Don't listen to the negative reviews

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Most viewers catch this Jekyll and Hyde revenge of the nerds movie on their local independent stations in the we hours of the morning. I just love a good revenge movie where the antagonists get theirs and then some. We focus on a nerdy lonely student Vernon Potts (Pat Cardi) and his Guinea pig Mr. Mumps. You see Vernon is on the verge of scientific greatness. Vernon spends most of his downtime in the high school science lab working on genetic research. Three main Tormentors ambush Vernon from every angle . Vernon's english teacher Miss Grindstaff (Joy Hash) humiliating Vernon in front of the whole class and chopping up his science project which he spent years perfecting. In addition our crabby Instructor tells Vernon and the class that she's giving him a big fat zero. The caustic janitor played by Jeff Alexander who threatens to ambush Vernon's experiments and wants Vernon to clear on out. Finally , (And most High school teens can relate to this), the Gym teacher Coach McCall (John Niland) tormenting poor Vernon. Each scene of revenge is gory but richly deserved in this horror fairy tale. I found this movie to be very entertaining and you begin to fantasize your own personal revenge on educators who have wronged you in the past or present. But please, don't try this at school. You can think bad thoughts but that doesn't me you have to act upon them. No money back guarantee with the paper slicer.

Late one summer night in Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1978... Our parents have gone to bed & my 2 younger Brothers & I are sitting on the floor in front of the television impatiently waiting for the Saturday night Creature Feature to begin. In our dimly lit living room I remember watching almost angrily as a local TV-news team wrapped up the evening news in what appeared to be slow motion, it really seemed as if they were taking forever but then we had been waiting all week to see this movie. We had seen it advertised following the one they had shown the previous week & it looked really interesting, scary & hopefully gory. So as I turned off all the lights in the living room the news FINALLY ended & then after several very boring & very time consuming commercials the Saturday night Creature Feature finally began... Now on Cleveland's Channel 5 the film was shown as Twisted Brain but never mind the title, my Brothers & I were not disappointed, in fact about half way through my youngest Brother wanted to turn on at least one light in the living room, well he was just 5 at the time. Anyway, the lights stayed off until the movie ended.

Wow. I am amazed I went beyond the opening song with this film. After all, the song was just horrible in every possible way--whiny, bad and dreadful. Was this a portent of more awfulness to come or was this low-budget film actually worth seeing?The star of this film is a nerdy high school student (who, incidentally was 23 when the film was made). He's mistreated by his teachers, the janitor and his classmates. Like such to be Vernon Potts and you know that based on the title of this film that eventually all these people will have a major butt-kicking coming by the end of the film. But, in the meantime, we are treated to scene after scene of the most ridiculously nasty treatment of poor Vernon. Subtle this isn't.Later, a deranged (and horribly acted) janitor freaks out and forces poor Vernon to drink some formula he's been working on in the lab. And, not at all unexpectedly, Vernon is now a crazed killer beast. I love how incredibly stupid and cheesy the first act of retribution is--when he shoves the janitor's head in a conveniently placed bucket of sulfuric acid (I always have a few sitting around the house for just such emergencies). When Vernon has recovered, he's covered in blood and hides the evidence of his atrocity. Is this the last killing by good ol' Vern? Well, considering it's only the 25 minute mark, I doubt it.By the way, speaking of sulfuric acid in this murder scene, I noticed that the label on the drum was MISSPELLED!! Talk about sloppy!! Surely a chemical supply house can spell sulfuric!!The next day, the police come to the school to investigate the killing. This apparently was prompted when one of the kids in chemistry class opened the giant drum of 'sulphuric acid' and bits and pieces of the janitor and his cat were floating in it.There's more to it than this, but frankly it's all so dull and pointless I'll just wrap it up now. Overall, the acting, writing, special effects and direction totally suck. There really is nothing of interest or value in the film other than small parts played by Dallas Cowboys running back Calvin Hill and quarterback Craig Morton and linebacker D.D. Lewis, as well as Pittsburg Steelers defensive tackle Joe Greene and Chuck Beatty. It's interesting for anyone who watched football back in the 1970s--otherwise I have no idea why anyone would want to see this stinking film. Also, I hope I didn't miss any other players who were in the film--I'm trying my best considering that I was pretty young back then and my crazy old man memory isn't perfect!Worthless--a complete waste of time.

This appears to be another one of those obscure early 70's cult favorites that a lot of people vividly remember as one of many nostalgic late Saturday night flicks that turned them into horror fans for life. Although I'm from a different generation, I'm fascinated by tracking down these movies based solely on the enthusiast reviews of first-hour fans. Sometimes you stumble upon hidden gems like way (for example "Where have all the People Gone") and sometimes you find movies of which you don't understand the fuzz about. "Horror High" is a bit in between; not an undiscovered masterpiece but definitely not a waste of time, neither. It's a fun and light-headed little monster movie with a handful of cool gore effects and even a couple of suspenseful moments. The film is basically a high-school variation on "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" – the opening sequences even openly refer to Robert Louis Stevenson's legendary horror story – with a nerdy chemistry whiz kid transforming into an aggressive monster, through drinking a self made potion, and executing bloody revenge against all those who wronged him. Vernon Potts is a typical high school loner who's continuously experimenting in the chemistry room, but further neglects all the other classes. He's the prime target of mockery in school; for the football jocks but also for the sadistic teachers and nasty janitor. When the latter forces Vernon to drink the potion that drove his Guinea Pig Mr. Mumps crazy with aggression, he becomes his vengeful alter ego. Soon the malignant English teacher Mrs. Grindstaff and the corrupt coach McCall will experience Vernon's wrath. "Horror High" is a hugely predictable and sometimes even downright boring, but it undeniably remains a charming and adorably shlocky 70's effort. The trashy low-budget make up effects are tremendously entertaining to watch (imagine yourself faces being pushed into barrels full of acid, fingers being cut off under a paper-guillotine and bodies being spiked through gym shoes) and the unknown lead player Pat Cardi does a fantastic job as the tormented nerd. Halfway through the film, there's a completely irrelevant and pointless interlude in which the film follows around Vernon's estranged father as he's arguing with his new girlfriend and making a business phone call. If anyone can explain the significance of these 10 totally unnecessary padding minutes, please email me!