Editorials
Through the Cracks: April Fool’s Edition – ‘Slaughter High’
As hardcore horror fans, sometimes it feels like you’ve seen it all. There are no surprises left to discover, no classic slasher film waiting around the corner to thrill you and slap a childlike grin on your face. You try to feed the fix by searching through lists of “The Scariest Films You’ve Never Seen” only to come across titles like May, The Descent, and Suspiria. These are, of course, films that us die-hards know and love all too well. That’s where I come in, dear reader. We’ll be taking a deep dive into the bowels of obscure horror from decades past and uncovering titles that might have fallen “Through the Cracks”.
Mild Spoilers for Slaughter High Follow
Now that we’ve gotten our intro out of the way, I have to admit, Slaughter High probably isn’t the most random title we’ll be discussing here. Typically we’ll want to uncover those really obscure titles that few of you may have heard of, and I’m sure quite a few readers are at least aware of this little British/American production. However, it’s April 1st and certainly, you’re in need of something a bit different to throw on your watchlist this April Fool’s other than…well, ya know, April Fool’s Day. Released on Nov 14th, 1986 (the same year as that other April Fool’s horror movie), Slaughter High actually started its life entitled April Fool’s Day, only for Paramount Pictures to buy the title right out from under the filmmakers who were already knee deep in production. Notice I said, “filmmakers” plural. Slaughter High comes to us with no less than three credited writer/directors.
I’ve done some digging to try and clarify whether those three separate names are due to multiple replacements during filming, but apparently, it was all by design. I don’t see how directing duos manage to avoid murdering one another on set, let alone three directors on the same picture. Nonetheless, the trio of first-time filmmakers banged out a screenplay in three weeks and got master producer, Dick Randall (Pieces, Don’t Open til Christmas) to foot the bill. Randell even cameos as the scummy manager to our heroine, B-movie queen, Caroline Munro (Maniac, Captain Kronos).
What did all these creative minds conjure up? It was 86′ and they were working with a minuscule budget. Did you say, “slasher”? Duh. Slaughter High shares a lot in common with one of my previously mentioned faves, Terror Train. Both open with put-upon geeks getting irreparably harmed by the “cool kids” as part of a heinous prank. Flash forward “insert number years later” and surprise! They start getting picked off one by one. The fun twist here is that each victim is murdered in ways that relate back to their overly contrived, vicious April Fool’s prank. So, yeah, there isn’t a whole lot going on beyond the surface. The cast of characters are instantly set up as despicable asshats. The prank they pull on our hapless nerd, Marty, is way above and beyond tricking him to lie down next to a corpse. These kids are mean, and probably should’ve spent the rest of their lives behind bars.
But, this is a slasher flick, so their punishment is meted by inventively nasty kills instead of the judicial system. From exploding intestines, acid baths, and electro shock orgasms – there is a hell of a lot to love for fans of good ol’ latex and Karo. Also, surprisingly, for every pair of bare breasts on display, there’s a set of male butt cheeks to match (even some peen). It’s always nice to see equal opportunity nudity in a horror flick. While the film takes about 45 minutes to really get going, it never lets up once it does. With one gonzo set-piece after the other, the cast is whittled down to our final girl, and the trio of directors manage to deliver a surprisingly chilling finale. The goofball yet oddly catchy score from Friday the 13th’s Harry Manfredini fades away. It’s an eerie silence that stands at odds with the over the top score featured throughout most of the film. We’re left with only the sound of our heroine’s whimpering. It makes for a creepy finale to a mostly silly flick. That’s without having yet mentioned our slasher’s get-up of choice, a rubbery old man mask with oversized jester’s cap complete with tiny bells that jingle with each step. Instant. Shivers.
For those looking to celebrate the holiday and take the plunge with Slaughter High, I feel it important to warn you. Prepare your suspension of disbelief for a thorough pummeling. There are leaps of logic so vast that the grand canyon bows down to this flick (too much? eh). While our surviving group bands together to figure a way out of their predicament, our lead macho douche has this to say, “April Fool’s Day ends at noon. Marty won’t hurt us after mid-day. I’m sure of it.” Say what, Dr. Logic?! Since when do holidays end at noon, and what makes you think a corporeal being who’s orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bring all his tormentors together for mass revenge slaughter would give a shit what time of day it is?
That brings me to another point. For all extensive purposes, Marty appears to be no more than one pissed off dude in a jester’s mask. There doesn’t seem to be anything supernatural at play, except there is a load of stuff that’s just next to impossible and, at the least, impractical for one guy to have pulled off alone. You’ve got a dead body that appears to transport across the school yard without anyone noticing, complete control of all lights and plumbing, and the ability to know exactly how every character will react to any given situation for maximum murderous effect. Again, the script was apparently hashed out in three weeks and it’s far from airtight.
So, if I’ve got all these negative things to say, why would I recommend this as a “hidden gem”? It might have a lot to do with the first time I saw it. It was screening as part of the late-great MonsterVision (seriously, TNT if you want to bring horror back to the network…start there), and I was far too young and stayed up far too late past my bedtime. Slaughter High genuinely freaked me out, especially the quiet terror of the finale. Thankfully, I had the hilarious MonsterVision host, Joe Bob Briggs, to lighten the tension between commercial breaks. If it weren’t for him, I may have never finished the damn thing. When the credits rolled I was wary of the idea of cutting out the lights and trying to sleep, but I also had a huge grin on my face.
Unlike many films that we look back upon fondly through the neon-tinged lenses of nostalgia, this one actually holds up! Yes, it’s certifiably cheese-ball with a side of crackers for dipping. Yes, the actors all look like they’re pushing 40 when they’re meant to be teenagers. Yep, the characters are pretty horrendous, and you’re likely to root for each of their deaths. Above all, though, Slaughter High is exactly the type of film we would have devoured in our younger years when discovering a new horror flick was exciting and new. This film is still great for those died in the wool slasher fans who think they’ve seen it all. It’s no Halloween or Black Christmas, but it’s also head and shoulders above the like of Final Exam or Graduation Day. While it might not be the highest caliber horror show, it’s still the perfect film to start off “Through the Cracks”. I’ve seen it half a dozen times, and every time I watch it I’ve forgotten just how it ends. I do in fact mean that as a compliment. When you get burnt out on all the classics and nothing on Netflix is floating your boat, and you just want a mindless dead “teenager” romp to brighten your day – you can do no better than Slaughter High.
SIDE NOTE: The film is available in its uncut form through most VOD platforms. There were a few barebones versions on DVD here in the states and a sweet looking disc from Arrow in the UK. As of yet, Slaughter High is unavailable on Blu-ray. That said, it was originally released by Vestron back in 86′ and Lionsgate apparently still owns the rights. Fingers crossed the newly launched Vestron Video is planning to drag this joker into HD pretty soon.
College kids, strippers and vampires—those were Donald P. Borchers’ only requirements when he approached Richard Wenk about writing and directing a movie for New World Pictures. As requested, Wenk cooked up Vamp (1986), a tailor-made blend of the decade’s teen movie craze as well as its horror boom.
Grim and earnest stories were still very much a part of the ’80s horror landscape, yet Vamp is something of a comedy. One difference between it and, say, Saturday the 14th, though, is the former avoids using schtick. Wenk’s movie proves that horror comedies also don’t have to subtract thrills from their recipes. Of course, it takes a minute before reaching that point; college antics and culture shocks preface this one macabre misadventure.
Vamp‘s initial setup is apt for a typical college-set, sex-driven comedy; to bribe their way into a fraternity house, two pledges (Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler) go looking for some adult entertainment. Without wasting time on any further exposition, the characters embark on an all-in-one-night trip that quickly detours into terror.
To procure their elusive MacGuffin—a stripper willing to gyrate for some frat boys—Keith (Makepeace) and AJ (Rusler), plus a third wheel named Duncan (Gedee Watanabe), trade the safety of their remote college campus for the seediness of some unnamed city. The setting is recognizably L.A. by day, but as soon as night falls, downtown, along with the characters, slips into a kind of surreal universe. Director of photography Elliot Davis gave this early entry on his prolific résumé an unusual yet distinctive look; that Mario Bava-esque, magenta-green lighting is omnipresent, so much so that it’s almost its own character.
Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler in Vamp
The faint comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours are merited, although not just because of Vamp’s distinguishing nighttime aesthetic. Save for the primary characters, the supporting roles in Wenk’s movie are also quite colorful and transactional in their behavior. The difference here, though, is the additional urge to ruin Keith and his friends at every turn. Some of that harm is humorous and tolerable enough, whereas the moment Vamp dishes out its first fatality, it’s abundantly clear how this movie qualifies as horror.
Vamp falls into that category of horror movie that reveals its genre with a scream rather than a series of whispers. The opening scene can function as a hint of what lies ahead—things are not at all what they appear to be—but otherwise, Wenk is more than happy to hold off on the horror. When that time does come, though, it catches the viewer off guard. In addition to the pure shock value is that sudden decision to upend the movie’s foremost feature. Or so it would seem.
If afraid of major spoilage, those new to Vamp would be wise to stop reading here. There’s just no skirting around the fact that the central fellowship in this buddy movie hits a serious snag when AJ is killed. That development causes the story to become more of a “long, bad night” journey for Keith and his romantic interest. So while Wenk scores points for subverting expectations, there is also a touch of sadness in his decision. Because if Vamp does anything well, it’s making the characters likable.
Something that comes easily to Vamp—and other teen horror movies from this same era—is its ability to invent young characters worth caring about, or at the very least, are interesting and not so immediately off-putting. More impressive is how Wenk did all this without actually fleshing out those characters. Still and all, Keith and his kind are a grade above cookie-cutter, and in some cases, aren’t completely devoid of growth.
Grace Jones in Vamp
Vamp appeals with an assorted cast of characters. No two are the same, nor are they operating on the same wavelength. The cinematically extroverted AJ, whose actor conveyed charm and vulnerability in near equal amounts, comes alive when he’s at his most undead. Makepeace then makes the chronically cautious Keith a sympathetic fellow, even as he’s more and more affected by the night’s bizarre events. Meanwhile, Duncan is indeed the designated loser of the whole bunch, but Watanabe still manages to humanize him. As a bonus, the role didn’t require him to pull a Long Duk Dong.
As for Dedee Pfeiffer, she is plain adorable as the mysterious After Dark server nicknamed “Amaretto”. She spends all night fixing her dress strap while at the same time trying to get Keith to remember how he knows her. As their offbeat romance grows, it becomes another highlight of this movie. Whether or not Pfeiffer’s character is really a vampire also creates some welcome tension in the story.
Like a lot of its contemporaries, Vamp went on to become a bit of a cult classic. That current status is determined by several factors, but without a doubt, the casting of Grace Jones is the most considerable. The image of her writhing on that unique-looking chair, a Keith Haring original, springs to mind whenever this movie is brought up.
Chris Makepeace, Billy Drago and Paunita Nichols in Vamp
Prior to that first display of unequivocal horror, local vampire queen Katrina (Jones) took to the stage and delivered a strip show like no other. One would expect nothing less from that renowned model and performance artist. By now reports of Jones’ tardiness on set are no secret, yet it’s also hard to deny her commitment to the part of Katrina. It was, in fact, Jones who took charge of her character’s appearance—on top of Haring painting her body and that now-iconic chair, she had Andy Warhol handle her costuming. And not too many actors could seize a room’s attention without saying a single line of dialogue.
In 2022, Vamp received a retrospective novelization from Encyclopocalypse. This literary union of preexisting source material—Wenk’s original screenplay—and new ideas from author Christian Francis amounts to a more comprehensive visit to the After Dark Club. The basic story there is no different than what’s shown on screen; however, Francis gets creative with the characters’ origins and designs, and he enhances a number of key scenes.
The novelization expands on the urban and social decay of the main setting, and supplies a background for the After Dark Club. Sandy Baron’s character, Katrina’s emcee and familiar, is given ample motivation for sticking around; up until the fiery end, he is loyal to his friend and former business partner “Squeak”, who looks like he was “fed through a combine harvester, and left as nothing more than a heap of mangled remains”. Then there is Billy Drago’s character Snow, the leader of a street gang called The Dragons. His reason for menacing Keith and AJ is more altruistic than in the movie; he and his peers act tough to scare off any potential food for the vampires.
Lisa Lyon in Vamp
If not for all the backstories, Francis’ Vamp would be a hell of a lot shorter. Instead, this tie-in read dives into how AJ met Keith—the orphaned Anthony Joseph hailed from a broken home back in Brooklyn—and how their friendship flourished over the years. Keith’s archership is no longer just an assumed part of his entire being; it’s a confidence-building extracurricular for a boy who got picked on before coming into the protection of the new kid in town. These supplemental, in-depth looks at the protagonists, plus their close connection, are maybe unnecessary. The movie already did a fair and concise job of addressing their platonic intimacy without the need for flashbacks and insights, specifically in that scene where AJ lays it all out as he sacrifices himself.
Where the novelization gets off course is its approach to the minor characters. Intermittently backstorying the likes of Katrina’s indentured servants, Seko (Leila Hee Olsen) and Vlad (Brad Logan), ends up disturbing the flow of the writing. Was it absolutely essential that readers know Vlad was the Grand Duke of the House of Romanov, or how Snow’s accomplice Maven (Paunita Nichols) became so dentally challenged? No, not really. However, one’s mileage with these random biographies may vary.
The novelization is a more substantial experience, but for a movie like Vamp, less is more. And as plentiful as they are, it never simply coasts on its campy charms, either. The character work sits comfortably in that realm between cursory and meticulous, the script is sharper than first realized, and Greg Cannom’s vampire makeup is straightforward yet effective. Most of all, the movie didn’t squander its out-of-the-box concept. Richard Wenk made his vision of a “comic nightmare in which just about anything that can go wrong does” come true, and it is very enjoyable.
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