Return To Horror High Review

• 8th Feb 2011

Back in 1988 I rented Return to Horror High based solely on the assumption that there must be a nice slice of nudity and plenty of violence to be had. I was not disappointed. Twenty two years on and this Horror Comedy gem has mutated… not only is it George Clooney’s feature film debut (with himself sporting a world class mullet) but it has become a classic staple of 80s horror fun.

The film follows an exploitation film crew as they attempt to re-create a high school massacre at the actual location where it happened.  It opens on the police as they arrive at what appears to be a whole new massacre at Crippen High School. Any new viewing of this film will naturally turn to the celluloid debut of George Clooney as a young lead actor leaving the project for a better offer. On leaving he is promptly dispatched by the High School killer ending his participation in this opus after around fifteen minutes. The highlight of the film comes in the shape of the irrepressible Alex Rocco as a sleazy producer obsessed with flesh and blood. If one wanted to stretch the concept of the film you could claim that what is actually happening here is a trashy re-make of Godard’s Le Mepris with Rocco as the Jack Palance character endlessly berating his director.

The 80s became a haven for a series of comedy horror movies after the unexpected and staggering success of the Evil Dead franchise. Movies such as House, Slaughter High and Fright Night mixed both murder and mirth finding a whole new audience tired with the endless barrage of watered down slasher pictures. Return to Horror High is seemingly a film with both low and high brow ambitions in terms of its narrative. Not satisfied in referencing genre classics such as Psycho, the makers also capture the behind the scenes of a film narrative of Truffaut’s Day For Night.

Two decades have passed and what Return to Horror High lacks in quality it more than makes up for with heart and enthusiasm. The picture, on the whole, is classic z-grade drive-in schlock that should keep any fan entertained. The production values are so poor that laughter is guaranteed, to say nothing of the caliber of acting chops on show from the lead performers (Rocco not included).  This is essential midnight viewing for all fans of drive-in spectaculars that delivers kitsch entertainment by the bucket load.

Aled Jones