Return to Horror High (1987)
"Return to Horror High" is somewhat of an enigma. On the surface, it's your low-budget, schlocky treasure with boom mikes falling in and out of frame, bad dialogue and less-than-wondrous special effects. But a deeper look, I think, reveals a spoof wrapped in a a legit film's clothing.
Going into "Return to Horror High," I was expecting your typical slasher, blood-gushing-from-everywhere '80s flick, and that's more or less what I got. What I didn't expect was the way the film is able to keep you in the dark about what's hiding around the next corner. I'll admit, I'm not a jumper, but I jumped a few times in this film. Kudos to you, Bill Froehlich.
Something else I didn't expect was to find Marcia Brady and Dr. Doug Ross roaming the forgotten halls of Crippen High School. Maureen McCormick and George Clooney head a D-list cast of that includes Alex Rocco and Vince Edwards, all contributing their own brand of poor acting (with the exception of McCormick and Rocco).
Rocco is his typical solid self, but McCormick provides some of the best chuckles in the film with her actions and reactions. Definitely not what I expected. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.
The movie starts with police on the scene and blood-caked body sheets filling the yard of Crippen High School. The police start to piece the story together with Arthur (Richard Brestoff, the film's screenwriter), the lone survivor, recapping what happened throughout the shoot.
The movie centers around a film being shot at the high school five years after a series of murders rocked the town. The low-budget filmmakers decide it would be a great idea to film in the same location where the murders took place. When producer Harry Sleerik's (Rocco) biggest requirements for the film are more blood and more nudity, a perfect recipe for disaster is set.
As the movie begins to shoot, crewmembers begin disappearing one by one, which the filmmakers attribute to the poor shooting conditions. In reality, the killer is masking his crimes in the blood and body parts scattered about the set.
The movie moves along to a predictable ending only to have one more twist left in store for us — saving the best for last. The logistics don't really work out, but the idea is cool and a great way to close the flick.
"Horror High" is an odd bird. I loved the movie for its willingness not to take itself too seriously and the subtle schlocky touches that literally are "blink and you missed it" moments. The movies uses flashbacks to tell the story, and their clunkiness only adds to its schlock appeal. The main issue I had with the film was it didn't go further. They could have painted the walls red and gotten away with it. It was definitely an opportunity missed.
"Return to Horror High" isn't a master class in schlock, but it has enough of its elements to make it a nice watch. Watch for the creepy hand grab in the car scene — one of the film's funnier moments.
3.5 Yaps