Thankfully there was a time when high school films were above the calibre of High School Musical 3. While high school films are now commonplace and often formulaic, there are some gems that can be traced back to the 1950s. The following films make bring back our high school memories: the good, the bad, the ugly, and occasionally the homicidal.

James Dean as the epitome of effortless cool in Rebel WIthout a Cause

The 1950s

What did high school used to be like?

Rebel Without a Cause: Starring the iconic James Dean and Natalie Wood, the film’s plot centers around the rebellious new kid in town, Jim Stark. Although it’s over fifty years old, Rebel Without a Cause successfully captures the confusion and struggles of teenagers who are just trying to fit in.

The 1970s

The dancing, the romance, the music:  the1970s are where the modern-day high school film started.

Grease: With its catchy tunes and break-out performance from John Travolta, Grease has remained one of the most popular high school films. Can the good girl and the rebellious boy make their romance work? Amidst the quality music and acting, you can clearly see the seeds of the high school film formula being sown: for example, the members of  “The Pink Ladies” are a preview of the snobby female cliques featured in future high school films (but at least they don’t try to kill anyone).

See also: Love Story

The 1980s

The Breakfast Club

High School films of the 1980s represented the definition of “cool” (thanks largely to the brilliant John Hughes).

The Breakfast Club: Few films sum up high school better than The Breakfast Club.  Five stereotypes find themselves stuck together in Saturday detention for a variety of hilarious infractions. The day begins on a hostile note, but the jock, the geek, the waster, the princess, and the basket-case ultimately realize they have more in common than they thought (surprise!). Their joint essay about what they’ve learned is surprisingly moving.

Heathers: Teen angst is at its finest in Heathers.  When three popular girls named Heather allow Veronica (Winona Ryder) into their clique, trouble (and hilarity) ensues. Veronica meets the stereotypical rebel JD and turns on her clique somewhat more viciously than most females of high school film (i.e. people named Heather end up dead).

Classic Line: “Dear Diary…”

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: While the girls of high school film are busy abusing each other, Ferris Bueller has skipping school down to a science. He spends the film enjoying what is arguably the best mental health day ever. Who doesn’t wish they could pull off what Ferris managed? It involves cruising through Chicago in a Ferrari, taking in a Cubs game, and riding on a parade float.

Classic Line: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.”

See also: The Lost Boys

Clueless

The 1990s

The last era of originality before the new Millennium ushered in genre conventions, formulae and never-ending sequels in the interests of box-office profits.

Clueless: Do you prefer “fashion victim” or “ensembly challenged”? In this high school version of Emma, Alicia Silverstone at her best as Cher attempts to give the “new girl” a makeover and fix her up with a boy. While Cher eventually learning there’s more to life than the superficial and the beautiful may be predictable, the film’s classic status that makes it so highly watchable today was surely less foreseeable.

Classic Line: “As if!”

See also: Dazed and Confused, Dead Poets Society

Horror High School

Genre du jour of the 90s, high school horror can be traced back to the 1970s.

Carrie is not only a classic horror flick, but also one of the best high school films. The outcast with a basket-case mother takes her revenge on classmates and family. It even has the obligatory prom scene, although it is more blood-soaked than most. 1990s horror high school films like Scream (and its sequels), I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Craft and The Faculty followed suit.

Late 1990s to early 2000s

The films in this category can only be described as ultimate representations of modern-day high school. Whether it’s compared to the jungle or a Shakespearean setting, high school’s social scene is always good for a laugh.

Lindsay Lohan's Cady is tackled by the Plastics in Mean Girls

10 Things I Hate About You: Another Shakespearean remake, 10 Things is one of the smartest high school films of the 1990s. It is rife with clever Shakespearean references and hilarious one-liners. Allison Janney as the guidance counselor, Ms. Perky, is without doubt one of the highlights.

Mean Girls is further proof that Tina Fey can do no wrong. And doesn’t it make you long for the days before Lindsay Lohan became a trainwreck? As she enters public school for the first time, Cady makes use of her jungle environment knowledge to survive a high school where the “Plastics” are a modern-day version of the Heathers. Turns out there are fewer differences between the jungle and high school as one may think. Surprised?

Classic line: “So fetch!”

See also: American Pie, She’s All That.

The Anti-High School

High school is such a fertile source of inspiration, its not surprising that some filmmakers been able to go against the grain and deliver more profound takes on adolescence, which still stimulate analysis and discussion long after their comedic counterparts.

Brick: After the murder of his ex-girlfriend, a high school outsider navigates the world of the high school crime ring responsible for her death. With help from unconventional allies, he unravels the mystery and plots revenge. It’s a dark story with brilliant dialogue and occasional moments of black comedy relief.

See also: Donnie Darko and Elephant and an early precursor, If…?

Battle Royale

International High School

What is high school like in different parts of the world (and in an alternate universe)?

Notte prima degli esami: (The Night before the Exams): Set in Rome in 1989, this film depicts four teenagers studying for the dreaded esame di maturità, the final exam of high school. The film contains multiple references to Italian and international pop culture and serves as a tribute to 1980s Italy as well as a teen comedy.

Battle Royale is set in Japan’s future. Imagine forty-two ninth-grade students left on  a deserted island for three days as part of a bizarre reality television show. Each is given a different weapon. The goal? To kill each other until only one “winner” is left. It explores the teenage psyche and how the teens choose to cope with the survival game.  It is also Quentin Tarantino’s favourite film of the last 20 years.

See also: Picnic at Hanging Rock, Entre les Murs