Search - Return to Horror High on DVD

Damian M. (ratchet)
Reviewed on 3/11/2009...

A decent horror comedy. An over-the-top slasher flick parody. Filming a slasher movie in an abandoned high-school where murders occurred, the crew starts to disappear. The set-up is obviously there for various parodies from a variety of genres. The back-and-forth between fiction and reality, past and present was well done also. Pretty funny, worth a watch. George Clooney was the fist to die.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Surprisingly good 80's slasher!

derek glidewell | 05/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike many reviewers, I actually enjoyed this film, "Return to Horror High" is not only a 80's nostalgic slasher, it is also a spoof/satire on the whole low-budget horror film franchise, which I feel gives the film a big boost. The plot is rather original, it's not the typical "invincible man in a mask stalking half naked teens through the woods with farm tools" formula, it's about a film crew who is filming a low-budget horror film on a mass murder that happened 3 years ago at Crippen High, and mysteriously the killer was never apprehended. So as soon as filming begins, one by one the cast and crew start getting knocked off, and it's up our heroic duo to solve the mystery of who could be behind the murders and what really happened at Crippen High. The story is more "in-depth" than the typical 80's slasher flick and the acting is above average, as most of the cast provide very believable performances. The overall production value is high, as the effects are realistic, even when purposefully campy, and the overall school setting is eerie.As for the DVD, Anchor Bay has done another fine job restoring a lost 80's classic. The only feature is a trailer, which is more like a teaser, but is superbly crafted and is made of the highest quality, it's very convincing, very dark, and I personally do not see how it didn't sell the film well. The picture is in 1.85:1 widescreen ratio, and is excellent, no blotches, no streaks, no cracks, and the colors are well divided and very vibrant. My only complaint was the sound, if they would have done a 3.0 surrond, or even a 2.0 Stereo remix, the effect of many "BOO" scenes would have been much greater as oppose to Mono. But still the dialogue and sound effects are distinguishable from each other and do not blend. Plus you get a mini theatrical one-sheet inside the package.Overall, I highly reccomend "Return to Horror High". Some may get confused by the ending, but I feel it's from a lack of paying attention, because I understood the ending just fine, but if you pay attention and listen carefully during the last 10 minutes, everything should make sense. Once again, Anchor Bay has provided us with another great classic and given it a nice transfer, plus a very reasonable price. All horror fans should enjoy this one, as well as film buffs, if you feel weary about his one because of the mixed reviews, then I suggest a rental, and then decide. I hope this helped in making your final decision, whether you buy or pass. Thanks for reading."

A dull and disjointed disaster.

Dymon Enlow | 03/27/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Posing as a high school slasher THE RETURN TO HORROR HIGH is actually a poorly written, poorly acted and poorly directed horror/ comedy...and I'm using both of those terms loosely.



Confusingly told with an incredible amount of flashbacks, a limp dream sequence and a twist ending that was so stupid it made THE VILLAGE look like Stephen Hawking the story is about a film crew shooting a slasher movie at a high school that was previously the scene of a real life massacre. People start disappearing, but not as quickly as my desire to care what happens.



I have no idea what the filmmakers were going for, but they failed on every level possible. Sadly, I've seen worse, much worse, but still there is no reason (outside of morbid curiosity or drunkeness) to waste your time on this clunker.



Gorehounds: don't worry about it; the limited special effects are pathetic, barely above Troma standards."

Simply avoid this

B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 05/19/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Let's see... how to describe this film?



Simply bad, severely dated, an inexcusably low budget feel *and* a sorry horrible storyline designed to make fun of the horror genre rather than attempt to make a real effort at actual horror. That about sums up Return to Horror High.



Basically Return to Horror High does absolutely nothing right. No suspense, no excitement, not even some frightening horror segments to at least salvage it somewhat.



The storyline is about a group of people trying to become actors and actresses by making a horror film of their own inside a high school, all the while attempting to fool the cops and make it seem like people really ARE being killed inside the school.



Of course there's also a REAL killer roaming around that makes his presence known sometimes... and this is what makes the storyline significantly worse. Everything's basically a huge hidden joke- how CAN a film like this possibly be frightening?



Every time you believe a real suspenseful moment of storytelling is taking place involving a real actual death, it quickly turns out to not be real in any shape or form, because every moment of horror is actually nonexistent and all part of the actors and actresses filming their own little movie throughout the hallways and classrooms.



A lot of times what you believe is real is quickly interrupted with the movie directors saying "Cut" which completely interrupts the momentum the suspenseful storyline *could* have had. This means you go from feeling fear to feeling cheated.



I hate movies that mock the horror genre because they're neither funny or interesting and *definitely* not suspenseful. It's like these type of storylines fail completely around every single corner of storytelling, and that's exactly what Return to Horror High does- it completely misses the mark. Avoid."