Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

School Spirit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 25, 2023

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.

It's a beautiful spring week at Lavatoire College, and President Grimshaw (Larry Linville) is preparing to knock down some buildings to clear the way for a new development, paid for by an endowment from Madeleine (Daniele Arnaud), an ancestor of the school founder. As Madeline arrives from France, student Billy Batson (Tom Nolan) is lost on his own mission to sleep with sorority queen Judy (Elizabeth Foxx), doing whatever he can to get her clothes off. About to score with Judy, Billy is left without protection, and during his drive to purchase a condom, he’s killed by a truck. Arriving to help is Uncle Pinky (John Finnegan), an angel tasked with taking Billy to the afterlife, but such finality can wait. Learning he has ghostly powers which allows him to turn his invisibility on and off at will, Billy decides to return to his original mission and have sex with Judy, who’s busy cozying up to Grimshaw to help secure her educational future. He's also concerned about Hog Day, an annual campus party which requires his leadership, motivating his final hours as he learns Uncle Pinky has until midnight to bring him to the afterlife.

Corruption is a well-known problem for Lavatoire College, with everyone seemingly aware of President Grimshaw and his shady financial dealings. However, the students refuse to do anything about it, preferring to focus on the antics of Hog Day, which is positioned in the script as the ultimate blowout party for the college, giving the students something to live for as the hours tick down to the shindig. Billy is a major force driving the Hog Day excitement, happy to dress up as a mascot for maximum promotion, engaging in his daily shenanigans, identified as a real party animal for the school. The details of Hog Day, or what exactly it even is, aren’t prioritized in the writing. All “School Spirit” wants viewers to know is that the gathering is happening soon, and Grimshaw’s development is threatening it somehow. The “Animal House”-ness of it all is meant to be the focal point here, not the history of the event.

However, before the festivities begin, Billy is distracted in his quest to have sex with Judy, who’s introduced as an understandably hesitant woman facing a most determined seducer, and one who’s openly hostile to her request for protection before they get down to business on Grimshaw’s office couch. Billy’s not a particularly nice guy, but he eventually agrees to find a condom for their coupling, venturing out into the night to acquire one from a bar bathroom. Billy doesn’t it make back to school, soon hit by a truck and brought to the hospital, where he learns he’s a spirit, meeting Pinky, his escort, and discovering powers of invisibility, which he can activate at will.

The whole ghostly appearance situation in “School Spirit” is a bit hazy, but of course Billy isn’t going to use his powers for good, soon spying on women in a sorority shower, giving director Alan Holleb (“Candy Stripe Nurses”) a chance to add leering camerawork to the feature. He also stages some slapstick, with Billy trying to disrupt rich snob Gregg (Nick Segal) during his attempt to chat up Judy, making a mess of the guy at a vending machine. It’s pedestrian tomfoolery, but nothing in “School Spirit” really captures the imagination, with the picture basically a series of scenes where “accidents” happen and female characters are disrobed (even old man Pinky gets into the peeping mood).

A more defined turn of plot arrives with the introduction of Madeleine, who’s bringing along a fortune for Grimshaw, only to have her head turned by Billy, falling in love with a guy who possesses little charm. However, he’s not one to turn down an opportunity, and before you can say “Shazam,” Billy switches to claim Madeleine, which is meant to bring a touch of romance to the endeavor. In reality, it doesn’t, only serving as a fresh reminder of Billy’s untrustworthy ways.

School Spirit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

School Spirit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:23, HD) is included.

School Spirit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"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.