Hell High (1989)

Director: Douglas Grossman

Starring: Maureen Mooney, Christopher Stryker, Christopher Cousins

Still haunted by the death of two teens that she accidentally caused as a young girl, a teacher goes berserk when four teens start harassing her, then attack her in her home.

In the opening scene, a little girl, Brooke Storm, unintentionally causes the death of a young couple. We then jump ahead 18 years, and Brooke is now a biology teacher. She still lives in the same house near the swamp where the young couple died.

Dickens, one of her students, is a real troublemaker. Along with three of his friends, Jon-Jon, Queenie and Smiler, they decide to play a prank on Brooke. Off course, things get out of hand and the prank goes horribly wrong.

Although labelled as a slasher, ‘Hell High’ is not a slasher in the true sense. It is more of a vengeance movie. For a slasher, the film is also oddly paced, and – apart from the young couple in the beginning – there are no deaths until the final act. The first two acts pretty much plays like a thriller. In fact, come to think of it, this isn’t really a horror. Psychological horror, maybe, but if you watch ‘Hell High’ thinking it is a slasher in the vain of classic 80’s slashers, you’re mistaken.

Only time will tell whether I’m going to remember this film by its title. At first I thought students were going to be killed at High School, hence the reference to Hell High, but not a single killing occurs at the school…

Would I watch it again? No.