Hell High

Hell High is a 1989 American slasher film written, produced, and directed by Douglas Grossman. The film centers on a school teacher who suffers a mental breakdown after being harassed and attacked by a group of teenagers.

Hell High
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDouglas Grossman
Produced byDouglas Grossman
David Steinman
Written byLeo Evans
Douglas Grossman
Starring
Music byChris Hyams-Hart
Rich Macar
CinematographySteven Fierberg
Edited byGreg Sheldon
Claire Simpson
Production
company
DGS Productions
Distributed byJGM Enterprises
Release date
  • May 12, 1989 (1989-05-12)[1]
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Cast
  • Christopher Stryker as Dickens
  • Maureen Mooney as Miss Brooke Storm
  • Christopher Cousins as Jon-Jon
  • Millie Prezioso as Queenie
  • Jason Brill as Smiler
  • Kathryn Rossetter as Coach Sandy Hand
  • J.R. Horne as Coach Heaton
  • Victoria Andahazy as Mink

Production

The film was shot on location in Westchester County, New York.[2]

Release

The film was released theatrically in the United States beginning May 12, 1989.[1]

Critical reception

Richard Harrington from The Washington Post gave the film a negative review, writing, "Even within the limited expectations of the horror genre, it's not particularly satisfying, since the chills are all on the cheap. However, sitting through Hell High is likely to bring back at least one high school memory, that of a long, long, long detention, made worse because you have to pay for it."[3] Cavett Binion of AllMovie was unimpressed by the film, calling it a "routine slasher-thriller", though one that "deviates slightly from the standard formula by way of a fairly intelligent script."[4]

Most reviews were negative. However, Brett Gallman on his website Oh, the Horror! considers it "a weird, gangly, messy perversion of 80s slashers", commending the film's darker narrative, performances, and dismantling of the typical slasher film formula.[5]

Home media

Hell High was released on DVD by Shriek Show on July 13, 2004. It was later re-released by the company as a part of its three-disk, High School Horrors Pack on November 15, 2005.[6]

References
  1. "Hell High advert". The Baltimore Sun. May 11, 1989. p. 68 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Hell High". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020.
  3. Harrington, Richard. "'Hell High'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020.
  4. Binion, Cavett. "Hell High (1987)". AllMovie. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  5. Gallman, Brett. "Horror Reviews - Hell High (1989)". Oh, the Horror.com. Brett Gallman. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  6. "Hell High (1987) - Douglas Grossman". AllMovie. Retrieved June 5, 2018.


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