Before he turned his attention to making a whole bunch of kids and Disney channel movies, Savage Steve Holland brought a wild, chaotic energy to his early films. From 1985 to 1989, Holland crafted a loose trilogy of comedies that were only bound together by absurdity, a love of animation, John Cusack, and last-minute rallies. But as it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen any of these, I thought I’d do a mini-marathon of sorts to revisit these cult comedies and see how they felt today.

Better Off Dead (1985)

I’d been saving Better Off Dead to show to my kids as a “Christmas movie,” even though it really isn’t one apart from a few scenes. Really, I was banking on the sheer weirdness of this movie to delight them — and delight it did. They had no idea what they were in for, but years of reading and watching Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid actually prepared them for Savage Steve’s tale of heartbreak, skiing, high school, and attempted suicide.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how much of the humor holds up today, not to mention how tightly edited this movie is. Everyone remembers it for the quotes and certain scenes, but if you take a step back and look at the movie as a whole, you’ll see a patchwork quilt of interconnected bits that keep the plot moving forward.

Nothing here is a one-off; earlier scenes lay the foundation for later ones, and often seemingly separate events and characters end up merging together in unexpected ways. By the end, we’ve got Japanese race car drivers, a manic fat bully, a rebuilt muscle car, a ski showdown with another bully, a love triangle, a little mute brother building impossible things, a zealous paperboy (who wants his two dollars, haven’t you heard), a girl everyone wants to date, a lard of a restaurant owner, and a date at the Dodgers stadium all crashing together in a magnificent fashion.

You really never know where Better Off Dead is going to zig and zag in any given scene. It may pull out some animation, or a truly brilliant sight gag (such as Lane’s mother’s slime cooking moving on its own), or dip into claymation, or have a blast at a dance party with E.G. Daily, or feature the only high school math class in the world where everyone is hanging on the teacher’s every word.

I can’t have been the only person who used to have a fierce crush on Diane Franklin’s Monique (who I just realized was also in Bill and Ted as one of the princesses). It wasn’t only because she was cute as a button, but because Monique is crazy smart, sees what she wants, and goes for it. In the end, she shows Lane that there’s a difference between idolizing some sort of empty blonde fantasy and starting a relationship with a confident girl who likes you for who you are.

One Crazy Summer (1986)

The fact that Savage Steve Holland commits to being silly but does it in a very smart way is what sets him apart from a lot of lazy comedic filmmakers going for the cheap gag. One Crazy Summer is packed with jokes that go the extra mile to get the laugh, usually with a lot of props and stunts involved.

Years before Hollywood was making spoof movies like Not Another Teen Movie that deconstructed the ’80s teen flick, One Crazy Summer was already subverting and exaggerating all of the tropes from the flood of such films that decade. It’s not quite a spoof itself, but it’s certainly flirting hard with satire.

It is a shame that this movie is virtually unknown today while Better Off Dead gets all of the recognition. While John Cusack’s rather milquetoast Hoops and Demi Moore’s raspy hippy make for a weak main couple, everyone and everything else is colorful, cartoonish, and a bucket of laughs. You can see a lot of common threads between the two movies — cartoon animations, Curtis Armstrong, a blonde preppy bully, a party scene with a band performing a catchy ballad — but this film is even more insane.

I mean, Bobcat Goldthwait as a smoking Godzilla smashing up a model development will never not get a big laugh from me. Or a giant fake dolphin with rabies. And I don’t think there’s ever been such a specific brand of evil as the real estate mogul who vengefully kills lobsters in a variety of ways.

Watching this made me think of how Savage Steve Holland’s sense of humor is very similar to Weird Al Yankovic, especially if you compare this to UHF. It’s not a universal or subtle humor, but it’s so earnest and eager to please that it’s got a good chance of making even the cool kids lower their guard for a few minutes.

How I Got Into College (1989)

If there’s a running theme that binds these three movies together, it’s probably the relatable — if exaggerated! — travails of growing up as a teenager. Better Off Dead covered high school, One Crazy Summer dipped into summer vacation, and How I Got Into College ventured into the transition between high school and college.

What’s a darn shame is that this movie is pretty much out of print and isn’t available for streaming. We kind of assume that every movie is on streaming somewhere, but nope, that’s not remotely the case. Lots of films are in danger of disappearing entirely due to the decline of physical media and the haphazard availability online. So it took me a good while to find a copy of How I Got Into College to complete this article — I wrote the first two sections in 2023 and this last part in 2025. Where did I find it? Let’s just say that I appreciate some people’s, erm, less-than-completely-legal dedication to movie preservation.

On top of its lack of availability, this movie isn’t as well-known because it doesn’t have a John Cusack headlining it. It’s still amazing though, wielding the slight satirical touch of Holland’s previous two movies to SATs, the last year of high school, and college interviews. Even in 2025, pretty much no movie since 1989 has focused on this stressful search and transition into college.

As with Savage Steve Holland’s prior flicks, there’s a romance keeping things extra-spicy — this time between Corey Parker and a pre-Twin Peaks Lara Flynn Boyle, with Anthony Edwards and Finn Carter echoing the pair as the adult lovebirds. I found it really interesting that we get to follow two groups of people — high schoolers and the college admissions team — throughout this film. And let’s not overlook the fact that Phil Hartman is in this as a sleazy college prepper!

There are also several cameos by a few Savage Steve Holland characters from previous movies, such as the angry postman from Better Off Dead, suggesting that all of this is within the same universe.

How I Got Into College may be one of the better ’80s comedies that nobody talks about. Or knows. Or openly acknowledges. I’m absolutely genuine when I say that it still makes me bust a gut laughing with the rapid-fire gags and hilarious quotes. You can also see Holland’s skill as a director is far more assured at this point, with great performances and cinematography all around.

While I will never stop being bummed that Holland changed course after the ’80s, at least he gifted us with a beautifully quirky trilogy that’s high in sheer fun and entertainment. It was with great pleasure that I rewatched these, and even my daughter said that they were really funny flicks. If you missed any of them, I hope you’ll find the time to track them down.