Customer Reviews

Slaughter High (The Lost Collection)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

There's nothing really new here except for a rather eye-opening sequence where the nerd-who-will-become-the-slasher is soundly humiliated in front of "the gang"--complete with extended and rather graphic male nudity. Supposedly, the actor who played the nerd, Simon Scuddamore, committed suicide shortly after its release, which makes watching this scene a faintly queasy experience.

I saw this movie almost ten years ago with my brother on one of our weekly horror movie nights. This one always stuck out in my mind. I loved it so much because it didn't really take it self so seriously. Sure, the acting is stilted, and their accents make them sound like deaf people learning to speak! The movie's about a nerd in high school who gets pranked by the popular kids and the prank turns deadly. Or so they think. Turns out that the nerd is alive and ready for revenge (years later, though!). My favorite part of the movie is when the popular kids are reuniting at the abandoned school, and this big motorcycling oaf from the gang comes roaring in on his bike and falls off (even though he clearly is safely getting off the bike and lands on the grass), and the camera closes in on him as he says "Oh, man, that-bike-has-got-to-go". And he says it so slowly and pauses after each word. I used to tell my friends about that scene, and they never believed me that the actor said it that way. But once they saw it, they knew my impression was dead on. All the actors smoke a cigarette in the movie, and smoke them like they're supposed to be smoking pot, which is wierd. Was it supposed to be pot? I don't know. All of the deaths in this movie are hilarious, one funnier after the other. I wont tell you about them because they are to funny for me to spoil them for you. And make sure to keep an eye out for the stereotypical black janitor. Also look out for the great soundtrack of one intsrumental tune over and over, and a rock song with some crazy singer saying,"April Fools, HA HA HA HA"!!! That is the cherry on the top of this garbage heap. This movie is so worth renting, and or buying. Enjoy!!

...or should I say the best AND the worst? Oh horror fans what a treat "Slaughter High" is to any child of the 80's. When I was 7-8 years old this one scared the hell out of me. I'm a horror film collector and the core reason for being a collector is to take a stroll down memory lane and capture some of my childhood. This great and goofy flick does just that. Slaughter High has it all! Half decent to horrible acting, some excellent atmosphere to no atmosphere at all, some damn good kills as well as some truly lame ones, a somewhat creepy masked killer and we can't forget that brilliant 8o's synth/keyboard score. This flick truly is the mixed bag of mixed bags and I love it! All kidding aside "Slaughter High" really does have a creepy backbone to it. Although it has some truly hilarious bad moments it also has spurts of brilliance throughout and that nerd getting back at the cool kids twist seems to really hit home these days. I really hope this one goes back into print and gets a dvd release sometime soon. This 80's gem desrves it!

some of the other reviewers were way too critical with this movie. "slaughter high" is not to be taken seriously. the reason i like this flick is that it is just down right amusing with the creative (yet sometimes outrageous when taking logic into consideration, i.e. the bathtub scene) death scenes, the cheesy soundtrack, and like others have said, the obviously british actors poorly trying to speak like americans. go into it with a light frame of mind and ignore all the rules of what makes a good movie. this movie is just so bad that it's good.

Slasher films are usually unoriginal and cliched and 'Slaughter High' isn't any different. But what makes 'Slaughter High' so enjoyable is the nastiness of it. It really is a brutal and mean spirited little slasher flick. Some pretty graphic gore scenes pop up through out as well. The DVD's picture quality isn't the best but that's expected with 'Slaughter High' being a fairly unknown, low budget 80's slasher and Lionsgate rereleasing. The acting is as expected and the soundtrack is typical 80's synth but the film makes up for it's weaknesses by showing all kills on screen and having a pretty ballsy (and quite confusing) twist ending.

It's better than most run of the mill slashers ('Final Exam', 'Prom Night', 'He Knows You're Alone'). It's up there with my fav slasher films ("April Fool's Day", "Halloween", "The Burning"). Pick it up in the 4 pack and get the classic "My best friend's a vampire" as well.

Wow! What can I say about this movie that hasn't been said already!?! Let's go down a check list (in terms of 1980's Horror) and see if this movie has the "guts" to make it an enjoyable Cult film. Horrible acting? Check! Terrible set designs? Check! Late 20's actors posing as 18 year olds? Check! Buckets of cheap, bright red blood and gore? Check! Random acts of nudity? Check! Check! Double check! 'Yup! This movie has it all! From the down right ridiculous acting (maybe we can blame whoever wrote those awful lines in the screen play) to the out right moronic Horror movie cliches that riddle such a movie as SLAUGHTER HIGH.

Now, I know it seems like I'm really raking this film over the ashes but thats not the actual case. Actually, I found this movie to be quite enjoyable despite the obvious reasons most people hate a film like this. Sure it has bad acting and a lot of it just doesn't make too much sense but lets put those things to the side for a moment. SLAUGHTER HIGH is a movie that was made during a time where 1980's Slashers were "tops." It didn't matter if the movie was made well or logical. Movie studios were just concerned about pumping out a product that the teenagers would eat up. Films like SLAUGHTER HIGH, CHEERLEADER CAMP, MY BLOODY VALENTINE and APRIL FOOLS DAY were products of the time. Us Horror fans really shouldn't get down on them just because of that.

The actual movie SLAUGHTER HIGH isn't anywhere near award winning material but it isn't too horrible over all. The basic premise of the movie is about this Highschool nerd (who looks about in his late 20's) who happens to be the target of everyones pranks and jokes. One day, a bunch of "kids" pull a stunt on him that goes a bit too far. Basically, they set him on fire, splash acid in his face and blow things up (mainly glass bottles and beakers, he's in the schools Physics Lab at the time) just to really let him know who's "dork." You know, the usual stuff bullies do to nerds when they're picking on them. Yet, he doesn't die after all that! I don't know about you guys but I smell revenge.....

Eventually the years pass after the accident and everyone who was involved in the prank, gets an invitation to their High School reunion. Only the problem is, when everybody shows up, the school is abandoned and nobody knows who sent them their invitations. 'Yup, todays lesson is revenge alright!

SLAUGHTER HIGH does boast some amazing kill sequences. If you intend to add this film to your Slasher collection, make sure you buy the DVD version. It comes UNRATED, the way a Horror movie should be! I can safely tell all my faithful Gore Hounds to check this out! It's loaded with the red stuff! Stomach's explode, girls are boiled alive in tubs of scalding hot water and victims are stabbed with any blunt or sharp object to be found! It's a pretty fun little Slasher flick that doesn't hold back on the gore, if you get the UNRATED version on DVD.

Gore Hounds, check it out! Everybody else, unless you're in the mood for this type of thing, I say rent something else.

Over and out!

...In fact, it is my absolute FAVORITE only after George Romero's original "Night of the Living Dead" (1968). A bold claim to make, I know, but you know there's something special about a movie that isn't even available and yet has (to date) 42 enthusiastic Amazon reviews. And if reading these reviews isn't evidence that "Slaughter High" is a love it or hate it movie, I don't know what is. And I for one LOVE it.

The slasher movie is considered to be a largely North American phenomenon but alas, the Brits come up with my favorite one of all time. It's as if the writing/directing triple threat of Peter Litten, George Dugdale, and Mark Ezra sensed in 1985 that all of the formulaic cliches of 1981-era slashers had all been done to death when played straight and an entry of a more trashy tongue-in-cheek nature was in order. And they succeeded brilliantly in creating the best one possible.

The opening 20 minutes or so are priceless. I think that anyone who was ever the victim of some type of cruel hazing in high school or middle school will identify with Marty and love this portion. Simon Scuddamore shows comic genius in this role. Even the fact that Marty gets over the initial shower stunt so quickly and seems not to take the haranguing seriously when confronted again by the louts at his locker, shown by the fact that he even accepts their dubious offer for a "wonder joint," keeps with the comic tone of the early part of the film.

This movie is delightfully FUN. It has that raw mid-'80s trash feel of say "Bad Girls Dormitory" (also 1985) that can never be reproduced. Those responsible for the final prank and hence severely burning Marty are invited to a party in their alma mater and that's just what this movie is, one big party in low budget slasher heaven. There is abundant gore, sex, nudity, beer drinking, weed toking, and even harder drug use to boot. (It is assumed that you're viewing the authentic UNRATED version. Accept no substitutes. I myself own a still-sealed VHS copy of it that I will preserve forever, as well as a more common beat-up ex-rental copy to watch.) This movie was a rose among thorns of crowded 1987-era video store horror movie shelves.

It's low budget to be sure, but the gore effects, handled by co-director Peter Litten and his Coast To Coast Productions, are top notch. The killings are so fun; from the grinding splatter via tractor trailer to the belly bursting to the electrocution during lovemaking, this delivers the goods.

And I just LOVE Harry Manfredini's music! It's got that cheesy mid-'80s post-punk synthesizer feel that brings you back to the time this one was made.

And, as a guy, one reason I have to confess that I keep coming back to "Slaughter High" time and time again is because it features perhaps the most beautiful girl in the world, the young British lass Kelly Baker (who appeared in the earlier British slasher "Don't Open Till Christmas" (1984), also a Dick Randall/Steve Minasian co-production). She appears here as nice girl Nancy, and is introduced most prominently about 20 minutes into the movie, when she is picked up by head goofball Skip (Carmine Iannaccone) on the way to the reunion. She is admittedly filled out but is far more beautiful than the anorexic waif models of today. As an American, I adore her quaint British charm and gorgeous golden hair and dazzling smile. If I had the resources, I'd probably start a Kelly Baker fan site.

Finally, some have criticized the ending but I think it shows that the movie is all in good fun and that the killings were not meant to be taken seriously.

It's great to see showings of a relatively obscure slasher like "Slaughter High" turning up today on mainstream outlets like On Demand. I myself first came to appreciate this film when TNT showed it on "Monstervision" (with legendary Texan drive-in critic Joe Bob Briggs) in the late '90s. Will someone just please wake up and give this movie its long overdue DVD release? It truly is a classic.

Hi, Slaughter High is one of the best movies ever. If you like horror movies and you know what it really is - Horror - Evil that sort of thing, this is a movie for you. You'll love the realism of it. Basically Marty gets messed with a lot and ends up getting hurt bad by some typical type high school dorks who think they are cool, but what goes around comes around and he gets them back, horribly. (...)

I don't know why so many people dislike this movie,I think it's the best horror movie ever made.It's entertaining,scary,for the most part it's an all around terrific movie.....Caroline Munro did a great job as Carol.As she really is english,alot of the actors are americans trying to fake english accents,and doing a terrible job of it.The movie is shot in London,and had three directors.Alot of people put this movie down and they should'nt.It's not a bad movie at all.The acting could have been a little better but the movie was great all the same.I've seen it many times and every time it's fun to watch.The ending was weird, ....Caroline Munro is 52 now.She was 36 when she made Slaughter High.I give this movie a ten.

Personally, I *LOVE* this movie. I first watched this movie when I was ten years old. A few months ago I added "Slaughter High" to my video library. Now, I am 20 years old, and I *LOVE* this movie just as much as I did the first time that I watched it. I am so glad that I added "Slaughter High" to my collection. I have seen this movie three-four times. My favorite part is the first 20 minutes of the film.

I wish that the film would be released on DVD in full screen format, and with the theatrical trailer as a bonus feature. I also wish that they would do a documentary on the making of Slaughter High. It would be cool if they did a tribute to Simon Scuddamore.

If you haven't seen this film, I suggest watching it.