Return To Horror High
Well, at least her hair looks good
Whoa, a horror movie starring George Clooney? This has to be good! Stupid DVD cover lying to me again. That, a picture of a skeleton in a cheerleader's outfit and a cheap price are what possessed me to buy this relatively unknown sequel to a relatively unknown 80's slasher. I feel like horror, more than any other genre, relies on cool poster and cover art to reel people in to waste their money. Just check our local $5 bin, look at the covers and without reading the back, tell me which movies you'd want. Well, at least this is a slasher. It can't get too complicated, right? RIGHT?!
A few years after the horrible serial killer murders at Crippen High School, a movie crew has come to town to film the story. Sleazy director Harry Sleerik (Alex Rocco, That Thing You Do, Get Shorty) sets up to film in the actual high school where the murders occurred, much to the concern of some of the actors. Oliver (George Clooney) stars as the leading man when he receives a call for a role in a different movie. As he is leaving the set, we hear the squeaking sound of a custodian bucket. Oliver looks into a room and is brutally murdered. Is the killer back or is it a copycat? Is it one of the actors or the creepy janitor? What is real and what is the movie being made?
Head of the class
Return to Horror High cuts in and out of flashback scenes, scenes from the movie being filmed, and scenes happening outside of the movie being filmed, if that makes sense. It is really, really confusing and I guess that's the point. You're not supposed to know what is real, what is happening in the movie being filmed, and what already happened. That being said, it doesn't really make for a pleasurable viewing experience. Every time something interesting or a murder happens, the movie shifts gears and pulls a swerve on the audience. It's one thing to be creative, its another to just be lazy and not really have anything happen. I haven't seen the original Horror High, so I can't say if this is true to the material.
The movie is classified as horror/comedy and it does have a few moments of humor, but not enough to call it a comedy. There is a good amount of violence and blood, certainly enough to keep you entertained. The acting has it's ups and downs, nothing particularly great or horrible. It's fun to see George Clooney before he hit it big and his mullet is quite impressive. The ending will probably annoy most viewers who spent the time to get through the entire movie only to be let down. I won't spoil anything, but think “April Fool's Day.”
Sexiest Mullet Alive
What should have been a simple slasher became a sometimes confusing and sometimes clever mindfuck. You never know what is actually happening and what is a filmed scene for the movie-within- a-movie. There are some good killing scenes, but once again, you don't know what is “really” happening. Ultimately, Return To Horror High is a mediocre slasher that became far more confusing and convoluted than it needed to be
4/10
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