Generally I hate SyFy movies with a passion. Haunted High is thankfully not one of their worst, the zombie frog sequence is fun if all too brief, Shawn C.Phillips and Lauren Pennington are likable and while Danny Trejo deserved much better he does what he can. On the other hand, a lot of the film was lame. The rest of the acting is bland, but there is no wonder when their material was as under-par as it was. I had a feeling that the characters would be stereotypes as they always are when it comes to SyFy, I wasn't necessarily put off by that. It was that few of them were memorable or had any spark to them. They were further disadvantaged by some embarrassingly stilted dialogue that never rings true and by a story that manages to be both predictable and dull with no chills or suspense and the attacks and ending were too contrived to be believable. The music is also repetitive, while Haunted High is also very cheap to look at with very choppy editing and while the effects have been worse before in SyFy movies they are substandard here at best. So in conclusion, a lame movie but at the same time it could've been much worse. 4/10 Bethany Cox
21 Reviews
The lack of ghosts and scary moments will haunt you forever...
paul_haakonsen21 August 2013
Given this is a SyFy Channel movie, the movie already have odds stacked against it. But every now and then these original SyFy Channel movies do surprise. However, I will say that "Haunted High" wasn't a surprise. Not even with a nice ensemble of actors and actresses as the movie has.
The story in "Haunted High" is about an evil headmaster who returns from beyond the grave to wreck havoc, torment and kill students at the high school. And it is up to the janitor and the students to put an end to the vile spirit and his entourage of ghostly followers.
It was so difficult to buy into the whole concept of the movie, because the storyline was so badly constructed and even worse brought to life on the screen. The ghosts were a little bit too real - too manifested in the flesh - to appear believable as ghosts or supernatural entities. And the death scenes were, most of the time, laughable.
There weren't a single scare or thrilling moment throughout the entire movie. Unless you consider seeing Danny Trejo for the first time in the movie as a thrill.
But for fans of the lower budget horror movies, then there is a good handful of familiar faces to be seen here. At least thumbs up for this ensemble of actors and actresses.
If you enjoy ghosts/haunting movies, then "Haunted High" is not recommendable. I rate this movie a mere 2 out of 10 stars. It was a real drag to sit through this movie, because it took forever to get nowhere. And most of the scenes that were supposed to be scary or menacing, just came off as spoofy scenes.
The story in "Haunted High" is about an evil headmaster who returns from beyond the grave to wreck havoc, torment and kill students at the high school. And it is up to the janitor and the students to put an end to the vile spirit and his entourage of ghostly followers.
It was so difficult to buy into the whole concept of the movie, because the storyline was so badly constructed and even worse brought to life on the screen. The ghosts were a little bit too real - too manifested in the flesh - to appear believable as ghosts or supernatural entities. And the death scenes were, most of the time, laughable.
There weren't a single scare or thrilling moment throughout the entire movie. Unless you consider seeing Danny Trejo for the first time in the movie as a thrill.
But for fans of the lower budget horror movies, then there is a good handful of familiar faces to be seen here. At least thumbs up for this ensemble of actors and actresses.
If you enjoy ghosts/haunting movies, then "Haunted High" is not recommendable. I rate this movie a mere 2 out of 10 stars. It was a real drag to sit through this movie, because it took forever to get nowhere. And most of the scenes that were supposed to be scary or menacing, just came off as spoofy scenes.
An interesting premise executed very badly.
hi_im_manic7 October 2012
I had expected a low-budget made-for-TV SyFy feature, this is why I'll generously award this campy feature 3 stars. One simply cannot watch a movie like this and expect a high quality production, however viewers deserve to not face-palm themselves every 4 minutes.
"Low budget", as most of us cinemaphiles know, is not a valid excuse for bad writing, bad acting, and... bad everything.
The plot is like cheap fishnet stockings... covered with holes, transparent, and weak. Sadly, not as attractive. Some of the scenes are so illogical it's frustrating.
A better screenplay, set and directing would have lent this mess some respectability because the concept itself is very intriguing. It's a good idea with potential, gone wrong.
There are some unique kills, and I wasn't really distracted by overly bad CGI like in some comparable productions. I was too distracted by poorer qualities, I suppose.
The dialog is so bad, it exceeds description. The bad puns tossed out by our antagonist before each kill were insufferable. Even if they were aiming to be campy, it still failed.
I've seen better acting at middle school Thanksgiving pageants. The worst performance (arguably) was offered by Shawn C. Philips. He's no stranger to the horror genre. Perhaps he just did the best he could with the material he had? It's all terrible waste of several proved talents. Please do not judge the actors exclusively by this feature if you happen to be unfamiliar with their other work.
If you're a fan of other Sy-Fy channel movies and are prepared for their usual shortcomings, you may not be disappointed. Admittedly, this is not their worst work nor their best.
"Low budget", as most of us cinemaphiles know, is not a valid excuse for bad writing, bad acting, and... bad everything.
The plot is like cheap fishnet stockings... covered with holes, transparent, and weak. Sadly, not as attractive. Some of the scenes are so illogical it's frustrating.
A better screenplay, set and directing would have lent this mess some respectability because the concept itself is very intriguing. It's a good idea with potential, gone wrong.
There are some unique kills, and I wasn't really distracted by overly bad CGI like in some comparable productions. I was too distracted by poorer qualities, I suppose.
The dialog is so bad, it exceeds description. The bad puns tossed out by our antagonist before each kill were insufferable. Even if they were aiming to be campy, it still failed.
I've seen better acting at middle school Thanksgiving pageants. The worst performance (arguably) was offered by Shawn C. Philips. He's no stranger to the horror genre. Perhaps he just did the best he could with the material he had? It's all terrible waste of several proved talents. Please do not judge the actors exclusively by this feature if you happen to be unfamiliar with their other work.
If you're a fan of other Sy-Fy channel movies and are prepared for their usual shortcomings, you may not be disappointed. Admittedly, this is not their worst work nor their best.
with a bigger budget and some minor rewrites this could have been much better
dien27 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I think that my summary line says it all - this movie had potential. Unfortunately it faced the same obstacle many previous SciFi Originals had faced before. Insufficient funding. How are we supposed to believe the story takes place in a big school, when we only see one class of about 15 people? And the external and internal shots don't seem to match? A bigger building with more actors would have made this more believable.
As for the story, there are too many things unexplained. Some are hinted at (like the student-teacher relationship between a female student and her music teacher), but they are not resolved. What was 'the cult' all about? What was the director's main goal (apart from aimlessly killing all the students and staff).
The thing that bugged me the most was Charisma Carpenter. She was in the film for only two minutes and then got killed off. What the heck? Why not have her as a helpful librarian who knows stuff about the occult.
Even with all those faults this was a rather enjoyable film. If you can catch it on TV and you like some mild jump scares, then I can recommend it.
As for the story, there are too many things unexplained. Some are hinted at (like the student-teacher relationship between a female student and her music teacher), but they are not resolved. What was 'the cult' all about? What was the director's main goal (apart from aimlessly killing all the students and staff).
The thing that bugged me the most was Charisma Carpenter. She was in the film for only two minutes and then got killed off. What the heck? Why not have her as a helpful librarian who knows stuff about the occult.
Even with all those faults this was a rather enjoyable film. If you can catch it on TV and you like some mild jump scares, then I can recommend it.
Haunted High
Scarecrow-8825 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Woof! This dog barks. Danforth (MC Gainey, who has a grand ole time) has been resurrected by a pentagram old coin dropped on the basement of a private school by his ancestor, Quentin (Jonathan Baron), thanks to his obsessive literary teacher, Myers (Ricky Wayne). Soon there's a pentagram forming on the basement floor which unearths Danforth and his head demon. The kids and faculty still in the school are fodder for Danforth to destroy through his supernatural black magic. "Haunted High" offers Syfy the chance to further diminish their value (if that was humanly possible at this point) in terms of quality in films produced for the viewing audience. Major hurdle not overcome is that the basis of all Danforth's witchcraft in "imaginatively" killing folks is that the violence suggested is just too brutal for the television audience watching. That and it helps to keep cost down if you don't see arms and legs pulled apart by weight wires at a workout bench or a head explosion from an amplified screech in the showers. There are ideas that allow those involved in the Danforth murders to go crazy such as gym shirts that levitate and fly towards a victim, a diva pulled into a commode, a musical instrument used to kill a member of the band, the foldable bleachers used to crush the music teacher, dissected frogs attacking faculty, a trophy case literally encasing the principal, and a defibrillator used to shock the teacher head of the prom committee. Quentin must somehow conquer his ancestor's power even after being invaded by his dark spirit. Acid on the bones and their demonic rings might just diffuse the strong evil presence of Danforth and his demon. The end has Danny Trejo (as the high school janitor), Quentin, and Quentin's potential girlfriend, Whitney (Lauren Pennington), descending into the basement to do battle with Danforth and his demon.
Marc Donato will be recognizable for his long-time role on Degrassi, laughably cast as an intimidating thug scaring the much larger (and whiny to the point that I was almost about to lobotomize myself so I wouldn't have to hear him anymore) Shawn Phillips, while Charisma Carpenter got a really easy paycheck as a librarian who is dispatched by Danforth's demon in like one minute she might say three or four word, tops! Trejo, despite the name value, is stuck in the janitor closet trying to get out for probably half an hour! His spirit fighting Gainey's spirit at the end while Quentin tries to be rid of his grandpa's evil is the icing on the cake it pretty much explains everything about how off-the-rails cheesy this film is. Love Trejo when a film plays to his strengths, but all the special lighting effects with the bolts from Gainey purposed to destroy him in the basement isn't exactly what I consider a showcase of his talents! Give him a rocket launcher and suit him in a leather vest and let him blow away biker scum not mopping floors, reading from a book of spells, mourning over his dear love who returns as a type of spirit (although she doesn't speak), stuck in a locked room where he exhaustively bangs on the door seemingly forever, and getting waylaid by green bolts of spiritual lighting. Phillips, if I must mention him again, is a ghost hunting fan and expert hacker who nearly pees his pants at Donato this alone gives the film a level of ridiculousness it lives in like a pair of pajamas. The quips Gainey delivers with his maniacal laugh is right out of the school of the Freddy Krueger class, but the violence and effects don't compare to what Nightmare on Elm Street was doing to class room kids back in the day. The characters aren't particularly distinguished, presented as meat for the grinder. At least they are split up and separated by Gainey's powers and not due to stupidity. See this at your own peril
Marc Donato will be recognizable for his long-time role on Degrassi, laughably cast as an intimidating thug scaring the much larger (and whiny to the point that I was almost about to lobotomize myself so I wouldn't have to hear him anymore) Shawn Phillips, while Charisma Carpenter got a really easy paycheck as a librarian who is dispatched by Danforth's demon in like one minute she might say three or four word, tops! Trejo, despite the name value, is stuck in the janitor closet trying to get out for probably half an hour! His spirit fighting Gainey's spirit at the end while Quentin tries to be rid of his grandpa's evil is the icing on the cake it pretty much explains everything about how off-the-rails cheesy this film is. Love Trejo when a film plays to his strengths, but all the special lighting effects with the bolts from Gainey purposed to destroy him in the basement isn't exactly what I consider a showcase of his talents! Give him a rocket launcher and suit him in a leather vest and let him blow away biker scum not mopping floors, reading from a book of spells, mourning over his dear love who returns as a type of spirit (although she doesn't speak), stuck in a locked room where he exhaustively bangs on the door seemingly forever, and getting waylaid by green bolts of spiritual lighting. Phillips, if I must mention him again, is a ghost hunting fan and expert hacker who nearly pees his pants at Donato this alone gives the film a level of ridiculousness it lives in like a pair of pajamas. The quips Gainey delivers with his maniacal laugh is right out of the school of the Freddy Krueger class, but the violence and effects don't compare to what Nightmare on Elm Street was doing to class room kids back in the day. The characters aren't particularly distinguished, presented as meat for the grinder. At least they are split up and separated by Gainey's powers and not due to stupidity. See this at your own peril
Good Idea Goes Bad Fast
aesgaard412 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I was expecting so much from this movie, and I was bitterly disappointed. The previews of "Haunted High" show what looks to be a decent haunted school movie, but the opening exposition is weak and the plot gets even more ridiculous as the movie continues. There's barely a plot, only a body count. Once again, someone with a misconception of ghosts and haunted houses creates a movie that carries no logic and absolutely no credibility, but then, this movie was made specifically for SyFy Channel, so the budget could not have been that great. The plot involves a group of students trapped in a haunted school after hours by the ghost of a cruel former teacher who dabbled in Satanism, played by M.C.Gainey, better known as Mr. Friendly from "Lost," who is the most talkative evil ghost I've ever seen in an independent horror movie. As he goes through killing students, joined by a wild-haired succubus who crawls the walls, he spouts weak puns like a poor man's Freddy Krueger. The so-called haunting activity is ridiculous (the Biology frogs return to life), and I don't care how cursed a school is, ghosts cannot alter reality. (One student goes out the window to realize he's still trapped in the school.) What starts as a ghost movie turns into a splatter and gore flick. At one time or another, someone is always asking, "What's going on?" before predictably wandering off and getting knocked off as uncreative as possible. Charisma Carpenter also allegedly stars in this movie, but her character is killed as fast as she appears in one of the shortest movie appearances by a major actress for a character ever. Danny Trejo pulls a strong performance as the janitor with the knowledge of the school's past to save the students. Bottom line: what starts as a neat premise never goes anywhere. SyFy needs to stop producing tripe like this and go back to airing the classics, or at least hire filmmakers with some writing talent. The only neat thing about this movie is a reference to "Sinister Sites," the fictional paranormal TV series from "House Of Bones" which actually did star Charisma Carpenter so apparently these films might share the same writers. Bottom line: "Haunted High" is barely worth watching as a waste of your time, but if you really want to get scared, rent "The Others" or "The Haunting."
One of the Worst Haunting Films You're Going to See
Michael_Elliott25 August 2012
Haunted High (2012)
1/2 (out of 4)
The setting is a high school in New England where an old headmaster's spirit comes back to haunt and kill the students. It turns out this guy and his assistants were doing human sacrifices at the school and their spirits are back for some fun. HAUNTED HIGH is another incredibly stupid, incredibly bad movie from SyFy, which has very few redeeming factors. I knew I was in trouble because I was already bored out of my mind before the opening credits even started. Look, I know not to expect quality when it comes to turning into SyFy on Saturday nights at 9pm but at the same time I at least want to be entertained. This film here is pretty much useless to horror fans for a number of reasons but the biggest is that it's certainly not scary. I love ghost movies but this here will probably go down as one of the worst I've ever seen. For starters, as I said it's not scary but even worse is the fact that the CGI ghosts are all lame and the effects just don't work. It also doesn't help that the headmaster says bad jokes and his assistant is more annoying than anything else. The death scenes are all forgettable and the majority of the characters are just bland. I will say that I enjoyed Lauren Pennington so let's hope she get more and better work in the future. I also enjoyed Shawn C. Phillips here as I thought he brought quite a bit to the film. I didn't realize this guy was "famous" until after I watched the movie and checked out his credits. I also want to give the film credit for casting "real people" and what I mean by that is the fact that the cast features real looking people that you'd expect to find in a real world and not just those from a modeling school. Heck, even Danny Trejo shows up. Still, HAUNTED HIGH is pretty worthless and the only thing to really consider is if it's worse than SyFy's BIGFOOT.
1/2 (out of 4)
The setting is a high school in New England where an old headmaster's spirit comes back to haunt and kill the students. It turns out this guy and his assistants were doing human sacrifices at the school and their spirits are back for some fun. HAUNTED HIGH is another incredibly stupid, incredibly bad movie from SyFy, which has very few redeeming factors. I knew I was in trouble because I was already bored out of my mind before the opening credits even started. Look, I know not to expect quality when it comes to turning into SyFy on Saturday nights at 9pm but at the same time I at least want to be entertained. This film here is pretty much useless to horror fans for a number of reasons but the biggest is that it's certainly not scary. I love ghost movies but this here will probably go down as one of the worst I've ever seen. For starters, as I said it's not scary but even worse is the fact that the CGI ghosts are all lame and the effects just don't work. It also doesn't help that the headmaster says bad jokes and his assistant is more annoying than anything else. The death scenes are all forgettable and the majority of the characters are just bland. I will say that I enjoyed Lauren Pennington so let's hope she get more and better work in the future. I also enjoyed Shawn C. Phillips here as I thought he brought quite a bit to the film. I didn't realize this guy was "famous" until after I watched the movie and checked out his credits. I also want to give the film credit for casting "real people" and what I mean by that is the fact that the cast features real looking people that you'd expect to find in a real world and not just those from a modeling school. Heck, even Danny Trejo shows up. Still, HAUNTED HIGH is pretty worthless and the only thing to really consider is if it's worse than SyFy's BIGFOOT.
Haunted Low...Very Low.
michaeldukey200027 August 2012
Haunted High is an unremarkable exercise in hack work that got 2 stars only because of the all too brief "zombie frog" sequence. M.C. Gainey as a released spirit of a evil cult leader comes across as a poor man's Stacey Keach spouting off pre death puns so bad that Freddy Kreuger wouldn't touch them. The CGI isn't as bad as say Piranhaconda but it isn't any better than an old episode of Goosebumps either and Goosebumps is scarier. The bare bones plot of teens and teachers locked in school with demonic forces is purely a Chinese menu type of affair. Take one tired cliché from collum A and 3 bad scenarios from collum B. As for kills the majority of them take place off screen followed by a gush of blood on the nearby wall. Shawn C. Phillips is the most believable person in the cast so that says something right there. Danny Trejo is the stereotyped Hispanic love sick janitor but his good guy roles aren't nearly as convincing as his bad as roles and this is nowhere as entertaining as Machete. Rent that instead. The bottom line is as long as there are masochists that stay home on Saturday nights to watch this crapola and as long as there are sponsors willing to jump on board SyFy is gonna keep churning out the cinematic equivalent to Montezuma's Revenge.If you must watch it do what I did and fast forward through about half.
B Grade Horror Movie
gurubesar24 January 2013
I normally do not considered the rating given by IMDb visitor about the movie, however, on this particular movie, I should say that the rating was too much on the high side. The rating should be max 1.
I was tempted to watch this movie because of Charisma Carpenter was mentioned as on of the star. If you are talking about using somebody's name to sell your movie, this is a very good example. Charisma did appear, although in a total scene of less than 1 minutes. I don't even know why she accepted this part, it is really degrading.
When you see a ghost movie, you expect something that is scary, but on this one due to the bad story and strange script, you do not feel the fear. Instead it is a hollow feeling, like if you want a very unromantic love story.
One of the ghost action which I can not understand is how it is possible that you have a collapse building on one section of the school and the rest of the building seems okay and of course to follow the title, the ghost will have the incredible power of shaking the building like an earthquake. An of course the usual light that is always flickering when you are entering a room in a ghost story is there.
A movie is basically a collection of acts being put together by a director to make sense out of this collection. There is a recipe for each type of movie. But if you do a terrible mixed, then what you will get is a make up story with something supposed to be scary but end up being funny.....
I give 1 out of 10, because there is no zero or more for the effort of making something so bad to annoy other people.....
I was tempted to watch this movie because of Charisma Carpenter was mentioned as on of the star. If you are talking about using somebody's name to sell your movie, this is a very good example. Charisma did appear, although in a total scene of less than 1 minutes. I don't even know why she accepted this part, it is really degrading.
When you see a ghost movie, you expect something that is scary, but on this one due to the bad story and strange script, you do not feel the fear. Instead it is a hollow feeling, like if you want a very unromantic love story.
One of the ghost action which I can not understand is how it is possible that you have a collapse building on one section of the school and the rest of the building seems okay and of course to follow the title, the ghost will have the incredible power of shaking the building like an earthquake. An of course the usual light that is always flickering when you are entering a room in a ghost story is there.
A movie is basically a collection of acts being put together by a director to make sense out of this collection. There is a recipe for each type of movie. But if you do a terrible mixed, then what you will get is a make up story with something supposed to be scary but end up being funny.....
I give 1 out of 10, because there is no zero or more for the effort of making something so bad to annoy other people.....
SyFy movies will never be excellent
ivanov_petar11 September 2018
I must say that i enjoyed the movie it is very cool movie to watch when you're bored the acting was not that bad as the not professional worked ghosts.They were so unprofessinal made they were so fake you need to make them a lot more alive the people to belive what they are watching and the sky at the ending above the scholl was comedy it was FAKE a lot so i decided to shut down the movie there.Anyway i will give it 5 stars just because i enjoyed it :D
Just plain bad
metalrage66627 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Oh dear where do I begin with this one?
I watched this under the other title of "Ghostquake". Really that in itself should have been enough to forewarn me of impending stupidity.
Sometime back in the 1950's some snooty New England school was the scene of some gruesome murders and occult practices. One student, an ancestor, possesses some demonic gold coins and on showing these to a teacher in a boiler room, they fall from his hands. He picks up all but one of the coins and this is enough to awaken the spirits of the old headmaster and his assistant.
Once they're out they wreak havoc around the school one evening trapping several students and teachers within and systematically set about killing them all one by one in inventive ways for what seems to be no real reason except it's in the script. Sounds stupid and it is.
This movie was made as a tele-movie and it shows. The special effects look infantile, it's not scary or remotely interesting. I could't even laugh at any part of this and I was bored from beginning to end.
No idea why Danny Trejo would want to be involved in this but seeing his name on a cast list these days is getting to be a clear sign of lame viewing ahead. Don't even bother with this tripe.
I watched this under the other title of "Ghostquake". Really that in itself should have been enough to forewarn me of impending stupidity.
Sometime back in the 1950's some snooty New England school was the scene of some gruesome murders and occult practices. One student, an ancestor, possesses some demonic gold coins and on showing these to a teacher in a boiler room, they fall from his hands. He picks up all but one of the coins and this is enough to awaken the spirits of the old headmaster and his assistant.
Once they're out they wreak havoc around the school one evening trapping several students and teachers within and systematically set about killing them all one by one in inventive ways for what seems to be no real reason except it's in the script. Sounds stupid and it is.
This movie was made as a tele-movie and it shows. The special effects look infantile, it's not scary or remotely interesting. I could't even laugh at any part of this and I was bored from beginning to end.
No idea why Danny Trejo would want to be involved in this but seeing his name on a cast list these days is getting to be a clear sign of lame viewing ahead. Don't even bother with this tripe.
Lighten up people, it's a family comedy horror, we enjoyed it!!
joiningjt5 February 2021
It wasnt a home run hit or a classic shaun of the dead but it was still ok for a family comedy horror. Had a few decent special effects and come on people it's a syfy so its low budget they cant compete with the major studios. I purchased the region b 3d bluray and it was an enjoyable movie that I watched with the whole family. Had a few funny parts and trejo is always trejo not great but not bad. Ignore the negative haters and watch it realizing that it's a low budget comedy horror. Would have been a 6 but kicked it up to help off set the undeserved 1s and 2s!! Its better than that garbage movie saint maud that received a 7.4!!
A nice change of pace to the recent 'nature run amok' SyFy movies
movieman_kev26 August 2012
The demonic ghost of a long-dead school headmaster, along with his equally dead, but considerably more attractive, wife haunt a high school after a teacher dares to steal a gold coin owned by the ghost's grandson. Starring Danny Trejo as the janitor seeking his dead love,Justified's MC Gainey as the pun-afflicted demon, and the prolific Shawn C. Phillips as the token fat kid.
As to offer a counterpoint to the other reviews, I didn't find this to be a bad SyFy film, much less 'the worst' and actually found it no be a nice change of pace to the recent crop of 'nature run amok' offerings that they've been airing as of late. The acting is all right for a film of its ilk and the film was a bit of fun, although granted, the groan worthy puns by the ghost are pretty bad.
As to offer a counterpoint to the other reviews, I didn't find this to be a bad SyFy film, much less 'the worst' and actually found it no be a nice change of pace to the recent crop of 'nature run amok' offerings that they've been airing as of late. The acting is all right for a film of its ilk and the film was a bit of fun, although granted, the groan worthy puns by the ghost are pretty bad.
A lazy afternoon viewing at best
gluonpaul28 September 2018
The story for this movie is hardly going to win any awards and it sets the scene for mediocrity which really underpins this movie.
Danny Trejo could have phoned it in for a movie like this but didnt he really put the effort in, unfortunately he was the only good part of the acting in this movie. Most of the acting was pretty meh and the headmaster and female teacher he goes around with are pretty awful, and whats worse get a good amount of screentime each.
The effects were certainly done on a budget but at the end of the day this is a horror movie which fundamentally doesnt scare you. It has a few 'jumps' which of course all the worst horror movies confuse with scary and thats it really.
Its nowhere near the worst I have ever seen and for a lazy afternoon viewing it could be worse but I wouldnt suggest it was a movie worth seeking out.
Danny Trejo could have phoned it in for a movie like this but didnt he really put the effort in, unfortunately he was the only good part of the acting in this movie. Most of the acting was pretty meh and the headmaster and female teacher he goes around with are pretty awful, and whats worse get a good amount of screentime each.
The effects were certainly done on a budget but at the end of the day this is a horror movie which fundamentally doesnt scare you. It has a few 'jumps' which of course all the worst horror movies confuse with scary and thats it really.
Its nowhere near the worst I have ever seen and for a lazy afternoon viewing it could be worse but I wouldnt suggest it was a movie worth seeking out.
TODAY'S LESSON IS PAIN
nogodnomasters19 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is a not very well developed SyFy film with Danny Trejo as a good guy. A coin dropped in the boiler room of a high school opens a portal to another dimension bringing forth the mass murdering grandfather of one of the students.
The killer and his demoness sidekick are not well developed either. He recites corny lines as a Freddie imitator, although not nearly as cool. This is a PG-13 slasher film for the kids. Adults will be bored.
Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex or nudity. Use of "b" word. Girls in school uniforms, but D.E.B.S. is better for that.
The killer and his demoness sidekick are not well developed either. He recites corny lines as a Freddie imitator, although not nearly as cool. This is a PG-13 slasher film for the kids. Adults will be bored.
Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex or nudity. Use of "b" word. Girls in school uniforms, but D.E.B.S. is better for that.
All Blood and No Guts
wes-connors1 October 2014
High school senior Jonathan Baron (as Quentin Smith) agrees to help a history teacher in the boiler room. They drop some mystical gold coins Mr. Baron inherited from his grandfather, which causes the old man's spirit to appear. Ghostly grandfather M.C. Gainey (as Lionel Danforth) causes earthquakes in the New England private school. Baron's girlfriend Lauren Pennington (as Whitney Douglas) starts seeing things. People get slaughtered - in very violent ways. Wizened janitor Danny Trejo (as Ortiz) joins the students in battling Mr. Gainey...
In featured roles, thin Marc Donato (as Colt) and thick Shawn Phillips (as Blake) overextend their years in high school. Sexy librarian Charisma Carpenter is seen briefly. The opening credit sequence is a highlight, but the accompanying song - a re-write of Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place to Go" - could stir the rock 'n' roll star's once protective lawyers into action. The special effects aren't too bad, for this sort of thing. However, the TV Movie earns a failing grade as director Jeffery Scott Lando and his crew can't turn the effects into an engaging story.
*** Haunted High (8/25/12) Jeffery Scott Lando ~ Jonathan Baron, Lauren Pennington, M.C. Gainey, Danny Trejo
In featured roles, thin Marc Donato (as Colt) and thick Shawn Phillips (as Blake) overextend their years in high school. Sexy librarian Charisma Carpenter is seen briefly. The opening credit sequence is a highlight, but the accompanying song - a re-write of Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place to Go" - could stir the rock 'n' roll star's once protective lawyers into action. The special effects aren't too bad, for this sort of thing. However, the TV Movie earns a failing grade as director Jeffery Scott Lando and his crew can't turn the effects into an engaging story.
*** Haunted High (8/25/12) Jeffery Scott Lando ~ Jonathan Baron, Lauren Pennington, M.C. Gainey, Danny Trejo
Poor
neil-47611 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The ghost of a previous headmaster returns to wreak havoc and treat people to bad puns in a fairly poor haunted high school offering.
I was attracted by Danny Trejo and Charisma Carpenter headlining the DVD box in Poundland. Well Danny Trejo spends much of the film locked in a cupboard and Charisma Carpenter is barely in it. And the UK DVD box doesn't feature the dreaded words "SyFy Channel."
The cast is OK, mostly, the script is poor, and the horror is too explicit for non-horror audiences, but far too lame for hardcore horror fans.
I was attracted by Danny Trejo and Charisma Carpenter headlining the DVD box in Poundland. Well Danny Trejo spends much of the film locked in a cupboard and Charisma Carpenter is barely in it. And the UK DVD box doesn't feature the dreaded words "SyFy Channel."
The cast is OK, mostly, the script is poor, and the horror is too explicit for non-horror audiences, but far too lame for hardcore horror fans.
Adequate
SanteeFats10 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Okay I can see why this movie got such poor overall ratings. It is pretty hokie but it is entertaining enough. Danny Trejo is in this one as the janitor protector for the cursed school. He ain't bad. It all starts when an obsessed teacher keeps a coin that has fallen out of a students hand. This brings the bad guys back and the mayhem starts. Students and teachers get killed right and left when the original headmaster and his demon bitch are let loose. As part of the final showdown Trejo is killed by the grandson who has been possessed by granddad the headmaster. Destroying one ring the demonic female (?) is destroyed. But as with most movies the good guys win in the end. The grandson is un-possessed, Trejo appears out of the spirit world and takes grandpa down, and the gold demon coins are destroyed so it can never happen again.
Immensely enjoyable Sci-Fi Channel effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder27 August 2012
After becoming stranded in a high school, a group of students find the cause to be a reawakened spirit of a demonic headmaster and his minions, forcing them to battle the deadly spirits to get away alive.
This here turned out to be one of the more impressive and enjoyable Sci- Fi Channel original films. One of the more impressive elements here is the rather nice suspense displayed, which comes from the exceptional use of the creepy-looking school location throughout here with its endless corridors and hallways littered with lockers and others that showcase the locations of the school after dark which comes off incredibly well. Those are furthered by the film's best aspect as the early actions of them trapped inside as these are strongly built-up using the concept of the earthquakes, strange remarks of the ghosts on the PA system as well as the gradual realization of them being stuck here in rather nefarious set-ups which make the burgeoning mystery a lot more chilling than expected. As those are combined with their tormenting the students and faculty throughout with all manners of tactics including reanimation of dead bodies, hallucinations of every kind from the twisting of reality to keeping them at odds with reality and mind tricks comes together for a strong series of scenes here featuring the attack by the demon in the locker-room shower, the great sequence in the science lab of the frogs running amuck or the general teases here of turning the floors of the hallways into glue, disappearing and vanishing again during an attack or just generally teasing and toying with them for the sheer fun of it all which is where this one comes off as fun as it does. These scenes do have a rather cheesy and goofy tone and feel throughout here for the majority of it's scenes by keeping the action going along nicely, and when combined with the nice gore from the high body-count make for a great time overall. There's only a few small problems here, most of which come from the ending's fantasy-derived solution, as it's just way too overblown and goofy against the more intense sections elsewhere in here with the ghosts displaying energy weapons, supernatural powers and much more, turning it into an overall goofy tone that goes against the rest of the film quite obviously. as well, the atrocious CGI and rather lame story that never makes any sense do drive this down somewhat, as a whole this was quite a bit of fun.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity
This here turned out to be one of the more impressive and enjoyable Sci- Fi Channel original films. One of the more impressive elements here is the rather nice suspense displayed, which comes from the exceptional use of the creepy-looking school location throughout here with its endless corridors and hallways littered with lockers and others that showcase the locations of the school after dark which comes off incredibly well. Those are furthered by the film's best aspect as the early actions of them trapped inside as these are strongly built-up using the concept of the earthquakes, strange remarks of the ghosts on the PA system as well as the gradual realization of them being stuck here in rather nefarious set-ups which make the burgeoning mystery a lot more chilling than expected. As those are combined with their tormenting the students and faculty throughout with all manners of tactics including reanimation of dead bodies, hallucinations of every kind from the twisting of reality to keeping them at odds with reality and mind tricks comes together for a strong series of scenes here featuring the attack by the demon in the locker-room shower, the great sequence in the science lab of the frogs running amuck or the general teases here of turning the floors of the hallways into glue, disappearing and vanishing again during an attack or just generally teasing and toying with them for the sheer fun of it all which is where this one comes off as fun as it does. These scenes do have a rather cheesy and goofy tone and feel throughout here for the majority of it's scenes by keeping the action going along nicely, and when combined with the nice gore from the high body-count make for a great time overall. There's only a few small problems here, most of which come from the ending's fantasy-derived solution, as it's just way too overblown and goofy against the more intense sections elsewhere in here with the ghosts displaying energy weapons, supernatural powers and much more, turning it into an overall goofy tone that goes against the rest of the film quite obviously. as well, the atrocious CGI and rather lame story that never makes any sense do drive this down somewhat, as a whole this was quite a bit of fun.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity
Good Late-Night Horror Film With A Very Talented Cast
jreneau226 August 2012
SYFY has been somewhat famous (or infamous) for producing low-budget horror films, which some see as late-night fodder. However, if you are like me and love these campy tales of ghosts and mayhem. Filled with an insane amount of gore and ultra low-budget special effects. Then you can't go wrong with a movie like, HAUNTED HIGH. I think what impressed me most about the film, was the cast. A really young and talented group of kids. Hold their own against genre veterans Danny Trejo and M.C. Gainey. The film serves its purpose and does it fairly well. I really enjoyed this one! Definitely give it a look. If and when it airs again, on SYFY.
Had a good laugh !!!
menus2210215 October 2012
I watch a lot of sci-fi movies and i thought Shawn C. Phillips was great in the movie and has a great future in movies. I thought it was decent i like the cheesy kind of low budget kind of horror movies, those are the ones that usely are the best to me. I've seen far worst movies on sci-fi before and considering this was filmed in New Orleans they probably didn't have the budget or time to make it like a movie theater version. To be able to have Danny trejo in the film was awesome he's been in hundreds of films and is very well know with Quentin Tarintino and his movies. If you want a bad sci-fi movie watch the shark one where their making fun of MTV's Jersey shore. Hopefully Sci-Fi will begin making some better movies in the future and get some of the actors in a lot of these movies acting lessons.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
