Generally known for directing the first Friday The 13th movie, Sean C. Cunningham also made a handful of decent movies in the early 80's. The New Kids is one of these movies and might just be his best movie. This is a flick that manages to rise above its generally standard "pushed too far" premise to deliver an entertaining time that's solidly acted by its young cast and is done with enough conviction to work. The ass-kicking finale helps out too.

Shannon Presby and Lori Loughlin play siblings who are forced to move down to Florida to stay with their uncle when their parents are killed in a car crash on their way back from dad (familiar B-movie face Tom Atkins) receiving a Presidential award after he's saved some hostages from a terrorist.

As if losing their parents wasn't enough the two "new kids" soon find themselves the target of drug pushing high school baddie Eddie Dutra (a suitably sleazy James Spader) who, along with his gang of gun crazy scumbag hicks, starts to terrorize them by wrecking their attempts to restore the uncle's second-rate amusement park, scratching up the same uncle's mint 1960 Cadillac, and even resorting to tossing Loughlin's pet bunny into the shower with her after slitting its throat. And all this because Loughlin will have nothing to do with him.

Things get even more out-of-hand after Presby beats down our main baddie, which causes Spader and his gang to kidnap the sister at the school dance. This leads to one intense finale that sports a whole slew of politically incorrect mean-spiritedness and uncomfort with scenes of dog attacks, an almost rape mixed with lighter fluid, and a shotgun blast filled game of cat 'n' mouse in the confines of the amusement park (and an ending involving a gas nozzle that has to be seen to be believed).

It's really too bad that this is one of Cunningham's lesser known movies as The New Kids is a quickly paced little exploitation flick that turns out much better than you'd expect. Cunningham manages a few alright moments of suspense, the characters are believable for the most part, and it has enough action so that you never get bored. This one reminded me a lot of the 1986 Canadian lensed, Bullies (I don't think that movie was trying to rip this one off though) only with higher production values and better filmmaking skills behind the camera.

This would be Presby's one and only movie role, but co-stars Spader and Loughlin would go on to varying degrees of success with Spader appearing in a slew of popular movies and most recently TV series hit Boston Legal and Loughlin becoming a regular cast member on syrupy sitcom Full House. Cunningham, however, would put aside direction acting more as a producer on the later Friday The 13th sequels and the House movies. (Chris Hartley, 12/16/05)

Directed By: Sean S. Cunningham.
Written By: Stephen Gyllenhaal.

Starring: Shannon Presby, Lori Loughlin, James Spader, John Philbin.