By 1989, the horror genre was at the tail end of slasher films; in fact, the boom was all but played out, and besides the more seasoned franchises, the genre itself was finding itself in a bit of a pit. Douglas Grossman’s Hell High, then, came at an inopportune time, because its poster artwork and title implicated itself as a traditional slasher even though its actual subject matter opposed that classification entirely. The film initially takes on some familiar elements, including an early traumatic experience that harkens back to the greats; but quickly Hell High expands to show a much more thriller-oriented movie that focuses on PTSD, high school dirtbags, and the inability to graduate from a “loser” status the characters have been labeled with throughout their careers.
Grossman follows a group of students that get into a whole lot of trouble, led by Dickens (Christopher Stryker). Classmates Queenie (Millie Prezioso), Smiler (Jason Brill), and Jon-Jon (Christopher Cousins) are followers enabled by Dickens’ behavior, and they ultimately cause a ruckus around the school before centering their attention on their science teacher Miss Storm (Maureen Mooney), whose strictness has angered Dickens one too many times. Unfortunately for the kids, their attempts to scare Miss Storm one night backfires when they believe they’ve accidentally killed her; and then they find out that they’re truly the victims on this night of mischief.
Unlike the regular slasher formula, Hell High doesn’t feature a masked killer or any POV shots from the murderer’s perspective. In fact, for most of the film, there is no murderer besides our main characters. Grossman focuses on developing his teenage troublemakers throughout the first half of the movie, paying particular attention to Dickens and attempting to give some implied views into his way of thinking. While most of Hell High‘s characters are pretty despicable, the reasons for their actions are hinted at throughout – they’re loners, they’ve been written off by their teachers, and ultimately they are old enough to realize that their future prospects in life are slim. Jon-Jon is probably the most well-adjusted of the group, but he too suffers from ostracization since he quit the football team.
With these character studies, the film moves a bit slowly, but once Hell High progresses to the night in question at Miss Storm’s house, the variation on the slasher theme yields surprisingly successful results. There aren’t many twists or turns, and it’s obvious who the killer is; but Grossman’s use of interesting setpieces, violent killings, and chase scenes keep Hell High explosive, and its conclusion featuring inherited psychological trauma is a great element. The cinematography, too, is often excellent, with emphasis on color contrast and lighting.
Fans of untraditional slashers should really enjoy Hell High since it avoids the usual pitfalls of the subgenre, and the whole cast – admittedly small – does a great job with the character elements. This has a particularly fun premise with a great theme and a number of suspenseful and disturbing moments, and you’ll want to be an alumni of this slasher school.
Blu-ray
Arrow Video has released Hell High on Blu-ray with a new 2K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. The video quality is often excellent, with a medium-bodied grain that offers a moderate amount of detail in most scenes without obtrusive clumping. Most of the time, Hell High remains consistent in its color contrast and grain, but occasionally some shots display a stronger grain scale and a push toward more yellow hues; this is evident particularly in the scene when Dickens and Jon-Jon are peeping on Miss Storm in the shower, which appears as though there may have been a different stock used during some reshoots. Night scenes can also present with heavier grain, though delineation is still fairly good and Arrow’s transfer handles the film’s varied lighting well. Overall, Hell High looks very good despite a few noticeable dips in quality.
Audio is presented with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track that sounds fairly vibrant. The film’s soundtrack makes good use of synth scores and stings, and also features a number of upbeat ’80s tracks, and this all sounds clear and crisp on the stereo offering. Dialogue is strong without drops in volume. English subtitles are also included for this.
Extras are robust, and include some collected elements from previous releases and new offerings for this release. The new content from Arrow Video adds hours of interviews with cast and crew including a lengthy 40-minute discussion with director Douglas Grossman, conversations with Christopher Cousins and Maureen Mooney, as well as a look at the film’s score and audio effects and its cinematography with Steven Fierberg. Also collected is an introduction from Joe Bob Briggs taken from a previous special and an audio commentary with the critic as well. A new audio commentary with Grossman and Fierberg provides tons of information about the background of the film expanding on both of their interviews, and an archival commentary with Grossman is also included. Michael Gingold provides a look at all of the locations from Hell High then and now as another new feature.
Archival interviews with Grossman co-writer Leo Evans, along with a soundless deleted scene, alternate opening titles, trailers, and TV spots round out the collected elements on this disc.
Arrow’s packaging also comes with a limited edition booklet featuring a new interview with stunt coordinator Webster Whinery conducted by Michael Gingold, as well as a slipcover with new artwork and reversible optional artwork.
Extra Features
- NEW 2K restoration from the original camera negative approved by cinematographer Steven Fierberg
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original uncompressed stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- 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 (1080i; 5:06) and audio commentary with film critic Joe Bob Briggs
- NEW School’s Out! – an interview with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman (1080p; 42:55)
- NEW A Beautiful Nightmare – an interview with cinematographer Steven Fierberg (1080p; 28:56)
- NEW Jon-Jon’s Journey – an interview with actor Christopher Cousins (1080p; 18:49)
- NEW The More the Better – an interview with actress Maureen Mooney (1080i; 20:06)
- NEW Music is Not Sound – an interview with composers Rich Macar and Christopher Hyams-Hart (1080p; 26:48)
- NEW Back to Schools: The Locations of Hell High – a tour of the original Hell High filming sites with author/filmmaker Michael Gingold (1080p; 13:07)
- Archival video interviews with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman (1080i; 19:30)
- Archival video interview with co-writer Leo Evans (1080i; 11:41)
- Deleted Scene (1080p; 2:10)
- Alternate Opening Titles (1080p; 2:05)
- Trailers and TV Spots
- Raging Fury trailer (1080p; 1:36)
- Hell High trailer (1080p; 1:37)
- Hell High TV spot 1 (1080p; 0:30)
- Hell High TV spot 2 (1080p; 0:31)
- NEW Reversible sleeve featuring original and commissioned artwork by Ralf Krause
- NEW FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring liner notes by Michael Gingold, including an exclusive interview with stunt coordinator/actor Webster Whinery
Verdict
Hell High is a remarkable film that defies slasher genre expectations, and Arrow Video has given it a nice release with all kinds of new extras and features that should make this disc stand out from the pack; it’s also one of the better unearthed slashers they’ve released in some time.
