1981 was a heyday for the slasher movie with some of the biggest films in the subgenre coming out that year including 'My Bloody Valentine', 'Friday the 13th Part 2', 'The Burning', and of course the film we're reviewing today 'Hell Night'. I will admit going into this one that a lot of hype had been built up beforehand. The movie was unavailable to me for many many years as the DVD had not been in production since 2002 and as a result, 'Hell Night' went for an average $100 price tag. Thanks to Scream Factory, I was finally able to experience this popular slasher flick and while I won't go so far to say it was worth the long wait, I was satisfied and had some good fun.
The film comes from the producers behind the classic 'Halloween' and in some ways you can tell. The movie is primarily set in an old dark mansion and gives off a vibe of that local house you thought was haunted as a kid much in the way the Myers house was depicted. It even comes with a backstory about mutant children dying in the house only to come back for revenge. It's all good cheesy fun you'd find in a William Castle or old Saturday night spookfest and it gives the film a more light-hearted tone despite the gruesome deaths. The film's plot has the teens staying in the mansion in order to pass a hazing ritual or 'Hell Night' for their local sorority only to find that the pranks and gags are the least of their worries when the legend turns out to be true.
Starring Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Peter Barton (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter), and even Vincent Van Patten of all people the cast of 'Hell Night' do alright in their roles but are lacking in many areas, even for a slasher film. Barton's character I feel gets the shaft the most, because the film spends so much time building him up as this really nice charismatic guy only for him to feel unimportant in the climax. The same goes for Van Patten, who has the opposite problem. He is generally portrayed throughout the film as an uncaring dick, but towards the end he suddenly becomes a hero even fighting off the killer with a shotgun.
As for Blair, she does about the same as her usual roles. I never really cared for her to be honest and here I just don't believe her 'final girl' transformation due to her usual quiet and shy performances. The other female characters are so minimal and quickly dispatched that I can't even remember their names, but I suppose that's the name of the game here but still, even some of the worst slashers tend to treat their characters a little better. The gore effects and makeup for the killer are really good considering the age of the film and its minimal budget. It has probably one of the best head decapitations in a horror film I've seen, being shot in one take with a real head and a prosthetic body. The other deaths aren't quite as over the top, but effective and gruesome enough to satisfy any fan.
The Blu-Ray was presented in a 4K transfer and looks impressive for a 1981 film. It has the right amount of age and grain to keep the horror feel but also keeping the special effects and spookier scenes crystal clear. I was told that the VHS and even the original Anchor Bay DVD had some really dark scenes making it hard to focus but that's not a problem with this new Blu-Ray. More top notch work from Scream Factory. Sound is great as well. Dialogue is clear and the gross out and ghastly noises throughout are effective. Special features include trailers, an audio commentary, and 4 hours of interviews from the cast and crew of 'Hell Night' giving an impressive overall package.
'Hell Night' is one of the better slasher films due to its unique setting and kills, but at the same time it doesn't offer anything new to those who aren't fans of this sort of thing. The Blu-Ray/DVD package is another great transfer from Scream Factory with impressive audio and video quality that any fan of the film should definitely pick up.
7.5/10
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