Review of Hell Night (1981) by John C — 16 Jan 2012

Having not seen Hell Night since I was about 12 and having found a used copy, I decided to give it a spin. The only copy of the film that I had seen was a squashed full screen VHS tape that was muddy, dark and just nearly impossible to watch and make any real sense out of.

Fortunately, the DVD I found of it isn't, and I was finally able to experience it properly for the first time. I found it to be surprisingly effective and creepy. It's not a body count sort of slasher movie as there's hardly any victims to be served up to the unseen force terrorizing these young college students that are stuck in a haunted mansion all night under an initiation for a fraternity.

There's actually some very good dialogue buried in there; not always delivered at the highest levels, obviously, but refeshingly realistic at times. The back and forth between Linda Blair and Peter Barton is mainly what I'm referring to.

Everyone seems to be having a good time, and it shows in their performances. The movie loses its focus at times and gets a little bit silly towards the end, but overall, it has some great atmosphere and some genuine scares.

I can't even really call it a slasher because it doesn't go by that particular formula, but it's a well-produced horror movie that was worth the profits it raked in.