It’s that back-to-school time of year, which means one thing, something scarier than Leatherface, Jason, Freddy, or Michael… high school. Today on Fright-A-Thon, we’ll be going over the Top 5 Best High School Horror Movies of all time. This isn’t just a list of horror movies with teenagers though, these are movies about the high school themselves!

‘DING DING DING DING’

There’s the bell, let’s get to class, everyone.

5. Trick Or Treat (1986)

Yes, Trick or Treat from 1986 does capture a lot of what it felt like to be a metalhead in high school and also a bit of an outcast. This is about an outsider who is bullied by the preppy students who don’t understand him. He brings his favorite rock star back from the dead to fulfill his wish of getting even with the bullies. A lot of these types of films have wish fulfillment to get back at people that have wronged them; this one captures it a lot.

For everyone out there, it’s a dream when they’re a kid to silence those people, and while it’s fun in Trick or Treat, it does get out of control. The rock star coming back from the grave eventually has to be stopped by our main character. The soundtrack by Fastway is legendary and features cameos from Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne. If you haven’t checked this one out, you really need to, and it’s finally readily available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray.

4. Christine (1983)

What happens when someone has a crush in high school? It’s usually a bad time, unless of course, you meet that high school sweetheart. But what happens when that crush is a violent killing machine of a car? That’s the story of Christine. It follows the nerdy high schooler Arnie who finds an attachment to a car named Christine. We all have had that kind of obsession before when we’re growing up. I fell in love with horror movies and heavy metal and that obsession continues to this day. But this is a story about how obsession can go fatally wrong.

The high school elements of the film are great with Arnie finding himself but all leads to the dark outcomes of the film. The wrinkle here is that its told from the perspective of his best friend, which is something that we all can relate to when a friend finds a new hobby, girlfriend, or whatever. John Carpenter and Stephen King paired together should be an all-timer in any movie, but they really kill it with Christine.

3. Ginger Snaps (2000)

Speaking of stories about finding yourself and how people change in high school, Ginger Snaps tells that story perfectly. The werewolf film tells the story of Ginger and her sister as they navigate high school as outcasts. Bodies change, and this is a horror movie about puberty. You change from one thing to something monstrous. It’s a perfect allegory for that, and also just a great film.

Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle are fantastic as the sisters in this film. Ginger gets bitten by a werewolf and starts changing into one, but her sister gets left behind to fix the mess. Overall, this is not just one of the biggest cult hits of the decade, it’s one of the best werewolf films ever.

2. Freaky (2020)

Speaking of finding out who you are in high school, we come to Freaky. It’s a movie where I heard the idea for it, cursed, and then thought, who is the motherfu*ker who wrote this? It comes from MIchael Kennedy and director Christopher Landon. The film follows Millie (played by the excellent Kathryn Newton) as she navigates her tumultuous time in high school. There’s a serial killer on the loose named the Blissfield Butcher (played by Vince Vaughn), and they end up swapping bodies, a la Freaky Friday.

Where this movie really shines is the time between the kills. The kills are great, but it’s the relationships between Millie and her friends and all the other high school students that are the highlight. There’s teachers that are horrible that overstep their own power, popular people who are the worst, and other high school experiences sprinkled in. Watch this one this Halloween season, and you won’t regret it.

1. Carrie (1976)

What other movie could it be than this one? Everything about Carrie is classic. The Brian de Palma-directed film is an adaptation of one of Stephen King’s best stories. This tells the story of an outcast girl named Carrie who has magical powers, but it’s really the story of growing up and finding out who you are. Her mother is suffocating her and eventually, the bullying she faces from the popular kids sets her off.

The climax to Carrie at the prom combined with the haunting soundtrack and excellent performances across the board, make this the quintissential high school horror movie. It’s a stone-cold classic for a reason.

So that’s the list! Do you agree with it? Leave a comment if you do or don’t either way!

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