10 Things to Know About 'Splatter University' (1984)

Splatter University was the debut feature of director Richard W. Haines whose rise through the ranks at Troma Films was quick and filled with notable work. His first job after graduating from NYU Film School was providing background noises for the 1980 Troma flick Mother's Day.

He then grinded hours a day in various film departments before becoming an editor with his most well known work being The Toxic Avenger. There is not much known about Splatter University but we dug deep and found at least one interview with the director from 1984 that gave us what little background we could find about the film which was released on July 13th, 1984.

Here are 10 Things to Know About Splatter University

10 The Director is from a New York Hamlet

We’re scraping the barrel for information about Splatter University. We were this close to making things up at this point, that’s how forgotten this movie. So, basically, we now know what a Hamlet is. It’s a small, unincorporated part of a larger city in New York state. The director of Splatter University, Richard W. Haines is from Mahopac, in Carmel, New York. And now you know what a Hamlet is.

9 The film premiered at the drive-in director Richard W. Haines attended as a kid.

Because Splatter University was such a tiny, low budget effort, director Richard W. Haines was able to premiere the movie in Mahopec, New York in July of 1984 at the same drive-in where he went to movies nearly every week throughout his childhood in the 60s and 70s.

8 Splatter University is Not to Be Taken Seriously

Despite a tone that reflects a straight ahead slasher, director Richard W. Haines stated in a 1984 interview that the film should not be taken seriously. According to Haines, the film is in the tradition of Roger Corman features where the legendary low budget filmmaker laced humor throughout his many micro-budget horror films to varying effectiveness.

7 Haines had a specific audience in mind for Splatter University

When he was making Splatter University Richard W. Haines had a very specific audience in mind “... a teenage audience that just wants to hang out and have a few beers.”

6 Haines got his Big Break at Troma Pictures as a Foley artist

Richard W. Haines broke into the movies working on the Troma Films horror movie Mother’s Day in 1980. Though he wasn’t trained, he worked on background noises for the film, also known as Foley Art. Four years later, he was a director.

5 Haines Graduated from NYU Film School

In 1979 Richard W. Haines graduated from NYU. At the time, NYU leaders frowned upon low budget exploitation films but Haines found it to be the fastest track to getting work in the industry. He recommends the guerrilla, low budget horror world as a training ground for young filmmakers.

4. Haines is now a Film Historian

After making the 1986 Troma feature, Class of Nuke’em High and several other features so small they don’t even have Wikipedia pages today, Haines moved into the world of film history, In 1993 he authored the book “Technicolor Movies” and has since written several more film history collections.

3 The actors worked unpaid overtime to keep the budget low.

In an interview around the July premiere of Splatter University, director Richard W. Haines admitted that in order to keep the budget below $1 million dollars, the actors worked 12 to 14 hour days with no overtime.

2 Splatter University was shot in Under Three Weeks

If you’ve seen Splatter University, you can probably guess that the film was made in less than 3 weeks. Filmed in the late Summer of 1983, the film’s release was delayed due to Haines’s other work at Troma Films, working his own unpaid overtime as the editor of the original Toxic Avenger

1 Haines Claimed to Have Spent Just Under $1 million dollars on Splatter University

All modern accounts of the budget of Splatter University claim the budget was a meager $50 thousand dollars. But, in an interview with his hometown newspaper, Haines claimed to have spent close to $1 million dollars on the film. It’s impossible to know for sure whether Haines lied or reports based on conversations with Troma studios deflated the budget.