Horror High (1973)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Redundant and unnecessary.

A Masterpiece!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Most viewers catch this Jekyll and Hyde revenge of the nerds movie on their local independent stations in the we hours of the morning. I just love a good revenge movie where the antagonists get theirs and then some. We focus on a nerdy lonely student Vernon Potts (Pat Cardi) and his Guinea pig Mr. Mumps. You see Vernon is on the verge of scientific greatness. Vernon spends most of his downtime in the high school science lab working on genetic research. Three main Tormentors ambush Vernon from every angle . Vernon's english teacher Miss Grindstaff (Joy Hash) humiliating Vernon in front of the whole class and chopping up his science project which he spent years perfecting. In addition our crabby Instructor tells Vernon and the class that she's giving him a big fat zero. The caustic janitor played by Jeff Alexander who threatens to ambush Vernon's experiments and wants Vernon to clear on out. Finally , (And most High school teens can relate to this), the Gym teacher Coach McCall (John Niland) tormenting poor Vernon. Each scene of revenge is gory but richly deserved in this horror fairy tale. I found this movie to be very entertaining and you begin to fantasize your own personal revenge on educators who have wronged you in the past or present. But please, don't try this at school. You can think bad thoughts but that doesn't me you have to act upon them. No money back guarantee with the paper slicer.

Surprisingly well-done cheapo. The premise amounts to a variation on the old Jekyll & Hyde. This time a nerdy high school boy uses his chemistry skills to get advantage on his many tormentors. Frankly, I could have used more yucko's, especially close-ups of Vernon when he turns into a grotesque Hyde. But we get only teasing glimpses, probably because of the meager budget. Still, the movie makes excellent use of shadowy hallways to set up suspense sequences. Then too, it looks like the school scenes were filmed in a real high school. Cardi's excellent as the wispy kid trying to deal with a mean teacher, bullying footballers, and a callous coach. (Note the name "Vernon Potts": how apt for a nerd. For once, I wish they would surprise us with a nerd named "Lance Coxman".) Anyway, I expect the movie appeals especially to viewers who had to suffer through high school hierarchies. Meanwhile, the camera work, pacing, and acting are all better than expected for an indie quickie. In fact, this may even be the best movie to come out of Irving, Texas. It may not rise to sleeper level, but it remains a respectable re-doing of a familiar premise.

I can not believe the average rating is over 5. However everyone is entitled to their opinion. The acting is terrible, the plot is terrible, the filming is terrible, need I go on?? I couldn't even finish this garbage. I quit after Ms. Grindstaff, what a name huh, got offed. There is nothing that is redeeming about this film in my opinion. Kill everyone who dissed you or did even worse to you I can understand but for goodness sakes do it in a watchable manner. The cat that started it all was just lying on top of the guinea pigs cage and there was no real reason to hit at it with a broom. The pig was in a wire cage, the cat was not attempting to get in to the cage and the janitor is an idiotic character who gives inbred hillbillies a bad name.

"Horror High" aka "Twisted Brain" is as bare-bones as any seventies independent flick can get. This is not a very good film, by far not, yet it might be an enjoyable watch for fans of obscure exploitation horror. It's basically a cross between an avant-la-lettre slasher movie (because of the high school setting & the systematic killings) and a contemporary re-imagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous "Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" story.For the biggest part the screenplay of "Horror High" sticks to its guns, which is good. And it's a simple story: Vernon Potts is the nerdy high school whiz kid that gets picked on by everybody (teachers & students alike). Since he's good at chemistry & biology, he invented a potion that occasionally transforms him in a murderous maniac. Thus Vernon has the abilities to exact his bloody revenge. The killings are mildly amusing and the overall atmosphere of the film is gritty enough. However, at one point the screenplay takes a sudden and completely unnecessary side-jump introducing Vernon's estranged father & his girlfriend. A completely redundant padding scene that goes on for too long, since the father character is never mentioned again afterwards. Vernon also gets an obligatory love-interest thrown his way: The girlfriend of a bullying jock student. She falls for Vernon's intelligence, naturally."Horror High" is a curious effort altogether, not only because the film is so obscure, but also because it foreshadows many high school slasher films to come over the next decade. At the time, the 'slasher rules' of contemporary horror cinema weren't even established yet. Sadly the execution of the film, as well as the acting, is severely below par. Not a lot of talent & money were involved. But there were a couple of other elements that made this viewing more interesting to me, like the use of many bizarre sound effects (e.g. shredding distorted guitars). The soundtrack itself also becomes funky & rocky at times. Every now and then inventive camera angles were used and the use of conveniently placed flashbacks (re-use of footage) to 'enhance' the narrative provided some amusing chuckles throughout. Again, I can't call this a good movie by any means, but I can imagine it a worthwhile watch to lovers of strange & vintage, moody & atmospheric exploitation horror. Don't expect nudity in this one, though.