Horror Movie Review: Return to Nuke ‘Em High – Volume 1 (2013)

It’s been a long time since we’ve been to Tromaville & far too long since we’ve seen the Class of Nuke ‘Em High on our screens. Some of Troma Entertainments most famous movies, the Class of Nuke ‘Em High series is a tongue in cheek, silly gore-fest that can at least be called entertaining.

You can’t take these film seriously in the slightest especially with titles like The Good, the Bad and the Subhumnaoid.

You can read our reviews of the first three films below:

1986 – Class of Nuke ‘Em High
1991 – Class of Nuke ‘Em High 2: Subhumaniod Meltdown
1994 – Class of Nuke ‘Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumnaoid

It’s been 19 years since the third movie was released but you wouldn’t know it from the moment this movie begins. Troma have perfectly captured that Nuke ‘Em High feel both in plot, acting & visual style. Hilariously stupid, wonderfully gross & enough in-jokes to keep the biggest Lloyd Kaufman fan grinning from ear to ear.

This is Troma. From the unashamed non-pc jokes & parodies to the gratuitous shots of boobs. This is Troma.

The plot follows the usual issues in Tromaville High School as the evil Tromorganic Foodstuffs Conglomerate has put chemicals in the food that is causing students to mutate! When the school’s glee club ends up transformed into a violent & vicious gang (The Cretins) it becomes clear something must be done!

It’s up to Chrissy (Asta Paredes) & Lauren (Catherine Corcoran) to find out the truth & put a stop to Tromorganic! All while dealing with the pressures of high school & their own sexual awakenings!

Return to Nuke ‘Em High – Volume 1 is great fun. It’s every bit as slapstick as you could expect but with memorable characters, a mostly coherent plot & plenty of silly effects & gory moments. There’s a lot of similarities between this & the very first movie but the little touches makes it stand out.

Take ‘The Cretins’ for example. They’re the same gang from the first film but here they are the glee club transformed. That means they constantly break out into beautiful harmonies while torturing or assaulting their victims. It’s enough to get the student body running for their lives when they hear a song break out!

The evil company poisoning the town/school is a tried & tested formula for Troma but the inclusion of Kaufman himself as the head of the company gives us some great scenes. His phone conversations with the US president is particularity note worth seeing as it’s Lemmy of Motorhead who plays the commander in chief!

These cameos are one thing but the riffing on other movies in hilarious ways is another. Full Metal Jacket, Showgirls, The Hurt Locker & my personal favourite…Carrie all get referenced in some funny & clever way. As do many of Troma’s other films such as The Toxic Avenger.

If you can’t stand Troma Entertainment & the Nuke ‘Em High films then you should probably avoid seeing this. Everyone else? Sit back & enjoy the madness.

(It’s important to know going into Volume 1 that this is a two-part movie & as such ends rather abruptly. Thankfully Volume 2 has been completed & should be out some time in the future).