Hell Night (1981)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Simply A Masterpiece

Just perfect...

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Very little about the premise makes any sense in this 80s slasher, apart from the fact that it is a perfect setup for a slasher movie. From the beginning it is rather predictable who will survive, so it wasn't as suspenseful in that sense. The dialogue was also sub-standard, and the acting wasn't that great. Despite this, however, the film was great fun and actually quite enjoyable.

Linda Blair goes from demonically possessed pre-teen to screaming coed in this fart better than usual slasher film from 1981 - the golden year of the slasher sub-genre.Blair is Marti, a smart sorority girl forced to spend the night in a spooky mansion right out of Scooby Doo with three other sorority and fraternity pledges. Said mansion was the home of a grisly multiple murder and it's said the killer still lurks the halls, ready to kill anyone in his way. As fate would have it, tonight is the night he comes out of hiding.At first glance, Hell Night probably seemed old fashioned even in 1981 with it's period costumes (complete with "modern" 80's hairstyles), cobwebs, candles, and creaky mansion floorboards, but there's an atmosphere and spirit to Hell Night that really gets to you and supplies a fair share of creeps and jolts. The last act of the film is damn near exhausting as the last coeds standing run, jump, and hide their way to hopeful safety from a deformed, grunting, drooling maniac.Special mention goes to Dan Wyman's spooky synth score that really helps build a creepy mood. It deserves a release by itself.Hell Night is perfect for Halloween movie marathons and might even be light enough in the sex, language, and gore departments for older children to get a kick out of it, too.

Hell Night is an 80's slasher with a little added class and sophistication to it's production. Linda Blair, star of the Exorcist, plays Marti in this thriller about a group of pledges that have to stay in a haunted mansion over night as a part of their initiation. The mansion is Garth Manor and the story goes that the man who lived there more than a decade ago, murdered his entire family. The legend is that one member of the Garth family survived, and roams the empty corridors of the deserted estate. Once inside the manor, Marti and her three friends soon discover that two frat boys are playing pranks to spook them. But very soon, they realize that something is very wrong when one of their own turns up dead.I really like the style of Hell Night. It is an eighties film, but definitely has the feel of the old classic monster movies from the fifties. There are also some genuine scares when the ghoul pops up out of nowhere to strike his next victim. The monster's make up is also done really well. He looks realistic and almost human like. The characters are pretty likable too, with Linda Blair and Peter Barton leading the way. Pretty decent acting all around.Some things I had problems with where the overall legend of Garth Manor and whether or not there were two killers or one. The story is never really fully explained to the viewers, it almost would have been the same if they hadn't had a back story to the manor at all. There is also the question of is their two killers. I always took it that there was just one. That's how the story of Garth Manor is also written. Check this one out, it's one of the more unique of the 80's slashers flicks.8/10

"Hell Night." What an unbelievably cheesy title for a horror film. And a very delightful one too. This 1981 slasher ride could have been another carbon copy of all the other films that were taking over the 80s. But surprise, surprise..."Hell Night" is one of the best slasher films to come out of the 80s, along with "Friday the 13th," "Prom Night," "Terror Train," "He Knows You're Alone" and "Halloween II." The plot is simple: Alpha Sigma Rho is having a blast with their new pledges. There are four of them: the sweet, fragile Marti, the calm and protective Jeff, the surfer dude Seth, and party girl Denise. The festivities are only the beginning of the four teens' transition to Alpha Sigma. In order to become a member, they must spend a night in the ominous Garth Manor, where Raymond Garth supposedly slaughtered his entire family and then committed suicide. No problem, right? Wrong! What starts out as a fun little prank slowly transforms into a fight for survival. Because Marti, Jeff, Seth and Denise are not alone in Garth Manor. Underneath the mansion, there is a disfigured maniac who doesn't enjoy having unwelcome guests in his house.Like I said before, "Hell Night" could have been your average slasher film. But there are a lot of things going for it.First off, the atmosphere is perfect. Garth Manor provides an unsafe, inescapable tone to it, and becomes quite a creepy place. Points for that! Next up, you have a surprisingly good cast. It's always a joy to see Linda Blair in a horror film. Yep, I'm talking about the terrifying, possessed little girl named Regan from "The Exorcist." Blair can really scream and she's a very good crier. Peter Barton("Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter") does a good job as Jeff. Vincent Van Patten seemed a little bit uncomfortable playing Seth, and therefore, his performance does not come off as sympathetic, but a little bit unbelievable. However, he provides several funny moments, and in the end, he's not terrible. Suki Goodwin made a very nice party girl playing Denise. She had an elegant British accent, and I enjoyed her performance. And Kevin Brophy, Jenny Neumann, and Jimmy Sturtevant were entertaining in the roles of Peter, Scott, and May, the pranksters from Alpha Sigma, whose prank backfires violently.Secondly, the music is awesome. It made me reminisce about John Carpenter's classic score for the 1978 masterpiece "Halloween." Techno and piano mix together perfectly for the music of the film.And thirdly, at times, the movie was scary. The killer was weird and creepy, and although "Hell Night" was a slasher movie, it had the elements of a wonderful haunted house tale, like the 1958 schlock classic "The House on Haunted Hill." Garth Manor reminded me very much of that house, only "House on Haunted Hill" didn't have the scares that this movie did. Some of the kills and "BOO!" moments came out of unpredictability and excitement. I especially enjoyed the gore. Even more points for that! There you have it. Despite a few flaws, including Vincent Van Patten's performance and just a little bit of slow pacing, "Hell Night" was a great surprise for me. So many trashy movies came out of 1981, and this movie showed that there was still life in a disreputable genre. It was atmospheric, scary, gory, and entertaining. I enjoyed every minute of it. "Hell Night" is a nifty little haunted house-style/slasher romp that puts movies like "Graduation Day" and "Girl's Nite Out" to shame. Slasher wannabees, eat your heart out.P.S. Looking for another fun monster-slasher? Then Tobe Hooper's "The Funhouse" will go perfectly with "Hell Night."