George Clooney is now known as a stylish crowd pleaser who effortlessly switches between mainstream entertainment like “Ocean’s Eleven” and prestigious Oscar merchandise like “Up In The Air”. And horror fans, of course, fondly remember his iconic role in From Dusk Till Dawn. But horror fans in particular also know that superstars don’t just fall from the sky, but often fight their way into the spotlight with great difficulty.
For example, George Clooney’s mini-appearance in the infamous horror trash “Grizzly II” has become a common punch line. Another film from the same phase of Clooney’s career was long shown in Germany, but has since been rehabilitated and will soon be re-released for home cinema: On January 26, 2023, the meta-horror grotesque “Return to Horror Highuncut on Blu-ray.
*
The high school slasher was first released on video in a cut version in this country – and landed on the index in this version. The indexation was only lifted in 2013, nine years later “Return To Horror High” was resubmitted to the FSK.
Since then, the intricate and quirky horror comedy has been approved for ages 16 and up. The film already celebrated its German HD premiere in autumn 2022, but only in strictly limited media books. Now “Return To Horror High” is finally available in a regular edition in German home cinema.
“Return To Horror High”: A horror location becomes a bloody crime scene
Harry Sleerik (Alex Rocco) is a sleazy film producer with a controversial idea: he wants to film the gruesome murders at Crippen High School in a media-effective way on the original location. But shortly after shooting begins, mysterious incidents occur that decimate the film’s cast and crew. The local authorities, including overwhelmed police officer Oliver (George Clooney), are at their wits’ end. So two up-and-coming acting talents investigate for themselves – and discover that fact and fiction are intertwined on the set of Return To Horror High.
“Return To Horror High” performed poorly at the US box office and reviews were almost unanimously negative at first. But since then, the slasher comedy has developed into a “love it or hate it” cult, hotly debated among horror-savvy critics and genre fans alike:
The counterpart criticizes the low-budget appearance and largely insignificant acting, the pro side celebrates the substantive ambitions of director/writer Bill Froehlich and his large writing team.
So “Return To Horror High” juggles several meta levels and in the end it peppers its audience with a double or even triple twist on the ears. Some “Return To Horror High” fans even call him an unofficial precursor to the “scream“- Saga.
While the movie on the has a lousy average rating of only 4.3 out of 10 stars and on It earned a measly 2.4 out of 5 stars and even secured a spot in the popular reference work 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See by cinema critic Steve Miller.