SanteeFats I can not believe the average rating is over 5. However everyone is entitled to their opinion. The acting is terrible, the plot is terrible, the filming is terrible, need I go on?? I couldn't even finish this garbage. I quit after Ms. Grindstaff, what a name huh, got offed. There is nothing that is redeeming about this film in my opinion. Kill everyone who dissed you or did even worse to you I can understand but for goodness sakes do it in a watchable manner. The cat that started it all was just lying on top of the guinea pigs cage and there was no real reason to hit at it with a broom. The pig was in a wire cage, the cat was not attempting to get in to the cage and the janitor is an idiotic character who gives inbred hillbillies a bad name.

stones78 The teaser plot about a high school student getting revenge on others who pick on him intrigued me enough to check this film out, even though I expected slight disappointment, and that's what I got, but the film had some good parts as well. Horror High puts the low in low budget, as I read that the budget was only $67,000, and that's even low for 1973 standards. It begins with a very cheesy song, and I almost expected the Partridge Family to be the performers, but it kept my interest anyway as young Vernon, the chemistry geek, gets bullied and teased because he wears David Byrne style glasses and is thin. Sounds like a good reason to me, doesn't it? Soon after, we meet Mr. Mumps, a guinea pig who's about to become a meal for the janitor's cat; even the janitor(Jeff Alexander)picks on Vernon. Since Vernon's a chemistry whiz, he mixes up some potion, and becomes a monster in the tired Jekyll and Hyde routine's that been beaten to death over the years. Without going into much detail, those who mocked Vernon are killed by him in goofy ways, like metal cleats stomping the much larger and stronger gym teacher to death in what is a facepalm moment. The meaner Vernon looks like a cross between Teen Wolf and a guy with motor oil splashed on his body. Pat Cardi did a fine job playing the tortured student with what he was given, and for some weird reason, there's some NFL players scattered throughout the film, like Mean Joe Greene(who actually kills Vernon, he plays a cop), Craig Morton, Calvin Hill, and John Niland, who has some scenes as the doomed gym teacher; that's probably what I'll remember most about Horror High, or the odd placement of music and sounds. I thought Paul Kent, who's not even mentioned in the credits for some reason on IMDb, had a few nice scenes as Vernon's dad, and even shares a phone call with his son, yet he's basically ignored during the latter half of the film, and I thought the writers missed a good chance of them meeting and the father potentially helping his son during the ordeal, but it never happened. I would say only watch this film if you have to, but please don't go out of your way to view it.

Vomitron_G "Horror High" aka "Twisted Brain" is as bare-bones as any seventies independent flick can get. This is not a very good film, by far not, yet it might be an enjoyable watch for fans of obscure exploitation horror. It's basically a cross between an avant-la-lettre slasher movie (because of the high school setting & the systematic killings) and a contemporary re-imagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous "Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" story.For the biggest part the screenplay of "Horror High" sticks to its guns, which is good. And it's a simple story: Vernon Potts is the nerdy high school whiz kid that gets picked on by everybody (teachers & students alike). Since he's good at chemistry & biology, he invented a potion that occasionally transforms him in a murderous maniac. Thus Vernon has the abilities to exact his bloody revenge. The killings are mildly amusing and the overall atmosphere of the film is gritty enough. However, at one point the screenplay takes a sudden and completely unnecessary side-jump introducing Vernon's estranged father & his girlfriend. A completely redundant padding scene that goes on for too long, since the father character is never mentioned again afterwards. Vernon also gets an obligatory love-interest thrown his way: The girlfriend of a bullying jock student. She falls for Vernon's intelligence, naturally."Horror High" is a curious effort altogether, not only because the film is so obscure, but also because it foreshadows many high school slasher films to come over the next decade. At the time, the 'slasher rules' of contemporary horror cinema weren't even established yet. Sadly the execution of the film, as well as the acting, is severely below par. Not a lot of talent & money were involved. But there were a couple of other elements that made this viewing more interesting to me, like the use of many bizarre sound effects (e.g. shredding distorted guitars). The soundtrack itself also becomes funky & rocky at times. Every now and then inventive camera angles were used and the use of conveniently placed flashbacks (re-use of footage) to 'enhance' the narrative provided some amusing chuckles throughout. Again, I can't call this a good movie by any means, but I can imagine it a worthwhile watch to lovers of strange & vintage, moody & atmospheric exploitation horror. Don't expect nudity in this one, though.

Michael_Elliott Twisted Brain (1974) ** (out of 4) Vernon Potts (Pat Cardi) is your typical brain in high school who gets picked on by everyone from his classmates to even the teachers. Vernon's only friend is his pet guinea pig who belongs in biology class where the two are working on a secret formula, which would make the guinea pig more human. An accident eventually happens and Vernon ends up drinking the potion, which turns him into a half-man/half-monster and then he sets out to seek revenge against all those who picked on it.Had this film been made in the 1950's then I'm sure the title would have been I Was a Teenage Dr. Jekyll. Anything you can imagine that fits with the word bad would belong in this amateurish film. The acting is bad, the directing is bad, the gore effects are bad and even worse is the cinematography, which is quite possibly the worst I've ever seen. However, all these badness still leads the way for a somewhat fun monster romp, which benefits from the loser we just wanna see get revenge.The death scenes are quite mean-spirited for a PG-rated film and these includes a coach being ran over with spiked shoes to a mean old teacher who meets her fate on a cutting board. The characters are all stereotypes especially the jocks and the mean janitor but this too adds a bit of charm to the film. While reading the IMDb I was somewhat shocked to see how many people claimed this movie scared them as a child and it appears the film has earned quite a minor cult over the years, which it probably deserves.