I remember the day I bought this film. There was a multipack at Walmart that had C.H.U.D. II, Chopping Mall, and a handful of others that came with it. Most of the films I watched from this pack were, well, duds. (For me at least, I know these films have their audience.) For that reason, I never went out of my way to watch Slaughter High. It’s been brought up in conversations here and there, but I still never felt the need to watch it. So, keeping with the theme of back to school, I decided to finally give it a shot.
Slaughter High: A Tale of Revenge
A group of [awful] friends decide to “prank” Marty Rantzen (Simon Scuddamore), a nerdy outcast on the fringe of social groups. The first prank goes as planned, but they’re caught by a coach (Marc Smith) who puts the offenders in detention. A second prank is the setup for the third prank, which leaves Marty disfigured with acid burns. 10 years later, the group of friends are invited back to the high school for a reunion. When they arrive at the school, they realize the building is decrepit, and they’re the only ones there. As the night goes on, the body count rises. Will anyone escape Slaughter High?
Slaughter High has a huge identity problem. This could be partially because it was written and directed by three people: Mark Ezra, Peter Litten, and George Dugdale. Each member of the bully group is nothing but overwritten caricatures of friend group archetypes. You spend more time getting acquainted with this disgusting group of cardboard cutouts, while we barely spend any time with Marty. Simon Scuddamore is the only shining grace in the nearly 20-minute-long setup. Jon Clark is also pretty great in his limited screentime.
Unlikable Characters: A Slasher Film Pitfall
We’ve discussed before that having your main characters be unlikable isn’t always a bad thing. Look at House of Wax! The film’s main issue is that it has EIGHT bullies. How can we get to know any of them efficiently enough to care whether they live or die? And by the time the dying starts, you’re completely over anything that’s happening. The biggest sin a slasher film can commit is to be boring. And the overwhelming majority of Slaughter High is boring.
What makes Slaughter High slightly worthwhile is Peter Mackenzie Litten’s SFX design and John Humphreys’s prosthetic work. The kills are fairly brutal and work for what this film is. But I don’t think the kills are enough to set Slaughter High apart from similar films. The first kill we see sets a high bar; someone’s stomach basically explodes out of his abdomen. From that point on, the kills start to lose their edge, never able to capture the viciousness of the first.
Slaughter High: A Missed Opportunity
With how much I’ve heard people hype this film up, I was left feeling little to nothing about what I watched. Not to mention the ending left much to be desired. April Fool’s Day handles this kind of ending in a much better way. All in all, Slaughter High fails to do much other than pass the time. Marty Rantzen may fuck, but Slaughter High sucks.