OVER THE EDGE - 1979
Paperback Novelization + "MOUSEPACKS" Screenplay
Over The Edge is a 1979 teen crime drama that has a massive following for its seemingly accurate depiction of alienated teenagers in late 70s middle America. The film was shot in Colorado. The logline reads: "A group of bored teenagers rebel against authority in the community of New Granada after the death of one of their own." Directed by Jonathan Kaplan and released in May 1979, the film was based on actual events -- you can see the original newspaper article in the gallery below. (“Mousepacks: Kids on a Crime Spree,” the San Francisco Examiner, November 11, 1973)
The film was also Matt Dillon's debut and would inspire both Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and "Dazed and Confused" director Richard Linklater, among many other well-known artists. I was able to track down both a copy of the film's out-of-print paperback novelization as well as the actual "holy grail" copy of the original screenplay, entitled MOUSEPACKS! See the photo gallery for more information.
Remember: "A kid who tells on another kid is a dead kid!"