A science-smart student who’s often targeted by others at a high school near Dallas (played by Pat Cardi) creates a potion that gives him power to retaliate against his tormentors. "Horror High," also called “Twisted Brain,” was written by the same person who later wrote "Dark Night of the Scarecrow." The story’s core idea, following a familiar monster-movie pattern, recalls 1958's "Monster on the Campus," but adds the element of a bullied teenager in high school—a concept that would influence films like “Carrie,” "Christine" and "The Unhealer" (2021). "Primal Rage” (1988) clearly drew inspiration from this movie. Viewers are likely to feel empathy for the protagonist; his interactions with a beautiful redhead (Rosie Holotik) and the lead detective (Austin Stoker) work well, both in writing and performance. The coach is okay too, though that particular actor seems to be overacting. The film benefits from an outstanding theme song called "Vernon's Theme," written and performed by Jerry Coward. The unusual musical score, featuring percussion-heavy rock from Don Hulette, might not appeal to everyone, but it was experimental for 1973, the year it was created. Given that its production budget was only $67,000 (roughly equivalent to $475,000 today), the film’s settings are unremarkable—limited to the school, the student's home, and nearby streets. It could have realistically been filmed in any high school or suburban area in either the United States or Canada. A noteworthy detail is that some of the background police officers were played by members of the Dallas Cowboys football team: Craig Morton, DD Lewis, Bill Truax, and Calvin Hill. It’s worth noting that “Return to Horror High,” released 14 years later, isn't a continuation of this story. The movie has a running time of about one hour and twenty-three minutes and was filmed at a high school in Irving, Texas (just northwest of Dallas), which at the time served as a finishing school for pregnant girls, along with a neighborhood in northeast Dallas. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB