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Slaughter High
R0 - United Kingdom - Arrow Films Review written by and copyright: Neil Bray (2nd August 2011). |
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The Film
 Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s horror films were big. Everyone was jumping on the band wagon and churning them out. This is a good thing, as it gave rise to some of the best horror films ever made in my opinion (Halloween, Friday the 13th, Romero’s ‘Dead’ films, The Evil Dead). However, inevitably a time must come when a few duds end up in the pile. Now, I know what you’re thinking: I’m about to say Slaughter High is in that pile. Well, you’d be wrong. But, it’s definitely sat next to the pile, staring up and thinking "Shouldn't I be over there?" Everything about this film screams “Hate me!” The acting is atrocious, the dialogue trite, the story derivative of many other, better films The direction is uninspired and the villain rather lame. But, for some unknown reason, everything seems to come together to create a very enjoyable experience. Don’t get me wrong, this IS a bad film; but it falls squarely into the ‘so bad it’s good’ category. Cheesy is a word used in the featurettes and commentaries and it’s an accurate description. If I had seen this film when it was released, I would probably have it wrapped up in a nostalgia-bubble, but I didn’t, so I can view this only from the standpoint of someone who loves crappy horror and 80s films – and overall I have to give this a thumbs up. The Good: Harry Manfredini’s score (he of Friday the 13th fame) is, at times, very creepy and atmospheric. The deaths are sometimes inventive and graphic. The plot (??) follows horror film clichés like a textbook: school prank gets out of hand and prankee (so not a word!) returns to seek vengeance against those who wronged him – people die, boobs pop out all over, lots of screaming and running. Everything an 80’s horror/slasher film should be. The Bad: This is an English-made film masquerading as an American film. Hence, it’s set in America (but filmed in England) – but it’s an America where steering wheels are on the wrong side (obviously couldn’t afford to source American cars), accents arrive by way of London, Ireland (half the cast were English) and every State in the US (the other half were from all over America). I know the makers wanted to appeal to the US market of horror lovers; but, in my opinion, they would have been far more successful keeping the story British based, rather than attempting (and failing) to emulate American high-school. This is never going to appeal to the modern generation of horror film lovers (unless they have a serious retro-kick going on) who have become accustomed to the likes of the Saw or Hostel films or even the slew of western Japanese remakes; but, it will appeal to true horror fans, if only so for its novelty factor.
Video
Presented in 1.78:1 Anamorphic. At first glance the picture on view here isn’t particularly great. However, when I watched the trailer and featurettes, which incorporated old footage, you can see that the best attempt has been made to improve this feature. There is definitely some grain, and the dark scenes are often too dark to see what’s going on; but, otherwise, this is a great restoration on a film that is probably not going to look any better; and, in some ways, the grain and darkness help to enhance the atmosphere.
Audio
Only one sound option available here: a Dolby Digital Mono track. Nothing to get excited about here. The track does a perfectly acceptable job within the requirements of the film. Dialogue on occasion did fade in and out, but I actually think that was down to poor recording on set rather than this track. Given the attention to detail the rest of this release received, I’m surprised they didn’t whip up an optional 5.1 track. No subtitles available.
Extras
There is a forced trailer running for 2.48 at start-up which is a compilation piece showing other Arrow releases. Commentary with Co-Writer/Co-Director Mark Ezra moderated by Teenage Wasteland author J.A. Kerswell – This rather bland track covers the entire process of development for the film along with occasional snippets of information about the actors and the state of the film industry at the time. Commentary with star Caroline Munro, DVD World editor Allan Bryce and critic Calum Waddell – Re-treading the same ground as the previous commentary, this one is, however, slightly better in my opinion due to the presence of Caroline Munro who seems genuinely enthusiastic and proud of her career. Possibly deluded, but interesting nonetheless. Featurettes: Jesters and Jolts: Mark Ezra remembers Slaughter High (11.47) – Fact: Mark Ezra is boring. However, this mini-featurette does tell give a little background to the film – most notably that it was originally titled (and still is in the opening credits) ‘April Fool’s Day’, but that the producer sold the rights to the name to another studio who then released the, far superior, ‘April Fool’s Day’ the same year in America. Lamb to the Slaughter – The Scream Queen career of Caroline Munro (26.00) – Caroline Munro seems like a genuinely nice person, who seems to have loved her career. It was interesting to hear her talk fondly of her contract days with Hammer Films and how she came to appear in Slaughter High; along with how surprised she is that the film is still being talked about today. Feature Trailer (1.38) Introduction to film by Mark Ezra (0.20)
Packaging
Other companies could learn a lot from Arrow Films about how to present their films. Arrow’s range of horror classics really are a collector’s dream. For Slaughter High you get: A reversible cover with different artwork. A reproduction of the original poster. A 15 page booklet including Production Notes written by Troy Howarth and Interviews with composer Harry Manfredini and actor Josephine Scandi, peppered throughout with colour stills from the film. Arrow Video film catalogue – showing the current range of titles and extras available; which should get any horror fan watering at the mouth.
Overall
I really enjoyed this film; but I’m self-aware enough to know it had nothing to do with the film actually being good and more to do with childhood memories. One to watch for true horror fans with low expectations. Prime for a remake.
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