Horror High

Vernon Potts is a shy but clever student who endures bullying at school. He forms a tentative friendship with classmate Robin Jones, despite her boyfriend Roger’s disapproval. The dynamic sets up Vernon’s interior life, balancing academic ambitions with a growing curiosity about biology and danger.

Late one night after school, Vernon tests the new drug on Mr. Mumps, turning him into a snarling creature. The mutated guinea pig kills a cat owned by Mr. Griggs, the creepy janitor. Griggs catches Vernon disposing of the cat’s body and beats Vernon and Mr. Mumps to death with a pestle.

Griggs threatens Vernon into drinking the drug. Vernon convulses, becomes violent, and kills Mr. Griggs by dunking him into a barrel of sulfuric acid.

The next morning, Griggs’s dissolved remains are found during science class. Lieutenant Bozeman questions Vernon, but Vernon remains silent and the lack of evidence allows him to slip away.

After an English test, Mrs. Grindstaff forces Vernon to attend every literature club meeting for the rest of the semester to earn credit. To avoid conflicts with his library visits, Vernon reluctantly agrees and uses the club time to brew more of the drug in the science lab.

During the literature club, Vernon drinks the drug and transforms, terrorizing Grindstaff. He kills her by severing her fingers and decapitating her with a paper guillotine.

Grindstaff’s body is discovered the next morning and Bozeman returns to the case. Vernon privately confesses to Robin that Mr. Mumps is dead and tells her he plans to abandon the biology project, while she offers to help with hers.

In the locker room, Coach McCall reprimands Vernon but then offers him a chance to help Roger cheat so the football player can stay eligible. He asks Vernon to call him at 10:00 PM that night to finalize the plan and tells Vernon to keep it secret.

That night, Bozeman and his squad arrive to question McCall but he avoids arrest. Vernon, having consumed another batch of the drug, kills McCall by lacerating his chest with track spikes as McCall confronts him.

The police discover McCall’s body and arrest Roger outside the building, halting his initially planned escape. The arrest adds to the mounting tension surrounding the murders.

The next morning Robin expresses distress over Roger’s arrest, but Vernon calms her and arranges a date at the park for 7:30 that night. The plan signals a rare moment of normalcy amid the chaos.

That night Roger calls Vernon, telling him that the police released him due to a lack of evidence. He threatens to report Vernon unless they meet at the school in an hour, heightening the danger of exposure.

Vernon brews another batch of the drug and heads toward the classroom when someone taps at the window. Robin warns him about Roger, and Vernon reluctantly reveals that he is the killer, before transforming and chasing her through the school.

Bozeman and the police arrive and fire as Vernon battles Roger. Vernon is shot to death, and Robin mourns his loss as the film ends.