The Teacher
Written & Directed by Howard Avedis
Diane Marshall...Angel Tompkins
Sean Roberts...Jay North
Ralph Gordon...Anthony James
Ralph Gordon was probably the happiest Peeping Tom ever, sporting a shit-eating Cheshire Cat grin while leering through his binoculars (which he stores in an old, red coffin, along with the rest of his dangerous stalker paraphernalia) at Diane Marshall, the hot young high school teacher that surely fuels many a student's masturbatory fantasy. But when Ralph's younger brother Lou and his best friend Sean invade his one-man pervert party, a confrontation leads to the accidental death of Lou, and Sean is too frightened of Ralph to say anything to the police.
Time truly does heal all wounds, and within days (if not hours) Sean is acting as if there never was a Lou. He's too busy ogling Diane himself--who, it turns out, is both his teacher and his neighbor. But this is no Cory Matthews/Mr. Feeny relationship that they have--Thank God--as Diane wastes no time in seducing her virginal student as soon as summer vacation begins.
The flirtatious and wildly inappropriate game of cat and mouse between the two is flaunted openly, watched from a distance by the still-leering Ralph, and practically encouraged by Sean's mother Alice! If that's not creepy enough, she openly admits, "What can I say? I find him attractive...even if he is my son!" Unbelievably, that's not even the creepiest line of dialogue here. As Diane begins her strategic seduction, she invites Sean into her house, but his initial reluctance prompts her to rationalize, "Come on in a minute. I'm not going to rape you. It's too early in the morning for that!"
When the seduction is complete, young Sean is initially to enamored too realize that an obviously mentally deranged stalker can quite easily turn into a jealous "boyfriend", and the threat of Ralph's menace is constantly lurking in the background, culminating in a violent finale.
Can't say that I really blame Sean for being hot for teacher. She was gorgeous, willing, and often scantily clad (which you knew she would be when you saw a bikini designer listed in the opening credits) when not outright nude. Curiously, though, for a movie that plays so much off of the 'taboo' nature of this relationship and revels in Erotica-Lite, the sex scenes were notably un-sexy: Two bodies lying still on top of each other, occasionally whimpering. Not exactly titillating.
As a whole, this movie isn't quite as sleazy or exploitative as it could have been--or should have been--but there are enough slimy and off-beat elements here to make this a worthy watch for fans of less-than-moral movies.
It should also be noted that Jay North had played the lead in TV's Dennis the Menace (1959-1963), and this is an episode from that series that you're never going to see: After he grows up and Mr. and Mrs. Wilson kick the bucket, Dennis trades his tricycle in for a wood-paneled conversion van, watches his pal Joey fall to his death, and then nails Margaret's mother.
Ruff would be proud, Dennis...even if you didn't do it doggy style.
AKA: The Seductress
1974
Rated R
98 Minutes
Color
English
United States
"After School ... Her Lessons Began With Sex and Ended in Violence."
--J/Metro
