It may be far from a holiday, especially for kids who would rather have another month of summer, but ‘back to school’ is a seasonal marker for many people, including those that work in the academic industries as I do. I’ve probably already intimated that summer can be a little tiring here in Florida. To me, the start of fall classes means fall is here even if the weather won’t change for months.

• Real Genius (1985) – The movie for all those brilliant maladjusted youngins who enter college in their mid teens and find out that the world only wants to use their genius for profit, pollution, and evil. I may not be one of them, but I have loved this movie for ever.
• PCU (1994) – “We’re not gonna protest!” But maybe we should protest this being a school starts movie. This is more a spring time, near end of term. Moved to spring break.
• Grease (1978) and Grease II (1982) – “The Board of Education took away my parole. We’re gonna go back, back, back to school again.” They both may encapsulate an entire year, but the back-to-school moment is so so extra.
• Jawbreaker (1999) – “I killed Liz. I killed the teen dream. Deal with it.”
• Heathers (1989) – While it might not be about the beginning of school specifically, it is essential. And now that we’ve rewatched it for the thousandth time, it is more a spring movie. Moved to spring break.
• It Was a Short Summer Charlie Brown (1969) – until this year (2023) we were missing a Charlie Brown special for this holiday. This one may reminisce about the whole of the summer, but it is firmly placed during the first week of school.

Of course, if you live within the world of college and university campuses, then rush week comes quickly on the heels of the start of the year. Not being devotees to Greek calendars, we have a selection of rush/hell week movies to fill out the watching.

• The Initiation (1984) – young pledges locked up in a mall with a slasher.
• Killer Party (1986) – we watched this for April fools earlier in the year thinking the party was more spring themed. It does sorta begin with a music video for a song called April fool. Though there are plenty of pranks, this is all hell week.
• Initiation of Sarah (1978) – this is also going on the ultimate witch list I am curating.
• Sorority Babes and the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988) – sorority pledges stay overnight in a bowling alley and unleash an evil imp.

If you are feeling like celebrating through movies like I do, check out the other Holidays in the Movies posts.

updated 8/24/2023