Hell Night



Director - Tom DeSimone (Chatterbox, Savage Streets)
Starring - Linda Blair (The Exorcist, Repossessed), Peter Barton (Stir, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter), and Vincent Van Patten (Wonder Woman, Rock n' Roll High School)
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Pray for day"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I'm still deep in a review hole trying to slowly climb out.  After my daughter was born my laptop decided to shit out on me.  I was trying my best to work on reviews after the fact but the power cycling every 15 minutes.  It was frustrating.  Now I've resorted to getting my reviews typed out on an iPad which is an even bigger chore but I get results.  After watching a solid vampire flick and an underwhelming supernatural short I ventured to my review stack in hopes of finding something fun.  I didn't want a film that forever changed cinema.  Instead, I wanted a movie that was entertaining and maybe had a few chuckles here and there.  As soon as I laid eyes on the 1981 slasher Hell Night I knew it was the film for me.  Thank you Scream Factory for sending this one my way to check out. 

     The film follows four college students pledging Alpha Sigma Rho.  They have a tradition where all pledges are tasked with spending Hell Night in a dilapidated mansion that was once home to a disfigured family.  There night was supposed to be filled with partying, sex, and some scares but turns into a nightmare when they learn that the local legend is true and a disfigured man is hunting them down one by one. 

     Hell Night is one of those slashers that I had always heard about but never actually seen.  I remember seeing the tape at the local video store but I never rented it.  A few years ago I grabbed the now OOP Anchor Bay DVD for a solid price but discovered I was ripped off.  I had bought the original DVD case and artwork with a burnt disc.  I was very disappointed with that and couldn't bring myself to watching the abomination.  Now that I have a real copy I couldn't wait to check it out.  Sure, its far from the best slasher film to come out of the 80s but it is still entertaining.  The acting in this one is solid for the most part.  The cast tried their best but the characters are horribly written and boring.  Even horror legend Linda Blair couldn't make her character seem interesting.  The story for this one is generic in terms of slashers but I did like the Hell Night angle.  I always enjoyed the frat/sorority house slashers and though this one feels like a haunted house film it still flows very much so like a slasher.  There is some very slow burning scenes and when the action does pick up it is not very exciting.  Finally, the film has several on screen deaths that are not that very engaging but are still fun for what they are.  The effects are minimal and use simple camera tricks.  With that being said, I actually liked them and how the killer looked.  Overall, Hell Night may not be the slasher you compare other slashers to but it is still a solid effort.  Check it out on blu from Scream Factory!