5. Final Destination (2000)
Death’s School of Hard Knocks. High schooler Alex Browning’s premonition saves his class from a tragic plane crash, but Death doesn’t like being cheated. A series of increasingly inventive and gory accidents ensue, making us rethink the safety of everyday objects.
Where to Watch:
4. Ginger Snaps (2000)
Sisterhood of the Traveling Curse. Puberty is challenging enough without the added complexity of lycanthropy. The Fitzgerald sisters navigate the trials and tribulations of high school, menstrual cycles, and moonlit transformations in this unique blend of horror and dark comedy.
Where to Watch:
3. Detention (2011)
High School: A Temporal Terror Trip. Horror meets sci-fi in this quirky blend of slasher tropes and time-travel twists. With everything from body-swapping to a serial killer mimicking a fictional film’s murderer, Detention truly offers a lesson in embracing cinematic chaos.
Where to Watch:
2. It Follows (2014)
A Fling turned Fatal. Dating in high school can be complicated, but imagine if your latest romance comes with a supernatural stalker. In It Follows, the horror manifests in the form of a post-coitus relentless entity that only you can see. It’s a clever twist on the “sex equals death” trope often seen in horror movies, illustrating that some mistakes can follow you…literally.
Where to Watch:
1. The Craft (1996)
When Cliques Cast Curses The allure of magic becomes a dangerous game for four high school outsiders. As they harness their newfound powers, they face the consequences of meddling with the dark arts. A cautionary tale with iconic ’90s fashion to boot.
Where to Watch:
So, while you’re prepping your backpacks and setting up those first-day-of-school outfits, enjoy a little horror movie marathon. It’s the perfect way to remember that no matter how daunting school seems, at least your principal probably isn’t an alien (but no promises).
What are your favorite high school horror movies? Let us know over in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord!
