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Return to Horror High

Play trailer Poster for Return to Horror High R Released Jan 9, 1987 1h 35m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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0% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 17% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In the early 1980s, a series of gruesome murders occurred at Crippen High School. The killer was never apprehended. A few years later, a film crew uses the now-abandoned Crippen High as the set for a film about the murders. But an uninvited guest star -- the killer the film is based on -- makes a cameo appearance on the set. As the murderous madman terrorizes the cast and crew, leading man Steven Blake (Brendan Hughes) and leading lady Callie Cassidy (Lori Lethin) set out to stop him.
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Return to Horror High

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
James Berardinelli ReelViews The problem is that the premise, once compromised by an inadequate director, inept actors, horrific dialogue, and a host of other problems, is unable to rise to the surface. It sinks in the muck, leaving behind only a vague trace of what might have been. Rated: 1.5/4 Mar 14, 2024 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Sep 29, 2005 Full Review Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion Rated: 1/5 Nov 7, 2003 Full Review Scott Weinberg eFilmCritic.com Rated: 1/5 Jul 25, 2002 Full Review Dustin Putman TheFilmFile.com The premise is admittedly pretty crafty, but other than that two-minute distraction, Return to Horror High is certainly no great shake. Rated: 1.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kazall R Admittedly it does have a decent basic concept but Return To Horror High spins itself in too many circles and it never gets itself out of 2nd gear. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/15/23 Full Review Charles T Mega-whoopty-doo-star George Clooney is the first victim in this slasher/comedy wannabe. He is also the luckiest, since he does not have to endure the rest of the film. Five years after murders rock a high school, film makers return to shoot a film based on that event. Members of the cast and crew begin disappearing, indicating a killer is still lurking in the halls of Crippen High. The killer did not do enough slashing, he should have had a stab at this script. The characters have been done before- the director is all artistic frenzy, the producer is a sleazy scumbag, the screenwriter is ignored, and the actors are shallow. At one point, an actor playing a corpse with a hatchet in his face asks "what is my motivation?," as if that joke has not been done a thousand times before. The heroes are a local cop and his cute actress girlfriend, who begin wandering around the set and writing down lists of names of the crew who have a connection to the high school. This plays like rejected scenes from "Harriet the Spy," as they happen on a conversation, whip out a notebook, and nod and write. In the end, they do not even solve the murders, the killer is revealed a la "Scooby-Doo." Other familiar faces here are Vince Edwards, who proves he will appear in anything for a paycheck, and Maureen McCormick, TV's Marcia Brady, who has an odd role as an oversexed police woman. Clooney does disappear early, but the look on his face tells you he has to do this silliness to fill a resume. The film makers constantly try to trick the viewer with "are you watching the film or the real thing?" scenes that get old after a while. The ending is insipid, makes no sense, and the sequel everyone promises then never was made. "Return to Horror High" should be held after class and put into detention. Skip it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/18/23 Full Review Audience Member This is not a sequel to horror high, this is more like a spoof and this is George Clooney's first acting career. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/30/22 Full Review steve d Not effective on any level. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Such a bizarre oddity of a film. It's ballsy for attempting what it did though. It's a biting satire of the slasher genre, way before Scream pulled it off. A movie within a movie that states being a sequel to movie that doesn't exist. Confused yet? Don't worry, you'll be plenty more lost as you watch it. It's the editing that does it no favors. Still, it has some interesting stuff going on, and gets points for trying to be original. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/25/18 Full Review Audience Member una estupidez, no terminé de ver. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Return to Horror High

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the early 1980s, a series of gruesome murders occurred at Crippen High School. The killer was never apprehended. A few years later, a film crew uses the now-abandoned Crippen High as the set for a film about the murders. But an uninvited guest star -- the killer the film is based on -- makes a cameo appearance on the set. As the murderous madman terrorizes the cast and crew, leading man Steven Blake (Brendan Hughes) and leading lady Callie Cassidy (Lori Lethin) set out to stop him.
Director
Bill Froehlich
Producer
Mark Lisson
Screenwriter
Bill Froehlich
Production Co
Balcor Film Investors, New World Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 9, 1987, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 6, 2011
Runtime
1h 35m
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