There
is nothing old school slashers enjoy more than killing naughty teenagers. It
therefore stands to reason weekend detention would be a very happy hunting
ground for some lucky psychopath. However, this is no place for a
high-achieving class president like Erica Yang. Yet, that is exactly where she
finds herself one fateful Saturday. The Breakfast Club gets a horror
makeover courtesy of Blumhouse in Mike Gan’s School Spirit, the
back-to-school installment of Hulu’s monthly Into the Dark series, which
premieres tomorrow.
Yang
has been working obscenely hard to become the first graduate of Helbrook High to
make it into Harvard, so she is less than thrilled about this detour through
detention. Her fellow detainees are quite curious what Helbrook’s “Admiral of
the Year” did to warrant punishment, but she isn’t saying. On the other hand,
pot-smoking Lizzy Witmore, rebellious Victor Castro, flaky stoner Russ Johns,
and socially awkward weirdo Brett Calloway could have done any number of things
to get there.
Unfortunately,
Vice Principal Armstrong is even sterner than Paul Gleason in The Breakfast
Club, but he also happens to be a raging alcoholic. Usually, when he gets
into his cups, the kids can relax, but this time they will have to contend with
a maniac dressed like the school mascot, the Helbrook Admiral. Legend has it,
the school is haunted by the angry spirit of a teacher who was accidentally killed
by her class and subsequently disposed of while camouflaged in a mascot uniform.
Of course, as the story goes, she returned (still in costume) to direct her
righteous rage at misbehaving students, somewhat in the tradition of
Mrs.Voorhees.
In
fact, School Spirit proudly wears its 1980s influences on its sleeve,
which makes it jolly nostalgic fun to watch. Despite the ultra-now attitudes
and dialogue, its aesthetic is old school all the way. Gan keeps it snappy and
pacey, but also manages to build up a fair measure of suspense. Granted, it probably
does not bring enough that is sufficiently new and fresh to the table to
justify theatrical screenings, but it is quite enjoyable as an evening’s head-clearing
horror streaming.
A
great deal of credit should go to Annie Q., for maintaining the film’s high
energy level. Admittedly, Yang has “final girl” stitched all over her cardigan,
but AQ, a star in the making, keeps our sympathies engaged, while still
managing to surprise us in key moments. Jessi Case and Julian Works also follow
nicely in the John Hughes tradition, humanizing their bad kids to a
considerable extent.
Gan
definitely pushes all the right buttons for retro horror fans, without resorting
to slavish imitation. This will almost certainly not go down as the best horror
film of 2019, but it will probably be re-watched over time more than most. Enthusiastically
recommended for those who dig throwback slashers, Into the Dark: School
Spirit starts streaming tomorrow (8/2) on Hulu.
