Slaughter High (1986)
Film Information
Director: Mark Ezra, Peter Litten, et. al.
Producer: Dick Randall, Stephen Minasian
Screenplay: Mark Ezra, Peter Litten, et. al.
Date Released: November 14, 1986
Cast:
Simon Scudamore as Marty Rantzen
Caroline Munro as Carol Manning
Carmine Iannaconne as Skip Pollack
Donna Yeager as Stella
Gary Martin as Joe
Billy Hartman as Frank
Michael Saffran as Ted Harrison
John Segal as Carl Putney
et. al.
Rating = 2.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
In Doddsville County High School, for April Fools day, Marty is lured into the girls locker room by a beautiful woman and pranked by a group of students. Later that day, when the group of students must report to detention in the gym, one student puts an additional chemical in Marty’s chemistry experiment causing a terrible accident. As a result, Marty becomes disfigured as nitric acid splashes his face and the lab catches on fire. Years later, the group of students are invited back to Doddsville County High School for a class reunion. Unbeknownst to them, someone has revenge on the mind.
Gore Factor
There is a descent amount of gore in this film. In one scene, one student drinks a beer which is actually a chemical and his stomach explodes. In another scene, a woman takes a bath and the bath water turns into acid causing her skin to melt. There are also several other creative scenes like the ones mentioned.
The Grave Review
Slaughter High is the story about a bullied Marty who comes back to seek revenge on the people who caused his disfiguration. This film was surprisingly good considering the B-quality production. The death scenes were creative and there was a hint of comic relief throughout the film. Above all, the revenge aspect was pleasantly satisfying. From a conceptual standpoint, you can even say that this film had somewhat of a pre-columbine vibe, of course only focusing on the people that had hurt him. In that regard, the story was relatable to a certain degree as most people have had someone in their life who has hurt them in some way at some point. As such, the plot was commendable and the plot twist at the end was also very clever
It is also nice to see a plot where a character arch is incorporated. Marty started off as this nerdy, cowardly high school student and ended up being confident and tough. It was almost like seeing a completely different person. However, as to the performances, the acting was subpar or less. Some of the scenes were not very believable, but nevertheless, this didn’t make the film unwatchable.
Overall, beyond the poor film quality and subpar acting is actually an entertaining slasher film. Slaughter High (1986) is an enjoyable film that will make you think about mistreating the person that everyone else finds strange. On a side note, in one scene, there is a poster in the background of the film, Pieces, which is somewhat ironic given the theme of the current film. Can you spot it?
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Slaughter High (1986) two and a half graves out of five graves.
Do you agree with our review of Slaughter High (1986)? Comment below.
Join the Conversation