Killer High

You can tell they put all of their money into one scene and gave up on the horror effect

If you're in the mood for over the top, gory fun, this movie delivers the goods. It's colorful, the actors are all game, especially the lead (Sabrina), and the creature (a sort of giant Razorback puppet in most scenes) is grotesque enough to be impressive. I had fun watching it, and as long as you're cognizant of what you're going to get from a movie with this title, you won't be disappointed. Special mention goes to the lady in the wheelchair. In fact, everyone on camera is giving it their all, and that elevates this movie to a higher level than expected. The movie involves teens and a cursed high school. The body count is astronomical. The backstory is ridiculous and inexplicable. What more do you need to know? Nothing, really. Just enjoy the zany ride.

...that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about "Killer High" (2018), as far as plot goes. It's a made-for-TV horror/comedy with several laugh-out-loud scenes and some interesting filming techniques, like angles and stills. The warthog monster is linked to the school's mascot and it's ferocious, but kinda goofy-looking. There's a lot of quality gore, if that's your thang.

The cast is ethnically diverse and likable, led by Kacey Rohl as the amusing protagonist who organizes the reunion. Varun Saranga and Asha Bromfield co-star as her main pals. On the female front, curvy cutie Niamh Wilson (Michelle) stands out, but she's out of the picture after the first ten minutes. Lauren Collins (Carrie) is good, but they don't do enough with her. Humberly González (Rosario) is striking, but she needs to eat some hamburgers.

The film runs about 90 minutes and was shot exclusively in-and-around a brick high school (I can't find any location info). The opening reminded me of my juvenile years breaking into our high school for kicks.

GRADE: C+ (5.5/10)

I am totally NOT a fan of horror movies, especially not the gory kind, or the stupid spoofs of more recent years (Scary Movie, Disaster Movie etc). I was in the hospital recently and had nothing to do but watch SyFy channel's horror movie marathon, so I ended up watching it. I loved it! I actually cared about the characters and the plot, and laughed the whole way through. It's not a straight up spoof, it's the kind of movie where the characters take the situation as completely genuine, but the movie is not taking itself too seriously (think Ghostbusters).

The acting was perfect for this type of movie, overly dramatic, but not so forced it was annoying. The characters were true to the stereotypes of high school and the behavior/conversations were spot on for school reunions. The plot was silly, but there actually was one that was well thought out and they stuck to it. There were some really cool visuals that would have fit in with a serious action movie, but were made to fit this kind of comedy to perfect effect.

Side note: The scene with the chocolate balls had me laughing so loud my nurse came to check on me. :D

Bottom line, if you're going in to this expecting a serious horror movie (Texas Chainsaw Massacre type) you're going to hate it. If you're going in expecting a straight up parody (Scary Movie type), you may enjoy it, but it's not going to be what you're after. But, if you're looking for something like Little Shop of Horrors or Ghostbusters (this is definitely more gory, comedic gore, but there is still a lot of blood and entrails etc), this is going to be what you're after.

If I had to describe every aspect of this movie in three words it would be 'surprisingly not bad'. I'm not saying that it's good, I'm just saying that it's surprisingly not bad. The acting, sound, cinematography, and effects are all better than what you would expect. The story itself isn't great, but it's a decent setup to what is essentially an excuse for cheesy jokes and bloody kills. I really could have done without the handful of pointless freeze-frame scenes. I'm not sure if they were trying to be stylish here but it just doesn't work.

Overall, it's very mediocre. But for a SyFy original, you could certainly do much worse. If you feel like turning your brain off for a little while and enjoy some cheesy practical effect horror, with copious amounts of fake blood, it's a decent watch. Just don't expect too much. 5/10