5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
The only thing keeping Billy Batson from the girl of his dreams is one little condom -- or rather the lack of one. Lucky Billy finds one at an all-night roadhouse -- but speeding back to his girl, he is killed in a head-on collision with a truck. Now invisible, Billy must find his sweetheart and rekindle her fire -- but when he comes back to school as a ghost, his first stop is the girl's locker room, and he's beginning to "see" all the possibilities!
Starring: Tom Nolan (III), Larry Linville, Roberta Collins, Michael Miller (V), Brian FrishmanComedy | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Teen horndog cinema goes to the afterlife in 1985’s “School Spirit.” Or, at least some of the way there. It’s a ghost story from screenwriter Geoffrey Baere, who isn’t making a horror film, but something incredibly sillier, using the post-death experience of a college student to dream up all kinds of high jinks, slapstick confrontations, and opportunities for nudity, trying to do his part for producer Roger Corman and his interest in the R-rated adolescent comedy market. “School Spirit” has everything one expects from this type of production, but there’s a distinct lack of likability with the lead character and his strange determination to treat people like garbage, with Baere looking to make the man a hero of sorts. It’s the first of many creative miscalculations with this feature, which isn’t nearly as fun as it should be, caught trying to be a party animal movie without putting in the time to generate endearing goons to cheer on.
Previously released on DVD in 2005, "School Spirit" makes the jump to Blu-ray, with Shout Factory offering a "New 2K scan of the interpositive." The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a soft, aged look at frame information, with little fine detail to be found during the viewing experience. Interiors are limited in dimension, and exteriors, while not sharp, register some sense of campus life and suburban locations. Colors are acceptable, with passable primaries on period costuming and signage. Skin tones are somewhat natural, with some pinkishness at times. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is chunky.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA runs into some trouble with age and condition of the source. Crispness is elusive, but intelligibility isn't threatened, securing a slightly muddier sense of dialogue exchanges. Musical performances aren't defined, with a blown-out sound, creating some distortion during the listening event. Sound effects are basic.
"School Spirit" doesn't pay attention to its own rules, especially for invisibility, with Billy eventually arrested for stealing a car, yet he remains in jail, waiting for someone to let him out. Again, he's a ghost. The plot basically takes a breather in the last 30 minutes of the film, taking viewers to the Hog Day celebration, which features music from the band The Gleaming Spires, and finds guests taking a ride on the slime slide. It's a raucous event, and there's something of a ticking clock in the midnight hour, with Billy trying to pack a lot in before Uncle Pinky finds him and hauls him into a white light. Will Billy save Hog Day? Will Grimshaw's corrupt ways be discovered? Will the president's teenage daughter be targeted for seduction by adult males? It doesn't take a lot to stay ahead of "School Spirit," but what's surprising here is the lack of a fun factor. The material doesn't pursue the potential of ghostly access, content to stick with the basics in low-budget sexploitation, lacking support from an inspired lead character and more imaginative production achievements.
1991
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Schock / Beyond the Door II
1977
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1985
2018
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Collector's Edition
1981
Collector's Edition
1987
Sorority Sisters / Sorority Succubus Sisters
1988
2019
2018
1986
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1967