SLAUGHTER HIGH (1986)

Ohhhhh the 80s slashers…for every mainstream slasher we can think of, there are countless others that have gotten lost over the years and stuck in ‘bottom of the shelf’ video store territory or ones you’d see during USA Up All Nights (remember those?) Nonetheless…these can be quite fun as they never take themselves seriously. SLAUGHTER HIGH tells the familiar story of the prank-gone-wrong to the unfortunate nerd/geek/outcast/loner (in the 80s these were all interchangeable). Flash forward many years later, murders start happening to those involved in the prank (complete with jester outfit) and we have to hang around long enough to figure out if revenge is indeed a dish best served cold. In this outing, we get Marty, who is the victim of multiple pranks and ends with him badly burned/disfigured. Years later at the obligatory class reunion, the original players get disposed of one-by-one. Is it Marty back to the future? (See what I did there?) This 80s slasher hits all the right notes: the cheesiness, the amateur acting, the kills, that make these flicks fun. However, the ending was a big WTF that can be taken a couple different ways. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, I’m not above open interpretations as long as those interpretations follow the movie rules that preceded it beforehand. The movie can be looked at by having two endings…and both were used. Either of them by themselves would’ve sufficed…but lumping both together loses effect in my opinion. Still, for a great nite in experiencing the genre from a classic decade in horror, you could do worse than attending Slaughter High. Check it out with some booze for sheer absurdity.

SLASH SCENE: Science project gone wrong

SLASH SCORE: 3.5/5