common denominator, a New Jersey "Look at those knockers! Quick, pull my finger! Oops, I made a wet fart on those big boobs." kind of puerile gross-out drug based comedy. I actually kind of resent them and find then grating. But all that said, they serve an important needed function when they teach us that evolution is an ongoing process and not everyone is on the rung of the ladder. Some people function in degrees much lower and only pass themselves off as evolved via their wishful thinking and "Would you like fries with that?" minimum wage jobs. There is money to be made from this segment of the population and that is Troma's niche. This, is one of those movies. Not that anything is wrong with any of that.
They just seemed to be geared toward that lowest common denominator, a New Jersey "Look at those knockers! Quick, pull my finger! Oops, I made a wet fart on those big boobs." kind of puerile gross-out drug based comedy. I actually kind of resent them and find then grating. But all that said, they serve an important needed function when they teach us that evolution is an ongoing process and not everyone is on the rung of the ladder. Some people function in degrees much lower and only pass themselves off as evolved via their wishful thinking and "Would you like fries with that?" minimum wage jobs. There is money to be made from this segment of the population and that is Troma's niche. This, is one of those movies. Not that anything is wrong with any of that.
An urban high school with a beautiful view of Tromaville Nuclear Powerplant, where the students and the school itself have a complete meltdown.
marcelsmoov9 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
When I first watched this movie, I was probably ten years old. My next door neighbor convinced his Mom to rent it for us, telling her it was just a harmless comedy. Boy was that putting it mildly. When I look back on my memory of the first time watching this, the thing that springs to mind is the catchy theme song. I mean it was gold compared to most movie tie-in music. The fact that they crammed the premise of the movie into a cheesy 80's rock song baffles and delights me to this day. The only other thing I remembered about the movie was boobs, and the hilarious grade F student Gonzo.
Well fast forward almost 30 years later and watching Nuke Em High again was like seeing a familiar friend after they had moved back into town after being away for so many decades. It is honestly one of the best of the bad cheesy horror/comedies from the 80's. The characters are almost cartoonish in their mannerisms and you can almost smell the toxic waste oozing from the school's campus. Within the first few minutes a student named Dewey goes Zombie on his peers after drinking green water from the water fountain. After he jumps out of a balcony window to his death, the movie's first of many one liners jabs you with wit; "Well that's one way to get out of class".
Warren Brandt, played by Gilbert Brenton, plays the token jock protagonist. Of course he has a hot girlfriend named Chrissy, played by the lovely and overlooked Janelle Brady. His wacky but likable friends round out the cast. The rivals of Warren's crew are known as "The Cretins", and they consist of names like Gonzo, Spike and Taru. This gang of punk rockers love to beat up the preps and sell pot that was grown at the nuclear power-plant right behind the school.
Needless to say, the radioactive cannabis makes some students go nuts, and Chrissy gives oral birth to a turd-shaped critter into a school toilet. The creature mutates and becomes a serious health hazard to students and faculty alike. Without going into too much detail, let's just say this monster of sticky proportions ends up bringing down the house in a nuclear meltdown that brings summer vacation to the kids a little earlier than expected.
This movie creates a great sense of anarchy, with scenes that are reminiscent of early horror flicks. The fact that there is a frickin' Nuclear Powerplant behind the school creates a constant feeling of suspense. If you are a fan of any other Lloyd Kaufman directed Troma films, then this will surely be at the top of your list of faves. Tromeo and Juliet, The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke Em high are all the best of the worst horror films and they don't pretend to be anything but. If you have no idea what a Troma film is, then you will probably want to stay very far away.
Well fast forward almost 30 years later and watching Nuke Em High again was like seeing a familiar friend after they had moved back into town after being away for so many decades. It is honestly one of the best of the bad cheesy horror/comedies from the 80's. The characters are almost cartoonish in their mannerisms and you can almost smell the toxic waste oozing from the school's campus. Within the first few minutes a student named Dewey goes Zombie on his peers after drinking green water from the water fountain. After he jumps out of a balcony window to his death, the movie's first of many one liners jabs you with wit; "Well that's one way to get out of class".
Warren Brandt, played by Gilbert Brenton, plays the token jock protagonist. Of course he has a hot girlfriend named Chrissy, played by the lovely and overlooked Janelle Brady. His wacky but likable friends round out the cast. The rivals of Warren's crew are known as "The Cretins", and they consist of names like Gonzo, Spike and Taru. This gang of punk rockers love to beat up the preps and sell pot that was grown at the nuclear power-plant right behind the school.
Needless to say, the radioactive cannabis makes some students go nuts, and Chrissy gives oral birth to a turd-shaped critter into a school toilet. The creature mutates and becomes a serious health hazard to students and faculty alike. Without going into too much detail, let's just say this monster of sticky proportions ends up bringing down the house in a nuclear meltdown that brings summer vacation to the kids a little earlier than expected.
This movie creates a great sense of anarchy, with scenes that are reminiscent of early horror flicks. The fact that there is a frickin' Nuclear Powerplant behind the school creates a constant feeling of suspense. If you are a fan of any other Lloyd Kaufman directed Troma films, then this will surely be at the top of your list of faves. Tromeo and Juliet, The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke Em high are all the best of the worst horror films and they don't pretend to be anything but. If you have no idea what a Troma film is, then you will probably want to stay very far away.
Bad special effects, juvenile humour, gaping plot-holes - one of Troma's best!
tomgillespie200221 July 2013
Following the surprising success of The Toxic Avenger (1984), cult, Z- movie proprietors Troma Entertainment stuck with the toxic-mutation-in- high-school theme and blended it with the zero-taste, smutty humour of the likes of Porky's (1982) to bring us Class of Nuke 'Em High. This is crass, low-brow entertainment, but entertainment it certainly is. Long a cult favourite, this is hopefully due a critical re-evaluation, because if you can look past the many burp and fart gags (although admittedly these probably got the biggest laugh from me), there is an energetic movie underneath, and certainly one of Troma's best works.
Tromaville High School has been overrun by formerly respectful honours students, who now dress like punks and sell weed in the school corridors, calling themselves 'The Cretins'. They sell weed to Eddie (James Nugent Vernon) for a party, where he gives a joint to his friends Warren (Gil Brenton) and Chrissy (Janelle Brady), who end up having some supercharged sex. Unbeknownst to them, the weed was grown next door at the nuclear power plant, giving the weed an extra 'potency'. That same night, Warren and Chrissy have strange dreams, and Chrissy gives birth to a deformed foetus which is flushed down the toilet, only to land in a drum of toxic waste underneath the school.
It's a ridiculous premise, and nothing more than an excuse to flash some boobs and show some gore. The blood-letting is kept a minimum, however, and doesn't really advance of the movie's opening, which has a nerd affected by nuclear waste jump out the window to his death, his body quickly rotting away. This is all about the comedy, and subtle this certainly ain't. The Cretins are ridiculous caricatures, one with a nose ring so big it drops well below his bottom lip, and he carries a bone for some reason. So while Warren gets super-strength, the Cretins have seemed to have just turned nihilistic from smoking too much of that 'Atomic High', as they call it. It's a major inconsistency to the plot, but not one that will have any Troma fans complaining, nor me neither. Some extremely dodgy special effects aside, the climax proves to be insane and amusing, even throwing in a foetus monster for good measure, and rounds off what is a pretty good movie.
www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com
Tromaville High School has been overrun by formerly respectful honours students, who now dress like punks and sell weed in the school corridors, calling themselves 'The Cretins'. They sell weed to Eddie (James Nugent Vernon) for a party, where he gives a joint to his friends Warren (Gil Brenton) and Chrissy (Janelle Brady), who end up having some supercharged sex. Unbeknownst to them, the weed was grown next door at the nuclear power plant, giving the weed an extra 'potency'. That same night, Warren and Chrissy have strange dreams, and Chrissy gives birth to a deformed foetus which is flushed down the toilet, only to land in a drum of toxic waste underneath the school.
It's a ridiculous premise, and nothing more than an excuse to flash some boobs and show some gore. The blood-letting is kept a minimum, however, and doesn't really advance of the movie's opening, which has a nerd affected by nuclear waste jump out the window to his death, his body quickly rotting away. This is all about the comedy, and subtle this certainly ain't. The Cretins are ridiculous caricatures, one with a nose ring so big it drops well below his bottom lip, and he carries a bone for some reason. So while Warren gets super-strength, the Cretins have seemed to have just turned nihilistic from smoking too much of that 'Atomic High', as they call it. It's a major inconsistency to the plot, but not one that will have any Troma fans complaining, nor me neither. Some extremely dodgy special effects aside, the climax proves to be insane and amusing, even throwing in a foetus monster for good measure, and rounds off what is a pretty good movie.
www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com
Troma-they make Full Moon studios look good.
Aaron137510 February 2004
What to say about this movie. Well it is about a bunch of good students who have some bad drugs and turn into delinquent students that sell more of the bad drugs to people. Two of those people have adverse effects as one turns into a toxic avenger type and his girlfriend throws up some creature that grows in the school's basement. That is about all there is to it and they stretch it out for 84 minutes. This movie is pretty bad and should be locked away forever. Though that is not fair, some people like Troma's movies and they can watch it if they want. Troma movies for me though, are the worst movies there are out there. I just watched this one out of morbid curiosity.
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