Well, Wormwood Fans, it’s Dark Starr back with another movie review for Philm Phreaks. And, this time I’m looking at a DVD release of a movie called “Horror High.”

The premise of this movie is that all the adults in a town are held in a sort of state of control, apparently by the former principal of the high school. The discipline at the school is brutal, and if you are late to class you are locked out and wind up being taken out by some kind of monster. 

The set up reminds me a little of “It,” but this doesn’t rise to that level. This is very much a high school kid kind of movie, and as such I’m definitely not the target demographic. The added conflict of bullies also lends more of that “It” reference point. The sort of stoner guy running the arcade, brings more of a silly angle to the film. 

This is indie, but other than the skill level of the actors, it doesn’t feel THAT indie. Don’t get me wrong, the acting is not the worst I’ve seen in a movie, but it’s not the kind of level you’d expect in a big budget film. 

I found the story predictable, especially the climax, but it still managed to have some surprises built in. There were some emotional parts, as well. One thing I really liked a lot was the little nod to the origins of horror films during a history of film class. That even included some clips from “Nosferatu”.

 I would say that if there is a Young Adult category for movies, this probably fits there. It’s the same kind of fright level as something like “Goosebumps,” perhaps. There isn’t much gore. This is more or less a hybrid horror, teen film, action movie and science fiction tale. The story actually works pretty well, but I would love to see it redone as a little more mature film with some real edge and gore built into it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine as is, for what it is, but I think the story would be worthy of a different film style. 

That said, there is one huge plot hole here that I don’t think creates a spoiler. You see, everything that’s happening is isolated to this town. So, I wonder why one of the kids, especially the teens, don’t just leave town and get help from outside. I’m sure that’s something that could be solved with a little bit of a rewrite, but it seemed pretty glaring to me. 

There was also one thing I won’t mention about the climax that didn’t hold up at all for me. Again, it could be fixed, but as written it leant some disbelief and a bit of an immature nature to the movie. I suppose some of those unbelievable things add another genre to the mix, dark fantasy. 

Overall this was an enjoyable movie. I have a hunch I would have enjoyed it more if I were a teenager. It is definitely targeted at that demographic. As to the DVD itself, there aren’t really any bonus materials, so you are just going to get this based on the strength of the main film.  (I have seen this film also called "Tardy Terror".--Dr. M