- Director : Douglas Grossman
- Actors : Maureen Mooney, Christopher Stryker, Christopher Cousins
- Media Format : Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
- Studio : Arrow Video
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Run time : 1 hour and 24 minutes
- Release date : July 19, 2022
Hell High is a unique horror movie
combining elements from multiple sub-genres. There is an inciting incident
often seen in the creation of a slasher monster, but this doesn’t occur until decades
later when a home invasion and attempted assault triggers a rape revenge
narrative. And the home invaders also wear masks often associated with the
slasher genre, making it difficult to categorize this film down. It is difficult
to pin down who the victim and who the villain is, and that is part of what
makes Hell High a fascinating enigma, if not a particularly great film.
Hell High
was a true low budget horror movie, shot in 18 days in 1986, though it wasn’t
released until 1989. As the sole film from director Douglas Grossman, Hell High
begins with a prologue in which a young girl named Brooke Storm (Amy Beth
Erenrich) witnesses an aggressive sexual encounter between two delinquent teens
(one of which was played by the film’s stunt man, Webster Winery). The
delinquents briefly terrorize Brooke by damaging her beloved doll, and the young
girl retaliates as they attempt to leave on motorcycle, resulting in a tragic
accident that traumatizes Brooke.
Though she has left this incident
behind as an adult high school teacher (now played by Maureen Mooney), Brooke is
triggered when a group of her problem students retaliate against the strict
educator by terrorizing her at home, they end up biting off more than they can chew.
First the teens wearing Halloween masks simply harass Brooke from outside her
home, but things escalate when they break into the home and begin to threaten
rape.
This invasion and assault brings
something out of the traumatized teacher, resulting in a violent revenge and
deviation from traditional slasher formulas. The resolution of Hell High
is as confounding as it is rare within the slasher genre, allowing the survival
of an unlikely character. I wouldn’t call Hell High a good film, but it
is a fascinating one to discuss in the tradition of both the slasher and rape
revenge narratives, along with being an early example of home invasion horror.
The Blu-ray release is a welcome improvement
on prior versions of the movie available on home video (or streaming),
featuring a high-definition presentation of a new 2K restoration from the
original camera negative approved by cinematographer Steven Fierberg. There is
also uncompressed stereo audio, and a package with newly commissioned artwork by
Ralf Krause, along with the original artwork on the opposite side of the
reversible sleeve. The package also comes with a booklet containing stills from
the film, cast and crew info, and an interview with stunt coordinator Webster
Whinery.
Special features on the disc include
the following:
- Brand
new audio commentary with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman and
cinematographer Steven Fierberg
- Archival
audio commentary with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman
- Archival
introduction and audio commentary with film critic Joe Bob Briggs
- School’s
Out! – a
newly-filmed interview with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman
- A
Beautiful Nightmare – a newly-filmed interview with cinematographer Steven
Fierberg
- Jon-Jon’s
Journey –
a newly-filmed interview with actor Christopher Cousins
- The
More the Better –
a newly-filmed interview with actress Maureen Mooney
- Music
is Not Sound –
a newly-filmed interview with composers Rich Macar and Christopher
Hyams-Hart
- Back
to Schools: The Locations of Hell High – a tour of the original Hell
High filming sites with author/filmmaker Michael Gingold
- Archival
video interviews with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman and
co-writer Leo Evans
- Deleted
Scene
- Alternate
Opening Titles
- Trailers
and TV Spots
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 8.5/10
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