Batch '81

The long-recognized excesses in the hazing season at American fraternities is escalated several notches in this Philippine version of the same theme. The young men who rush Alpha Kappa Omega are not all of the same stripe, nor are their prospective frat brothers who when taken as a whole, represent a streak of sadism that reaches into the realm of severe psychosis. Violence and torture are graphically shown, especially in a confrontation between the AKO fraternity and the men at Sigma Omicron Sigma. Director Mike De Leon has chosen to emphasize fascist and gay overtones in the abnormal behavior of his frat men, a slant that is bound to offend some viewers, just as the violence will offend others.~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide