Warning: Major spoilers for the following films abound.
When asked about the most horrific time in their lives, many will shudder then say the years they spent in high school. From unpredictable acne and savage bullies to the particularly brutal pain of childhood friends growing apart, the high school halls can sometimes feel more like a minefield. Horror creators have explored this familiar subgenre for decades, from early classics like I Was a Teenage Werewolf to the slick and witty slasher boom of the 90s.
Bishal Dutta’s terrifying It Lives Inside continues this tradition by blending high school horror with demonic possession to explore the terrors of finding your place in an unforgiving world. The film follows Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), a tortured student carrying something much darker than a challenging schedule. Her best friend is drifting away, she hasn’t slept in weeks, and she’s constantly toting a jar filled with a sinister black substance. More isolated with each passing day, Tamira needs help. If she can’t find someone to share this nightmarish burden, she may not make it to graduation.
While there may still be hope for Tamira, the same cannot be said for the following cinematic students who wind up succumbing to the terrors of high school horror. Below, Bloody Disgusting has assembled five similarly doomed students whose lockers remain haunted. What’s more, we even have an exclusive conversation with filmmaker Bishal Dutta, who shares his favorite high school horror movies ahead of It Lives Inside, which hits theaters nationwide on September 22nd via Neon. Get tickets now!
Carrie White – Carrie (1976)
Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) may be one of the loneliest characters the genre has ever known. Without a single friend in the world, Carrie is the target of relentless bullying from students and teachers alike. When a traumatic locker room prank goes way too far, one of her tormentors has a change of heart and Carrie’s luck finally begins to change. A popular classmate invites her to the prom and she discovers a burgeoning talent to move things with her mind. Unfortunately these isolated factors converge on one of the most horrific prom nights in cinematic history. A group of bullies have orchestrated a plot to dump pig’s blood on Carrie’s head moments after she’s crowned Prom Queen. Mortified and soaked in the sticky, red goo, Carrie unleashes her telekinetic fury on the unsuspecting crowd. The high school gymnasium becomes an inferno as she uses her powers to burn her classmates alive.
Andrew Detmer – Chronicle (2012)
The next film on our list begins with a familiar story. Boy encounters radioactive substance (venom, poison, gamma rays, what have you), boy gets powers. It’s a tale nearly as old as comics themselves. However, few iterations feel as authentic or devastating as Chronicle. Josh Trank’s directorial debut follows high school outcast Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan), the latest teen to undergo this physiological transformation after exploring a cavernous crater near a high school party. The story unfolds through camcorder footage as Andrew chronicles his daily life including abuse from his alcoholic father and his dying mother’s final days. Consumed with rage after a lifetime of torment, Andrew relishes the newfound ability to dominate the world around him and his friends face an impossible choice. They must weigh the life of their troubled friend against an incalculable degree of death and destruction.
Jennifer Check – Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Jennifer’s Body has aged very well. Due to a clumsy marketing strategy mostly focused on sexualizing it’s lead actress, the film bombed and relegated director Karyn Kusama to a liminal space she jokingly refers to as Movie Jail. However, it’s likely this poplike story of feminine empowerment in the aftermath of trauma was simply ahead of its time. In the past 14 years, Jennifer’s Body has not only become a cult favorite, but a feminist rallying cry proclaiming the dangers of shitty men. Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) is a popular cheerleader who runs afoul of a devilish boy band hoping to buy fame and fortune by using her as a virgin sacrifice. When Jennifer turns out to not be … less than virginal, the spell backfires conjuring a powerful succubus that transforms the traumatized teen into a boy-eating monster. As the male bodies begin to stack up, her best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) tries to save Jennifer from the monster living inside her only to realize she may be too late to separate the two.
Casey Becker – Scream (1996)
The opening scene of Wes Craven’s slasher masterpiece Scream could serve as a perfect short film in and of itself. Popular student Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) is planning a quiet evening at home with some popcorn and a video when a stranger calls on the phone. The smooth-talker on the other end of the line hints at danger when he asks about her favorite scary movie, but the conversation takes a frightening turn when Casey realizes that whoever she’s talking to is lurking outside the windows of her remote farmhouse. With her boyfriend held hostage on the back lawn, Casey finds herself forced to play a high stakes game of movie trivia that leads to her brutal death just seconds before help arrives. Her desk may be empty in class the next day, but Casey’s harrowing death kick started a beloved film franchise that would revolutionize the genre and pave the way for one of horror’s favorite final girls. What can we say? Sometimes less is more.
Amy Herman – Megan is Missing (2011)
Michael Goi’s disturbing film follows two friends from opposite sides of the social lexicon as they try to navigate the difficult world of adolescence. The first half of this found footage nightmare plays out like a typical teen drama as Megan (Rachel Quinn) begins an online courtship with a cute boy named Josh (Dean Waite). When Megan disappears after a clandestine date, her best friend Amy (Amber Perkins) begins investigating this mysterious boy from a neighboring school and winds up falling into the same hellish trap. The film concludes with the final 20 minutes of Amy’s hijacked video diary as we bear witness to her unthinkable fate. In the hands of a sadistic murderer, the frightened girl endures horrific humiliation and torture. After finally learning the details of Megan’s death, we’re bombarded with one of the most upsetting deaths ever committed to film. Purportedly inspired by actual events, Megan is Missing will hopefully serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of online interaction for those brave enough to watch.
It Lives Inside hits theaters nationwide on September 22nd. Get tickets now!
