It’s crazy to think about how many 80s horror films are out there that have been lost to time. They sit in obscurity, with only a few people remembering seeing it on TV or renting the VHS. They probably saw the movie under a different title and can only remember bits and pieces of the film. Hell High is one such forgotten film. Maybe you saw it under the title Raging Fury or Real Trouble, but no matter the name, the film remains the same: a low-budget horror movie filmed in 1985, completed in 86, and not officially released until 1989! We flash forward 33 years, and the film sees rebirth on a fantastic Blu-ray from Arrow Video. The most important question, though, does the film deserve to be dug up, beautifully restored, and packed with features. Read on to see.
Hell High is not your typical 80s slasher. Sure, we have the multiple death scenes and soaped-up stunt boobies, but the film came out after the slasher craze was dying down, and to stand out, a film had to focus on more than just a crazed killer slashing teens. Director Douglas Grossman and co-writer Leo Evans came up with an intriguing idea to combine two genres of films: the revenge movie, and the slasher film, with the results being, for the most part, quite enjoyable. Coming in at a runtime of 84-minutes, the movie takes a bit of time to get to the revenge/slasher portion of the movie, but the lead-up to it is backed by some solid acting from several actors.
The tormented teacher, Miss Brooke Storm (played by Maureen Mooney) does a terrific job going from uncomfortable, to scared, to, well, without spoiling too much, a bit unhinged. Christopher Stryker, who unfortunately passed away before the movie was released, does great work as an unruly student who will do anything to create a good prank. Other notables include Christopher Cousins, who gets roped up in the students’ shenanigans, Jason Brill doing a wonderful job of slowly going crazy later, and finally, Millie Prezioso, who even though was then-girlfriend to the director, still cranks out a solid performance (although, she refuses to cross the nudity line and stunt boobs are brought in).
Hell High also provides plenty of inventive and sometimes nasty looking kill scenes for all you gorehounds out there. We have a gnarly head smasher, and creative usage of a number 2 pencil, just to name a few. Backing up those gore scenes is colorful and smoky cinematography by Steven Fierberg, and a score by Rich Macar and Christopher Hyams-Hart that bounces around using a mix of synth, songs, and odd tunes (that are arguably out of place at times).
Blu-ray
Hell High has been released by Arrow Video, sporting a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. The transfer was approved by cinematographer Steven Fierberg, and the results are great. The movie uses a lot of fog during certain scenes, but bitrate never struggles and the film grain is even throughout. The colourful scenes I mentioned above pop and there wasn’t a moment in the film where I thought it looked bad. (Actually, I take that back, as there is one point in the movie where the transfer looks so clean, that you can see that a stunt driver is wearing blackface. I think that qualifies as bad.) For a better look at the transfer, check out our gallery on Cultsploitation: NSFW: HELL HIGH BLU-RAY SCREENSHOTS (ARROW VIDEO)
Arrow Video serves us the audio with the original uncompressed stereo. No distortion, loud hiss, or pops are present. Dialogue is clean and clear, and that synth song on the main menu sounds awesome.
Extra feature fans are going to be ecstatic when they see what has been included. We are looking at roughly over 3 hours of special features, and that is not counting the three audio commentaries! The longest feature is a nearly 43-minute interview with director Douglas Grossman, who provides a great deal of information on the making of the film. Other interviews included are with cinematographer Steven Fierberg, actress Maureen Mooney, and actor Christopher Cousins (who seems to have forgotten about the movie and never watched it). We also have a sit-down with composers Rich Macar and Christopher Hyams-Hart, location tours with Michael Gingold, and older archrival interviews with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman and co-writer Leo Evans. These archival features were included on a past DVD release (I’m assuming the Joe Bob Briggs commentary release).
Round all those features out with a deleted scene (no audio, and the scene is just the students wandering in a swamp with a film crew visible on the sides of the frame), alternate opening titles, and finally, some trailers and TV spots. Arrow Video also provides a slipcover, alternate reverse artwork, and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring liner notes by Michael Gingold, including an exclusive interview with stunt coordinator/actor Webster Whinery.
Extra Features
- NEW 2K restoration from the original camera negative approved by cinematographer Steven Fierberg
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original uncompressed stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- NEW audio commentary with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman and cinematographer Steven Fierberg
- Archival audio commentary with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman
- Archival introduction (1080i; 5:06) and audio commentary with film critic Joe Bob Briggs
- NEW School’s Out! – an interview with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman (1080p; 42:55)
- NEW A Beautiful Nightmare – an interview with cinematographer Steven Fierberg (1080p; 28:56)
- NEW Jon-Jon’s Journey – an interview with actor Christopher Cousins (1080p; 18:49)
- NEW The More the Better – an interview with actress Maureen Mooney (1080i; 20:06)
- NEW Music is Not Sound – an interview with composers Rich Macar and Christopher Hyams-Hart (1080p; 26:48)
- NEW Back to Schools: The Locations of Hell High – a tour of the original Hell High filming sites with author/filmmaker Michael Gingold (1080p; 13:07)
- Archival video interviews with director/producer/co-writer Douglas Grossman (1080i; 19:30)
- Archival video interview with co-writer Leo Evans (1080i; 11:41)
- Deleted Scene (1080p; 2:10)
- Alternate Opening Titles (1080p; 2:05)
- Trailers and TV Spots
- Raging Fury trailer (1080p; 1:36)
- Hell High trailer (1080p; 1:37)
- Hell High TV spot 1 (1080p; 0:30)
- Hell High TV spot 2 (1080p; 0:31)
- NEW Reversible sleeve featuring original and commissioned artwork by Ralf Krause
- NEW FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring liner notes by Michael Gingold, including an exclusive interview with stunt coordinator/actor Webster Whinery
Verdict
Hell High was an enjoyable lost 80s gem that included some cool death scenes, a nifty synth track, and solid acting from everyone involved. Sure, it takes a while to get to the good stuff, but the lead-up is never boring. Arrow Video has released a feature-packed release with fantastic video and audio. Highly recommend picking this one up for any fans of 80s horror.
