“HORROR HIGH”, AKA “TWISTED BRAIN”

Cheeky horror films of the ‘70s are most fun to watch when they don’t take themselves too seriously. Take HORROR HIGH (1974) for example. Child star now grown up Pat Cardi plays Vernon, a high-school misfit who, forced to swallow some chemical concoction by a pissed janitor (something to do about his lost cat found dead in the lab department), becomes THE INCREDIBLE HULK but without the rippling muscles and the green pigmentation. Indeed, little Vernon is so fed up being the scapegoat that he finally takes the bull by the horns revenge-style. From the doomed janitor to the prissy English teacher, not to mention the dumb jock who’s been bullying him all year long, they all end up regretting having laid a finger on him. And to make matters worse, no one can stop him. Not even the police officer who’s assigned to the case, nor the jock’s girl who’s been eyeing Vernon… He is indestructible and will forever be—or so he thinks.

HORROR HIGH plays like a bad after-school special. Everything in it is borderline lame, from the bland direction to the amateurish performances; but contrary to many films in the genre this one manages to be quite endearing despite its faults. Thanks mostly to its true to form grade-Z agenda that keeps getting wilder as the movie progresses. Filmmaker Larry N. Stouffer seems to have vanished after that film (except for a brief return in 2006 as one of the screenwriters for some comedy called WAITIN' TO LIVE) and it’s truly a shame since he does have the making of another Edward D. Wood but with a better refinement, if that’s possible. I know, this sounds awfully disrespectful, but believe me it is said with the deepest love. I breathe, sleep and eat in grade-Z poop.

J.D. Felgelson, the screenwriter, is best known for having penned the excellent  DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (1981)  But he also wrote some other clunkers, like the  TV movie CRY FOR THE STRANGERS (1982) based on the John Saul novel of the same name, and more recently the shark-infested river of RED WATER starring Lou Diamond Phillips. Surely, this guy is my new best friend. I mean, how can you not love him. He certainly knows a thing or two about cheesy flicks, and anyone who has managed to prosper in these troubling waters for as long as he did deserves my sole devotion. That is, until the next over the top flick from another scriptwriter comes along. In the meanwhile, watch HORROR HIGH and see for yourself how much fun it really is to be bad.

This DVD review is based solely on the public domain version going around. But since I’ve enjoyed the film so much, I’m seriously thinking of purchasing the  Code Red Special Edition format, the one uncut with tons of extras and the brand new 16X9 (1.85:1) transfer mastered in high definition from original negatives. I’m sure that, just like the flick itself, it’s definitely worth owning.

　
Until next post—Martin