Overlooked this one when it was released but after seeing the DVD on sale and reading some positive comments on this site decided to part with my cash. Was I disappointed? No. Once you get past the cheesy opening with its gloriously B-movie style credits it turns into one of the more interesting stalk and slash films of the 80's. The set up is simple - 4 frat pledges have to spend the night in a mansion with a sinister past and a killer on the loose... who will survive? Do we care? Well yes, these kids are surprisingly likeable and, by cleverly putting them in pre-20th Century fancy dress in a candle lit house, removes them from the contemporary teen horror genre. The killings are pretty conventional decapitation etc. but the film then builds up to a tense and exciting final 30 minutes with a few surprises and a brilliantly staged ending. I'm probably over-praising this film somewhat but my expectations were low and my rewards were a decent 6.5/10!
153 Reviews
One Hell Of A Night
acidburn-1028 April 2007
Basic Plot = four pledges must spend the night in Garth Manor, twelve years to the day after the previous resident murdered his entire family. Two of the pledges, Marti (Linda Blair, The Exorcist) and Jeff (Peter Barton), ignore the rumours that the now-deserted mansion is haunted by a crazed killer, until one-by-one, members of their group mysteriously disappear. Could this be part of the fraternity prank or is it a demented former tenant seeking revenge? When the seemingly innocent rite of passage turns deadly, these college students will do anything to survive Hell Night." Hell Night is a fun way to waste a couple of hours, a definite popcorn flick which isn't a bad thing, the cast are clearly having fun with they're roles, Suki Goodwin, as Denise, is a scream; providing the film's main comedy moments without really grating. She sails through the film on a wave of booze, Quaaludes (whatever happened to those?) and double-ententes. Linda Blair is also as effortlessly likable as you'd imagine, as the slightly tomboyish girl (with the handy mechanic skills).
Hell Night never fails to be entertaining,It's the fun early 80's slasher flick - designed for retro thrills, fun scares and popcorn munching. It takes itself seriously enough to stop from descending into self-parody funny to talk about innocence in a film where a bunch of people get carved up in creative ways, but HELL NIGHT is a perfect twilight genre example of the slasher flick before it descended into self parody and rapidly shrinking budgets.
Hell Night never fails to be entertaining,It's the fun early 80's slasher flick - designed for retro thrills, fun scares and popcorn munching. It takes itself seriously enough to stop from descending into self-parody funny to talk about innocence in a film where a bunch of people get carved up in creative ways, but HELL NIGHT is a perfect twilight genre example of the slasher flick before it descended into self parody and rapidly shrinking budgets.
An Enjoyable 'Scooby Doo' episode- Rated 'R'!
Cobbler5 June 2000
What impressed me the most about this "slasher" movie is I honestly cared about the characters and felt bad when they died! That never happens with me & horror movies-- usually the characters are annoyingly lamebrained oversexed fools and I can't wait for them to get axed. HELL NIGHT has much going for it, including an amiable atmosphere, enthusiastic & easy-going performances (especially by the Boom Mic, who I thought deserved an Academy Award for his brief but frequent appearances), decent sets (including the outdoor ones, a bit reminiscent of The Shining), and villains who I swear looked straight out of SCOOBY DOO. (Not that that's a BAD thing, but it's just not too scary.) I honestly thought the script was well-constructed and funny and character exposition was given in an unobtrusive but helpful way (i.e. Linda Blair working as a mechanic.) There is absolutely nothing new or groundbreaking in HELL NIGHT, but it's a sterling example of how to polish up an old apple and make it look appealing and new-- and taste good. (Sorry for that awful metaphor...) Contrary to what others might tell you, Vincent Van Patten really grew on me, and I loved that surfing scene. He's my boy! Rating: 7/10.
Give it a chance
Hile_Troy9 July 2000
I love slasher films and this is one of my favorites....it seems one of the biggest complaints about 'Hell Night' is the lack of blood. Am I the only one here who remembers two other horror classics that have little bloodshed....'Halloween' and 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and before you disagree....watch them again. And notice that all the times that Leatherface smacks heads with the hammer and carves bodies with his chainsaw- very little blood hits the ground.....even 'Prom Night' shows black screen when someone is getting hacked up with an axe... And not all slasher films have to have the 'guess who the killer is' theme....in 'Halloween' we knew it was Michael Meyers and 'Chain Saw Massacre' we knew it was Leatherface and his family.... Back to 'Hell Night'...I thought everybody gave really good performances throughout...Linda Blair and Vincet Van Patten standout the most. I enjoyed the background story about the house's history...the house itself was an excellent setting. Character interaction was interesting...it didn't seem like pointless time filler. The killers were alot more scary than most of the slasher villains...plus the fact that they didn't get a lot of screen time which added to the suspense. A very under-rated slasher film. 'Hell Night' and almost any slasher film post 1979 are called 'Halloween' rip-offs...but, remember 'Black Christmas' came out years before 'Halloween'
Like a bad, cheesy and horny SCOOBY DOO episode
Maciste_Brother23 September 2004
I watched FRAT FRIGHT (also known as HAPPY HELL NIGHT), NIGHT SCHOOL, SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE and this film, HELL NIGHT, one after the other during the span of an entire week, and I have to say that all horror films in academic settings pretty much suck. HELL NIGHT is totally cheeeeeeeesy. If it weren't for the (very) few sex scenes and the little gore seen here and there, this would play exactly like a SCOOBY DOO episode. 4 college students stay in a mansion with a bloody history. Some other students roam around the mansion to scare the 4. As expected, the 3 other students are killed first by the creepy people inhabiting the mansion. Then the 4 college students are next. Who's going to survive? Well, that's easy to figure out.
The story doesn't make any sense whatsoever. If the students do this every year, why do the people living in the mansion suddenly decide to kill off the students now? No reason is given for why they decided to go on a murderous rampage.
Anyway, the whole thing was a total bore. The only thing that kept me awake and watching was trying to spot the *many* moments where the microphone was clearly visible at the top of the frame. Too funny.
The ending was the only good thing about HELL NIGHT. The last shot at the gate is very good. But it's too little and too late.
The story doesn't make any sense whatsoever. If the students do this every year, why do the people living in the mansion suddenly decide to kill off the students now? No reason is given for why they decided to go on a murderous rampage.
Anyway, the whole thing was a total bore. The only thing that kept me awake and watching was trying to spot the *many* moments where the microphone was clearly visible at the top of the frame. Too funny.
The ending was the only good thing about HELL NIGHT. The last shot at the gate is very good. But it's too little and too late.
Better Than Expected.
AaronCapenBanner2 September 2013
Linda Blair stars as one of four college pledges who must spend the night in the creepy old mansion(reputed to be haunted, with a murderous history) in order to join the sorority and fraternity. Seniors plan to pull pranks on them for fun, but discover to their dismay that "reputed" turns out to mean "factual"...
Surprisingly effective thriller may not be original, but has good performances and direction, which create characters you come to care about, and a genuinely spooky atmosphere, especially when it moves underground. Scary and (reasonably) smart, this one stands out from the usual "slashers" of the period, and results are above average, with a memorable ending.
Surprisingly effective thriller may not be original, but has good performances and direction, which create characters you come to care about, and a genuinely spooky atmosphere, especially when it moves underground. Scary and (reasonably) smart, this one stands out from the usual "slashers" of the period, and results are above average, with a memorable ending.
"Hell" of a waste....
Mister-614 December 1999
Warning: Spoilers
Excuse me, was this supposed to be a "horror" movie or just a "horrible" movie?
"Hell Night" makes the grave mistake (pardon the pun) of casting a bunch of long-in-the-tooth geezers as teenagers and making them slog through the old spend-a-night-in-a-haunted-house plotline while the ghost stories of a long-dead maniac still living in the house turn out to be all too true. Yee-haw.
There is NO suspense, NO tension, ZERO shocks, little to no blood (sorry, gore-hounds) and if the only talent in a movie like this is Linda Blair, that should tell you two things: the rest of the cast are no-names and - SPOILER(?) AHEAD - there's only gonna be one survivor.
Look, what kind of aficionado of these kind of films hasn't done the research on Blair? She's a battle-hardened veteran and has put up with much worse (just check out her filmography), especially when there's a killer as bargain-basement as this one. And it doesn't help to have Matthew Star and a Van Patten kid along for the ride.
Anything good about "Hell Night"? The mansion this is set in looks appropriately spooky and Blair is cute enough...and that's about it.
You want blood and shocks? Watch the news, it's more entertaining.
One star. For Blair. Darn it, if she wasn't so cute....
"Hell Night" makes the grave mistake (pardon the pun) of casting a bunch of long-in-the-tooth geezers as teenagers and making them slog through the old spend-a-night-in-a-haunted-house plotline while the ghost stories of a long-dead maniac still living in the house turn out to be all too true. Yee-haw.
There is NO suspense, NO tension, ZERO shocks, little to no blood (sorry, gore-hounds) and if the only talent in a movie like this is Linda Blair, that should tell you two things: the rest of the cast are no-names and - SPOILER(?) AHEAD - there's only gonna be one survivor.
Look, what kind of aficionado of these kind of films hasn't done the research on Blair? She's a battle-hardened veteran and has put up with much worse (just check out her filmography), especially when there's a killer as bargain-basement as this one. And it doesn't help to have Matthew Star and a Van Patten kid along for the ride.
Anything good about "Hell Night"? The mansion this is set in looks appropriately spooky and Blair is cute enough...and that's about it.
You want blood and shocks? Watch the news, it's more entertaining.
One star. For Blair. Darn it, if she wasn't so cute....
Talking in terms of 80's slashers...this is a good film!
Coventry10 November 2004
Linda Blair, everybody's favorite head-tolling girl, stars as an extremely cute college girl named Marti. Together with 3 other students, she's locked overnight in a haunted mansion as some sort of fraternity initiation rite. The house used to be inhabited by a family of weirdoes (figures
) and the deformed son is believed to still dwell around in the tunnels underneath the mansion's basement. While the other fraternity members are playing pranks to increase the eeriness, the real killer comes to interfere
Of course, you can't really refer to this 'Hell Night' as being a good film. It's an 80's slasher, produced in-between two 'Halloween'-films. The only reason of this film's existence is to raise more money, so you can't be too demanding for plots, logic or credibility. In it's own specific category, this is a more than decent film. I can name you over a thousand similar films that are worse but only a few that are better. It's amazing what a competent director (Tom DeSimone specialized in 'Women Behind Bars'-flicks) and a devoted cast (Linda Blair!!) can achieve. There are quite a few suspenseful sequences in Hell Night and the gore is not exploited for once. The settings are decent but sometimes underexposed, which is a bit of a shame. Overall, this a lot more tolerable than the average flick in which teens are slaughtered by the dozen.
Of course, you can't really refer to this 'Hell Night' as being a good film. It's an 80's slasher, produced in-between two 'Halloween'-films. The only reason of this film's existence is to raise more money, so you can't be too demanding for plots, logic or credibility. In it's own specific category, this is a more than decent film. I can name you over a thousand similar films that are worse but only a few that are better. It's amazing what a competent director (Tom DeSimone specialized in 'Women Behind Bars'-flicks) and a devoted cast (Linda Blair!!) can achieve. There are quite a few suspenseful sequences in Hell Night and the gore is not exploited for once. The settings are decent but sometimes underexposed, which is a bit of a shame. Overall, this a lot more tolerable than the average flick in which teens are slaughtered by the dozen.
The ultimate hell is sitting through this movie!
MovieLuvaMatt7 July 2004
This has all the elements of a bad horror movie, but unlike some so-bad-it's-good low-budget fright flicks, this one takes itself seriously--and therin lies the problem. I always say the sign of a bad horror movie is when you want every character to die, just so the movie can end. That was definitely the case with "Hell Night." I was literally counting how many characters are still alive, so I'd know how soon it'll all be over. Even at approximately an hour and 40 minutes, I felt the film went on way too long. That goes on to prove that a good movie is never too long and a bad movie is never too short. The acting is decent, though nothing special. But I'd rather watch a fun horror flick with bad actors than a clunker like this with decent actors. This is the only movie, besides "The Exorcist," that I've seen of Linda Blair's. Apparently, she made a consecutive series of bombs after gaining fame from that debut role. Aside from one exciting scene where one of the characters tries to climb over a pointed gate, the movie is devoid of any real thrills. Most of the scenes are composed of characters walking through dark locations for about 5 minutes before something actually happens. The movie itself has almost no originality. The score is cheesy, and so are the horrendously dated 80's hairstyles and wardrobe. Even for low-budget horror standards, this is one awful flick!
My score: 2 (out of 10)
My score: 2 (out of 10)
A slight cut above most eighties slasher trash
The_Void2 October 2005
This film is everything most slashers are - i.e. redundant, pointless, silly and all the rest of it. However, unlike the majority of the sub-genre; this one isn't all that bad. The plot is hardly original in it's fusion of the haunted house tradition and eighties slasher trash, but at least it gives the film a slight edge over it's less imaginative counterparts. The plot sees a group of four high school 'kids' having to spend a night in a creepy old house as an initiation ceremony for the fraternity they want to join. However, this isn't just a creepy old house and by way of a super-camp story telling sequence, we learn that the master of the house killed himself, his wife and three of his four horribly deformed children. This, of course, means that one survived; and that one, is course, rumoured to still be hanging around the creepy old house. That is, of course, a rumour that turns out be true! What then follows is the usual slasher sort of stuff, with the kids inside getting sliced and diced along with the ones outside, who were just trying to make their new frat-mate's stay a little scarier.
Linda Blair, now all grown up since her role in The Exorcist, takes the lead role and does pretty much what you would expect the heroine to do. There's some nice murder sequences in this film, but the gore is never over the top. I actually like over the top gore, but despite not having much of it, it never really harms this film. The murders are stylishly shot, and the way it portrays them allows it to be shocking without the need for a lot of bloodshed. In a sub-genre that is primarily concerned with bloodletting; this is actually quite admirable. The sets are one of the best things about this film. The Gothic mansion gives it that great atmosphere that is usually reserved for haunted house movies. The movie doesn't always make best use of it's settings, however, with too many scenes being restricted to close-up's when a shot that takes in more of the surrounding area would have been better. The fact that the killer is deformed gives it a bit of an edge over the likes of Halloween because aside from there being a killer, you also want to see him to find out how badly deformed he is. It is a disappointment when he's finally revealed...but the wait holds some suspense. On the whole, this isn't all that good; but it's not bad either. Slasher fans will find something to like.
Linda Blair, now all grown up since her role in The Exorcist, takes the lead role and does pretty much what you would expect the heroine to do. There's some nice murder sequences in this film, but the gore is never over the top. I actually like over the top gore, but despite not having much of it, it never really harms this film. The murders are stylishly shot, and the way it portrays them allows it to be shocking without the need for a lot of bloodshed. In a sub-genre that is primarily concerned with bloodletting; this is actually quite admirable. The sets are one of the best things about this film. The Gothic mansion gives it that great atmosphere that is usually reserved for haunted house movies. The movie doesn't always make best use of it's settings, however, with too many scenes being restricted to close-up's when a shot that takes in more of the surrounding area would have been better. The fact that the killer is deformed gives it a bit of an edge over the likes of Halloween because aside from there being a killer, you also want to see him to find out how badly deformed he is. It is a disappointment when he's finally revealed...but the wait holds some suspense. On the whole, this isn't all that good; but it's not bad either. Slasher fans will find something to like.
Brainless Slasher
claudio_carvalho3 July 2020
The freshers Marti (Linda Blair), Jeff (Peter Barton), Denise (Suki Goodwin) and Seth (Vincent Van Patten) want to join the Alpha Sigma Rho fraternity and need to spend the night locked in the derelict Garth Manor as part of their initiation. The fraternity president Peter (Kevin Brophy) tells that the owner Garth killed his family but the body of his youngest son Andrew has not been found. Further, there are rumors that Andrew is still alive and lives hidden in the manor. Later, Peter and his friends May (Jenny Neumann) and Scott (Jimmy Sturtevant) sneak in and return to the mansion to play pranks on the pledges. But soon the group of freshers finds the tricks in the mansion while there is the beginning of a crime spree in the manor.
"Hell Night" is a brainless slasher, with a good storyline but awful screenplay. The plot has many flaws and the use of clichés and stupid decisions and situations. How operate with control and speakers in a house without electricity? Jeff and Marti seek out the killer with Marti holding one of his hands while the other holds the rake and the lamp. When they see monstrous killer, they decide to flee. Marti is escaping from the killer and finds a body on her way out and stops and returns to the mansion. The car does not start when Marti escapes from the serial-killer. There are lighted candles in the abandoned and locked manor. There are so many ridiculous situations that it would be possible to write a lot about this subject. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "Noite Infernal" ("Hellish Night")
"Hell Night" is a brainless slasher, with a good storyline but awful screenplay. The plot has many flaws and the use of clichés and stupid decisions and situations. How operate with control and speakers in a house without electricity? Jeff and Marti seek out the killer with Marti holding one of his hands while the other holds the rake and the lamp. When they see monstrous killer, they decide to flee. Marti is escaping from the killer and finds a body on her way out and stops and returns to the mansion. The car does not start when Marti escapes from the serial-killer. There are lighted candles in the abandoned and locked manor. There are so many ridiculous situations that it would be possible to write a lot about this subject. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "Noite Infernal" ("Hellish Night")
Atmospheric Blend of Two Horror Sub-Genres.
drownsoda9028 August 2006
"Hell Night" is a fun little 1981 horror film from the producer of "Halloween". The plot is as follows - Twelve years ago, a man savagely murdered his wife and three of their deformed and disabled children, leaving only one son as a survivor, then hanging himself in his family mansion. Now, twelve years after the horrible murders, four college pledges for the Alpha Sigma Ro fraternity/sorority are forced to spend the night in Garth manor for their initiation. All seems to be going well, and the upperclassmen play a few tricks on the newcomers to try and scare them. But the jokes become horrifyingly real when the pranksters and the pledges begin to die. Could it be possible that the fourth son of the Garth family is still lurking somewhere on the grounds?
I'd been wanting to see this for quite some time now, and I finally got my hands on the DVD and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Is it clichéd? Sure it is, very much so, actually. The plot (while it isn't as original as it could be) is well paced and entertaining all the way. It blends both the slasher and haunted house horror sub-genres, and it does it with style. Sure, the horror clichés are present, but these clichés don't take the film down. The mansion was large, old, and creepy inside, adding to the classic haunted-house horror film feeling. Not to mention the pledges are dressed in period costumes reflecting the olden days. The acting was decent, not perfect but good enough. Linda Blair of "The Exorcist" is our main leading heroine, and her innocent character of Marti is likable. Peter Barton plays Jeff, and Vincent Van Patten plays the tough surfer dude along with Suki Goodwin as the party girl. All of the actors performed well for the most part, no real complaints there.
There are some memorable scenes in the film, especially the rug scene and the chase in the underground tunnels with Marti and Jeff and the old deformed psychopath. Speaking of the villain, he was actually rather creepy and the makeup effects were decent, although we don't really get to see his face until the finale. There are some creative murder scenes that have surprisingly good special effects considering the time the film was made. But the film's overall atmosphere was the best part if you asked me. It kind of reminded me of a Scooby Doo episode with it's style and story, but much more violent than anything you'd ever see on a cartoon show.
Overall, "Hell Night" is one of the most fun '80s horror films out there. The whole film has a fun, festive tone, and there are some pretty spooky scenes and the atmosphere was perfect in a classic, haunted-house horror kind of way. The atmosphere is killer (literally), there are some scary murders, and Linda Blair is the leading lady! What more can you ask for? Definitely check it out if you are a fan of the genre. 9/10.
I'd been wanting to see this for quite some time now, and I finally got my hands on the DVD and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Is it clichéd? Sure it is, very much so, actually. The plot (while it isn't as original as it could be) is well paced and entertaining all the way. It blends both the slasher and haunted house horror sub-genres, and it does it with style. Sure, the horror clichés are present, but these clichés don't take the film down. The mansion was large, old, and creepy inside, adding to the classic haunted-house horror film feeling. Not to mention the pledges are dressed in period costumes reflecting the olden days. The acting was decent, not perfect but good enough. Linda Blair of "The Exorcist" is our main leading heroine, and her innocent character of Marti is likable. Peter Barton plays Jeff, and Vincent Van Patten plays the tough surfer dude along with Suki Goodwin as the party girl. All of the actors performed well for the most part, no real complaints there.
There are some memorable scenes in the film, especially the rug scene and the chase in the underground tunnels with Marti and Jeff and the old deformed psychopath. Speaking of the villain, he was actually rather creepy and the makeup effects were decent, although we don't really get to see his face until the finale. There are some creative murder scenes that have surprisingly good special effects considering the time the film was made. But the film's overall atmosphere was the best part if you asked me. It kind of reminded me of a Scooby Doo episode with it's style and story, but much more violent than anything you'd ever see on a cartoon show.
Overall, "Hell Night" is one of the most fun '80s horror films out there. The whole film has a fun, festive tone, and there are some pretty spooky scenes and the atmosphere was perfect in a classic, haunted-house horror kind of way. The atmosphere is killer (literally), there are some scary murders, and Linda Blair is the leading lady! What more can you ask for? Definitely check it out if you are a fan of the genre. 9/10.
You could do far worse than Hell Night
bensonmum228 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
- As part of their initiation, two fraternity pledges and two sorority pledges must spend the night in creepy old Garth Manor. Before entering the house, the pledges are told the story of the Garth family - twelve years ago, old man Garth murdered his whole deformed family before taking his own life. However, some say that at least one member of the Garth clan survived. During the night, some of the other fraternity and sorority members try to scare the four pledges locked in the spooky mansion. But when people start turning up dead, it's obvious that this is no college prank.
- For the most part, Hell Night is a standard 80s slasher. A group of young people in an isolated location are picked-off one at a time until only the end girl is left alive. I don't think this is much of a spoiler because most anyone could guess who is going to be left alive at the end of the movie. In fact, it's easy to predict with a fair amount of accuracy the order these people are going to die. The murders aren't extremely violent and some are left to the viewer's imagination. This was probably the result of budget constraints more than anything. The killers' make-up is bargain basement and not nearly as effective as some of the other movies of the period. Some of the acting is terrible and Vincent Van Patten is extremely annoying.
- So, if the movie is predictable with poor special effects and acting, why haven't I rated Hell Night any lower? Other than those areas I've mentioned, the movie is reasonably well made. The house is fantastic and almost outshines any of the humans in the cast. Secret passages and long, dark corridors always make for fun in this kind of movie. Hell Night would have actually benefited had more emphasis been placed on the house. The movie is at worst competently directed by DeSimone. He does an above average job of creating atmosphere and creepy moments. And, on a personal level, I always enjoy Linda Blair in just about anything she does.
- While it will never be known as a great movie, you could do far worse with a teen slasher than watching Hell Night.
Slow going chiller is worth a night in Hell.
emm4 February 1999
HELL NIGHT comes from the long-defunct studio who brought the ever popular HALLOWEEN to the big screen (Compass Int'l Pictures). This was partially what I expected, mixing the good with the bad. At times, it's chilling. Other times, it isn't. Possibly the best way to make a low-budget picture was to have the whole set turn dark and let the actors move around in a ridiculously slow pace until the point where something frightening happens. Hold your breath until the conclusion, folks, because that's when Linda Blair actually steals the film on purpose for the last few minutes. Some electronically scary sound effects help create the real feel of being in the dark, though. As a personal commemorative bonus, this is the 10th movie I've seen that shows off mics at the top of my TV screen! Can anyone spot the shadows of actual crew members standing in the way? It's nice to see films like this come back from the grave due to the recent rebirth of Slashermania, but this is just plain ordinary and similar to what we've seen before.
* *1/2 out of 4.
brandonsites19813 June 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Group of coed's for pledge night have to spend the night in a manor that local legend says a father went insane and murdered all of his family. The lone survivor, his deformed son, is rumored to be haunting the premises living in the underground tunnels and killing off unwelcomed visitors. Guess what, the legend is true as the coeds start to disappear one by one.
Spooky teen slasher builds up a good amount of atmosphere and delivers suspense instead of the usual nudity and gore. It also takes the time to build up characterizations for some of its characters. Linda Blair ( a highly underrated actress) turns in a very appealing, strong & sexy performance and is supported by a better then usual cast, including Peter Barton. The finale is especially exciting.
Rated R; Violence.
Spooky teen slasher builds up a good amount of atmosphere and delivers suspense instead of the usual nudity and gore. It also takes the time to build up characterizations for some of its characters. Linda Blair ( a highly underrated actress) turns in a very appealing, strong & sexy performance and is supported by a better then usual cast, including Peter Barton. The finale is especially exciting.
Rated R; Violence.
Mattress-side Fratricide
atlasmb9 April 2022
We have all seen this film before, in various incarnations, and we have seen it done better.
Four frat pledges have to spend the night in a "haunted" mansion. During their pajama party, they fool around a little. And they separate themselves from the company of others, one by one, so that a shadowy villain can pick them off over the course of the night. Besides this hackneyed plot, there are numerous instances of bad dialogue, unreasonable behavior, and plot holes.
In the end, we are left with an odd but feasible moral: a knowledge of auto mechanics may save your life.
Four frat pledges have to spend the night in a "haunted" mansion. During their pajama party, they fool around a little. And they separate themselves from the company of others, one by one, so that a shadowy villain can pick them off over the course of the night. Besides this hackneyed plot, there are numerous instances of bad dialogue, unreasonable behavior, and plot holes.
In the end, we are left with an odd but feasible moral: a knowledge of auto mechanics may save your life.
Forgotten but good
BandSAboutMovies14 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Tom DeSimone started his directing career in gay porn as Lancer Brooks, creating the first homosexual film with dialogue and a plot with 1970's The Conversation before going mainstream and making Chatterbox. After this film, he'd be behind such greats as Reform School Girls and Angel III: The Final Chapter, as well as uncredited direction on another fabulous Linda Blair movie, Savage Streets.
Oh Linda Blair. By 1981, Linda was eight years past The Exorcist and a few years past a major drug bust. While some people may say they lived their lives, I get the feeling that Ms. Blair really lived her life, starting to date Rick Springfield at fifteen after seeing him play the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, as well as relationships with Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes and Styx frontman Tommy Shaw. And a year after Hell Night, a nude pictorial in Oui magazine would lead to her dating Rick James, who spoke of her in glowing terms in his autobiography: ""Linda was incredible. A free spirit. A beautiful mind. A mind-blowing body. She liked getting high and getting down as much as I did."
But hey - we're here to talk about Hell Night and lots of teenagers are basically begging to get killed. Let's get to it!
Spoiler before we go any further: I was basically two minutes into this movie before declaring my pure love for it.
During a college costume party, Peter (Kevin Brophy, who played the main character in the TV show Lucan) is all fired up about initiating the new pledges of Alpha Sigma Rho: rich kid Jeff (Peter Barton of TV's The Powers of Matthew Star), Marti, a smart girl from a poor family (Blair); party girl Denise (Suki Goodwin in her only movie role) and stoner Seth (Vincent Van Patten, son of Dick, former pro tennis player, star of the failed pilot The Bionic Kid and current World Poker Tour commentator). They're forced to spend the night at Garth Manor, the abandoned mansion when Ramon Garth murdered his wife and three deformed children before hanging himself. Then, the fourth child Andrew somehow survived and still roams the grounds.
The moment they get there, Marti and Jeff have sex, just before a ghost shows up to frighten her. Unbeknownst to them, beyond that ghost, Peter and two other students have been setting up traps and scares all over the house. As soon as they finish, the denizens of the house attack, decapitating one of them and then stringing another up on the roof. Peter tries to prank Denise, only to be chased into a hedge maze and killed with a scythe.
Seth and Denise respond to all of these murders and pranks by getting high and having sex, which really seems to be the best possible solution. When Seth leaves Denise to go to the bathroom, he returns to find a severed head in their bed.
Of course, it all goes very slasher and the kids each gets killed off in various ways after discovering the remains of the Garth family in the tunnels under the house. The police have no interest in helping them, so they try and survive the night themselves. Marti is the final girl, hot-wiring cars and slamming strange killers into spiked gates to make it through the night.
I love the end of the movie, where she wakes up as the sun rises and just gets out of the car, which has a dead killer on the hood and walks away.
There are some weird things about Hell Night beyond the actual movie, like the two actors who played the Garth killers being unlisted in the credits and being unknown German nationals that spoke little English. The bearded one died soon after the film wrapped and the other is gone to history.
Even stranger is that when a man in Illinois named Ray Fulk died, he asked for his estate to be split between Hell Night stars Kevin Brophy and Peter Barton, despite never meeting the actors. That's right, they split a million dollars just for him being a fan of their work.
It's also the last movie that Irwin Yablans'. Compass International Pictures would release. They had some hits - Halloween, Tourist Trap, Fade to Black and Blood Beach, as well as some smaller films like Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula, The Day Time Ended and Roller Boogie. They'd soon reform as part of Universal Studios and be called Trancas International Films, where they'd produce all of the Halloween films.
Hell Night also had Kevin Costner working as a grip and was one of the first films Frank Darabont worked on. It's another example of the fact that a movie that wasn't thought of all that fondly in 1981 appears to be an utter classic once you watch it in 2019.
Oh Linda Blair. By 1981, Linda was eight years past The Exorcist and a few years past a major drug bust. While some people may say they lived their lives, I get the feeling that Ms. Blair really lived her life, starting to date Rick Springfield at fifteen after seeing him play the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, as well as relationships with Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes and Styx frontman Tommy Shaw. And a year after Hell Night, a nude pictorial in Oui magazine would lead to her dating Rick James, who spoke of her in glowing terms in his autobiography: ""Linda was incredible. A free spirit. A beautiful mind. A mind-blowing body. She liked getting high and getting down as much as I did."
But hey - we're here to talk about Hell Night and lots of teenagers are basically begging to get killed. Let's get to it!
Spoiler before we go any further: I was basically two minutes into this movie before declaring my pure love for it.
During a college costume party, Peter (Kevin Brophy, who played the main character in the TV show Lucan) is all fired up about initiating the new pledges of Alpha Sigma Rho: rich kid Jeff (Peter Barton of TV's The Powers of Matthew Star), Marti, a smart girl from a poor family (Blair); party girl Denise (Suki Goodwin in her only movie role) and stoner Seth (Vincent Van Patten, son of Dick, former pro tennis player, star of the failed pilot The Bionic Kid and current World Poker Tour commentator). They're forced to spend the night at Garth Manor, the abandoned mansion when Ramon Garth murdered his wife and three deformed children before hanging himself. Then, the fourth child Andrew somehow survived and still roams the grounds.
The moment they get there, Marti and Jeff have sex, just before a ghost shows up to frighten her. Unbeknownst to them, beyond that ghost, Peter and two other students have been setting up traps and scares all over the house. As soon as they finish, the denizens of the house attack, decapitating one of them and then stringing another up on the roof. Peter tries to prank Denise, only to be chased into a hedge maze and killed with a scythe.
Seth and Denise respond to all of these murders and pranks by getting high and having sex, which really seems to be the best possible solution. When Seth leaves Denise to go to the bathroom, he returns to find a severed head in their bed.
Of course, it all goes very slasher and the kids each gets killed off in various ways after discovering the remains of the Garth family in the tunnels under the house. The police have no interest in helping them, so they try and survive the night themselves. Marti is the final girl, hot-wiring cars and slamming strange killers into spiked gates to make it through the night.
I love the end of the movie, where she wakes up as the sun rises and just gets out of the car, which has a dead killer on the hood and walks away.
There are some weird things about Hell Night beyond the actual movie, like the two actors who played the Garth killers being unlisted in the credits and being unknown German nationals that spoke little English. The bearded one died soon after the film wrapped and the other is gone to history.
Even stranger is that when a man in Illinois named Ray Fulk died, he asked for his estate to be split between Hell Night stars Kevin Brophy and Peter Barton, despite never meeting the actors. That's right, they split a million dollars just for him being a fan of their work.
It's also the last movie that Irwin Yablans'. Compass International Pictures would release. They had some hits - Halloween, Tourist Trap, Fade to Black and Blood Beach, as well as some smaller films like Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula, The Day Time Ended and Roller Boogie. They'd soon reform as part of Universal Studios and be called Trancas International Films, where they'd produce all of the Halloween films.
Hell Night also had Kevin Costner working as a grip and was one of the first films Frank Darabont worked on. It's another example of the fact that a movie that wasn't thought of all that fondly in 1981 appears to be an utter classic once you watch it in 2019.
B horror
SnoopyStyle9 April 2022
College students, sorority girls, and their new pledges have gathered to spend the night in the supposed haunted Garth Manor. The night of terror turns into a night of terror.
It's a second tier horror from the early 80's. Linda Blair is the most familiar face. The actors are fair but nobody is doing great work. The first hour is simply too boring and has no energy. Non of the characters are compelling. There is a bit of a chase to ramp up the tension for the last act but it's too little too late.
It's a second tier horror from the early 80's. Linda Blair is the most familiar face. The actors are fair but nobody is doing great work. The first hour is simply too boring and has no energy. Non of the characters are compelling. There is a bit of a chase to ramp up the tension for the last act but it's too little too late.
Gore with goth.
mark.waltz29 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A slasher flick with a sly sense of humor, sardonic and spooky, with some genuine laughs among the screams. First you've got Linda Blair who's always good for a laugh, then you've got smug Vincent Van Patten smiling at himself after a sexual encounter, then in shock when he returns to find only the head of his partner remaining. They are among a group of young adults staying in a haunted mansion where a brutal murder and suicide took place years before. Bored young men decide to play pranks on others in the group by pretending to be ghosts (with some neat special effects), only to find their ending through a neck cracker and a long rope. Soon it's only Van Patten, Blair and her boyfriend Peter Barton left, desperate to get out before they are victims too.
Low budget horror movies aren't worthy of a top rating, but as a 7, this is one of the best horror films of the early 80's, far from original but played with gusto and lots of fun. Definitely note clever than the popular franchises of the time that went on far too long. Basically it is an R rated version of Disney's Haunted Mansion as the set is perfectly designed with traps everywhere and stunning surprises around every corner. The three leads are very good, knowing when to remove the tongue from their cheek and be completely serious. Blair has a few great lines that parallel her iconic role in "The Exorcist", and is aided by her natural quirkiness that makes her unique and always fun to watch. Certainly deserving of cult status, one of a kind among a genre filled with some real stinkers.
Low budget horror movies aren't worthy of a top rating, but as a 7, this is one of the best horror films of the early 80's, far from original but played with gusto and lots of fun. Definitely note clever than the popular franchises of the time that went on far too long. Basically it is an R rated version of Disney's Haunted Mansion as the set is perfectly designed with traps everywhere and stunning surprises around every corner. The three leads are very good, knowing when to remove the tongue from their cheek and be completely serious. Blair has a few great lines that parallel her iconic role in "The Exorcist", and is aided by her natural quirkiness that makes her unique and always fun to watch. Certainly deserving of cult status, one of a kind among a genre filled with some real stinkers.
Are the other reviewers kidding?
mdarmocida22 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I didn't expect much from this film. I figured it would be a campy 1980s horror flick. Let's face it, if you've seen Linda Blair act before, then you know this movie can't be all that good. The only time she did a convincing performance was in the Exorcist and even then the makeup and effects pretty much did all the acting for her.
I watched this movie anyway so I could see the "exciting" and "clever" ending, of which many of the other reviewer have spoken. Are they kidding? "Exciting," "clever"? All she did was drive the car into a fence and the guy got impaled. So what? It wasn't even that good and certainly not worth sitting through the rest of the movie. There wasn't even nudity to give this movie at least some value. Even when they came close to nudity it was the most lame sex scene that I'd ever seen in my life. Basically it was two kids in their underwear rolling on the bed and laughing and talking, the scene of which was peppered nearly throughout the entire movie.
Sorry other reviewers, this movie isn't worth the time to watch it.
I watched this movie anyway so I could see the "exciting" and "clever" ending, of which many of the other reviewer have spoken. Are they kidding? "Exciting," "clever"? All she did was drive the car into a fence and the guy got impaled. So what? It wasn't even that good and certainly not worth sitting through the rest of the movie. There wasn't even nudity to give this movie at least some value. Even when they came close to nudity it was the most lame sex scene that I'd ever seen in my life. Basically it was two kids in their underwear rolling on the bed and laughing and talking, the scene of which was peppered nearly throughout the entire movie.
Sorry other reviewers, this movie isn't worth the time to watch it.
And To All A Good Night
Minus_The_Beer7 April 2018
Four college kids are sent to an abandoned mansion to fend for themselves during a hazing ritual gone wrong in "Hell Night." During their stay at Garth Manor, the group deal with pesky pranks from their peers and face off against a "gork" dubbed Andrew. We never find out what a gork is exactly, but it sounds relatively un-PC. At any rate, Andrew "Gork" Garth is a deformed child who has been left alone to his own devices. Now that he's all grown up, he's hellbent on murdering anyone who steps foot onto his property. That's unfortunate for Linda Blair and company, who lack the benefit of something like TripAdvisor. One thing's for sure, though; if they live through the night, this place is getting a dismal one-star review.
"Hell Night" came out in 1981, just as the slasher genre was gaining traction. It is at times derivative, and at others, it surprisingly deviates from the beaten path. The initial set up of four characters who alternate between horny, funny, smart and sympathetic is one we've seen countless times in the genre, but "Hell Night" puts a refreshing spin on things. For starters, its cast has a chemistry and a shared likability rarely seen in the slasher subset. An all-grown-up Linda Blair leads the cast with her charming girl-next-door presence, while pretty-boy Peter Barton ("Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter") plays her good-guy boyfriend. In the next room are the Spicoli-esque surfer dude and his hilariously charming and sexy girlfriend, played by Vincent Van Patten (son of Dick) and Suki Goodwin respectively. Goodwin in particular is a real firecracker, an endless ball of charm. It's a shame she quit acting shortly after this film came out. Her comedic chemistry with Van Patten jumps off the screen and nearly steals the show. That being said, all four actors are quite solid and work together to keep the film going, even through it's duller moments.
Speaking of dull moments, there's more than a few of those here. Since the film is about 15-20 minutes longer than the average slasher, it's only natural this would happen. The atmosphere is pretty well established early on, and while the characters are never a chore to visit, the often-protracted stalking sequences can sometimes feel endless or even pointless. Having said that, when the jump scares hit, they hit hard. The film is a bit of a workhorse in that regard, as by the end, we are treated to a big jump seemingly every other minute. Tim DeSimone, who had previously worked in the adult film industry under the impossibly awesome psuedonym of Lancer Brooks, apes the likes of "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween" quite competently here. There are moments midway through the film that feel like someone traced over John Carpenter's work, right down to the sparse, synth-led score. Yet, for all that it borrows, it never feels entirely redundant. One digression in particular, where a lead character escapes the mansion and goes off to find help, is a welcome curveball. It's little moments like this that give the film its own unique flavor.
While one could probably spend the bulk of its running length nit-picking it to death, there's just something undeniably charming about the way "Hell Night" plays out. It feels familiar, but at the same time, keeps us on our toes. With characters that you actually want to see survive and a killer who is not wearing a mask or wielding a chainsaw, "Hell Night" at least offers something you won't always find in '80s slashers. It's not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but necessary viewing for any fan of the genre. "Hell Night" is, like the ritual itself: a rite of passage everyone should go through at least once.
"Hell Night" came out in 1981, just as the slasher genre was gaining traction. It is at times derivative, and at others, it surprisingly deviates from the beaten path. The initial set up of four characters who alternate between horny, funny, smart and sympathetic is one we've seen countless times in the genre, but "Hell Night" puts a refreshing spin on things. For starters, its cast has a chemistry and a shared likability rarely seen in the slasher subset. An all-grown-up Linda Blair leads the cast with her charming girl-next-door presence, while pretty-boy Peter Barton ("Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter") plays her good-guy boyfriend. In the next room are the Spicoli-esque surfer dude and his hilariously charming and sexy girlfriend, played by Vincent Van Patten (son of Dick) and Suki Goodwin respectively. Goodwin in particular is a real firecracker, an endless ball of charm. It's a shame she quit acting shortly after this film came out. Her comedic chemistry with Van Patten jumps off the screen and nearly steals the show. That being said, all four actors are quite solid and work together to keep the film going, even through it's duller moments.
Speaking of dull moments, there's more than a few of those here. Since the film is about 15-20 minutes longer than the average slasher, it's only natural this would happen. The atmosphere is pretty well established early on, and while the characters are never a chore to visit, the often-protracted stalking sequences can sometimes feel endless or even pointless. Having said that, when the jump scares hit, they hit hard. The film is a bit of a workhorse in that regard, as by the end, we are treated to a big jump seemingly every other minute. Tim DeSimone, who had previously worked in the adult film industry under the impossibly awesome psuedonym of Lancer Brooks, apes the likes of "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween" quite competently here. There are moments midway through the film that feel like someone traced over John Carpenter's work, right down to the sparse, synth-led score. Yet, for all that it borrows, it never feels entirely redundant. One digression in particular, where a lead character escapes the mansion and goes off to find help, is a welcome curveball. It's little moments like this that give the film its own unique flavor.
While one could probably spend the bulk of its running length nit-picking it to death, there's just something undeniably charming about the way "Hell Night" plays out. It feels familiar, but at the same time, keeps us on our toes. With characters that you actually want to see survive and a killer who is not wearing a mask or wielding a chainsaw, "Hell Night" at least offers something you won't always find in '80s slashers. It's not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but necessary viewing for any fan of the genre. "Hell Night" is, like the ritual itself: a rite of passage everyone should go through at least once.
Typical 80's slasher midnight type watch movie.
blanbrn9 December 2018
"Hell Night" from 1981 has all of the elements of a horror movie from the 80's it's got a house with a past, teens and college students with raging hormones who want sex, and murder one by one with like one character living. As part of a college ritual and initiation into a fraternity four pledges must spend a night in an old haunted mansion 12 years to the day after the previous resident murdered his entire family. Is the crazed killer still around as one by one things happen and people vanish. It's a fight for life that's filled with thrills, chills, fright, and sex which is typical for an 80's horror slasher film. Also lookout for Linda Blair("The Exorcist") as a scream queen.
Underrated gem of a horror movie
dorotka2420 November 2007
I saw the late night, television version of this movie as a child of 10 and was absolutely terrified. Back then it was perhaps my favorite horror film and I can remember recording it off TV on my Beta VCR.
So naturally I thought when I tried the unedited, theatrical version as an adult, that the scares and tension would be gone, only to be replaced by B-movie cheese. Boy was I wrong! Hell Night, much like Friday the 13th and Halloween, is a horror movie that has, for me, stood the test of time.
From the creepy setting to the scary villains, and horny, screaming college kids, this one has it all. The acting and characterizations were competent and believable (for a horror movie), with fine performances from all involved.
Many of the typical horror clichés and dumb moves by the characters to serve the plot and score more victims were absent here. In fact, most of the characters didn't even realize a psychopath was on the loose until late in the film, when it was really too late.
The setting was really milked for all it was worth by the director, with scenes not only throughout the creepy mansion, but a number of them below the house and within the extensive grounds. Some of the blue lighting in the outside sets really lent a spooky, almost supernatural ambiance to several scenes.
I can't think of too many flaws here. Some gore hounds have complained about a lack of blood and guts. Did they see the same movie as me? I recall plenty of violent murders. The camera did not linger on them overly, but neither did it quick-cut away instantly like so many films of today. Some of the dialog was cheesy, but I don't have much of a problem with that if the story is good and the characters reactions to their dire predicament are believable.
Overall, I found this to be a highly enjoyable, terrifying film experience. Certainly one of the most underrated horror movies.
So naturally I thought when I tried the unedited, theatrical version as an adult, that the scares and tension would be gone, only to be replaced by B-movie cheese. Boy was I wrong! Hell Night, much like Friday the 13th and Halloween, is a horror movie that has, for me, stood the test of time.
From the creepy setting to the scary villains, and horny, screaming college kids, this one has it all. The acting and characterizations were competent and believable (for a horror movie), with fine performances from all involved.
Many of the typical horror clichés and dumb moves by the characters to serve the plot and score more victims were absent here. In fact, most of the characters didn't even realize a psychopath was on the loose until late in the film, when it was really too late.
The setting was really milked for all it was worth by the director, with scenes not only throughout the creepy mansion, but a number of them below the house and within the extensive grounds. Some of the blue lighting in the outside sets really lent a spooky, almost supernatural ambiance to several scenes.
I can't think of too many flaws here. Some gore hounds have complained about a lack of blood and guts. Did they see the same movie as me? I recall plenty of violent murders. The camera did not linger on them overly, but neither did it quick-cut away instantly like so many films of today. Some of the dialog was cheesy, but I don't have much of a problem with that if the story is good and the characters reactions to their dire predicament are believable.
Overall, I found this to be a highly enjoyable, terrifying film experience. Certainly one of the most underrated horror movies.
Gothic Terror
nutty22717 January 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I have mixed feelings about Hell Night.I saw this film on the big screen, and at the drive-in when it made its debut.It actually frightened me pretty good as a child, since it was the first Horror Movie I went to see, accompanied by two adults.When I saw the first killing, of a young woman getting decapatated by a shadowy figure in what appeared to be an underground dwelling, I was shocked.The killer scared the daylights out of me, as a kid.There was something about this hulk-like, semi-retarded killer that sent chills down my spine as a youngster.
SPOILERS: Basically, the plot revolves around a group of college frat kids that as an initiation into the fraternity, Alfa Sigma Ro, must spend the night in Garth Manor, a gothic style old mansion equipped with secret trapdoors, underground passages, and a unique garden, but with no electricity or telephones.The former resident of the mansion was named Raymond Garth, and he and his wife ha a number of apparently retarded and deformed offspring.Mr. Garth one day killed most of his family, and then hung himself after his deed.He apparently left two mongoloid -like sons alive, however, Boris and Andrew.And it is the latter who goes on a murdering rampage of all the frat kids, by various means.
Linda Blair stars as the sexy young lady Marti, who is the sole survivor of this murdering spree, in which Andrew takes out 5 other frat brats,--Peter, May, Scott, a cute little British-accented Denise,and Seth the partying surfer boy.Each victim is dispatched by diff. methods, Peter is hacked with a sickle whilst stumbling through the garden, Scott has his neck broken, May has her pretty head decapatated,and in a scene that chilled me as a kid, Denise is kidnapped from bed and murdered offscreen.Finally Seth gets apparently blasted with a Police-Riot, pump shotgun,(although we don't see it, but hear do hear it),and Jeff, a near-hero, gets tossed by Andrew from one of the multi-story bedroom windows to a stone pillar below.(ouch!)
The movie sarts with the kids partying,fondling, and chattering amongst one another while 3 others conduct prank activities on the group inside the mansion.The 3 pranksters outside are killed first, andthen Andrew makes his way inside, where the 4 of Seth, Denise, Jeff, and Marti are stalked.In one scene that frightened me as a kid, Seth, who is paired with Denise, gets up to use the restroom, while Denise sleeps,half-passed out in bed.Andrew, apparently, hidden behind the door in a small bathroom adjacent, creeps in and towers over Denise, and as she opens her eyes, he places his hand over her mouth.In a cruel twist, he hides the head of May under the covers, as a little surprise for the returning Seth.Seth climbs the lofty gate of the mansion, which is equipped with sharp spikes at the top, to a police station where the officers ignore his pleas for help.There,in corny fashion, rips off a shotgun and carjacks a man in a parking lot. He drives Danny Sullivan-style back to Garth Manor, where Boris (seemingly Boris) accosts him, and Seth pumps two shot loads into him, the first dropping Boris into a pond, the latter killing him.But Andrew swipes the shotgun away inside, and behind a corner Seth receives a little dose of medicine, from the business end of the gun.
Andrew, a hulking, grunting,rag-laden killer,was an interesting character indeed.The film is not a classic by any means, and is flawed with plenty of cheesy scenes.But still, it has its qualities too.The scenic beauty of the mansion,with its old gothic ornamental styling was affective indded. This is a fun flick to watch.
SPOILERS: Basically, the plot revolves around a group of college frat kids that as an initiation into the fraternity, Alfa Sigma Ro, must spend the night in Garth Manor, a gothic style old mansion equipped with secret trapdoors, underground passages, and a unique garden, but with no electricity or telephones.The former resident of the mansion was named Raymond Garth, and he and his wife ha a number of apparently retarded and deformed offspring.Mr. Garth one day killed most of his family, and then hung himself after his deed.He apparently left two mongoloid -like sons alive, however, Boris and Andrew.And it is the latter who goes on a murdering rampage of all the frat kids, by various means.
Linda Blair stars as the sexy young lady Marti, who is the sole survivor of this murdering spree, in which Andrew takes out 5 other frat brats,--Peter, May, Scott, a cute little British-accented Denise,and Seth the partying surfer boy.Each victim is dispatched by diff. methods, Peter is hacked with a sickle whilst stumbling through the garden, Scott has his neck broken, May has her pretty head decapatated,and in a scene that chilled me as a kid, Denise is kidnapped from bed and murdered offscreen.Finally Seth gets apparently blasted with a Police-Riot, pump shotgun,(although we don't see it, but hear do hear it),and Jeff, a near-hero, gets tossed by Andrew from one of the multi-story bedroom windows to a stone pillar below.(ouch!)
The movie sarts with the kids partying,fondling, and chattering amongst one another while 3 others conduct prank activities on the group inside the mansion.The 3 pranksters outside are killed first, andthen Andrew makes his way inside, where the 4 of Seth, Denise, Jeff, and Marti are stalked.In one scene that frightened me as a kid, Seth, who is paired with Denise, gets up to use the restroom, while Denise sleeps,half-passed out in bed.Andrew, apparently, hidden behind the door in a small bathroom adjacent, creeps in and towers over Denise, and as she opens her eyes, he places his hand over her mouth.In a cruel twist, he hides the head of May under the covers, as a little surprise for the returning Seth.Seth climbs the lofty gate of the mansion, which is equipped with sharp spikes at the top, to a police station where the officers ignore his pleas for help.There,in corny fashion, rips off a shotgun and carjacks a man in a parking lot. He drives Danny Sullivan-style back to Garth Manor, where Boris (seemingly Boris) accosts him, and Seth pumps two shot loads into him, the first dropping Boris into a pond, the latter killing him.But Andrew swipes the shotgun away inside, and behind a corner Seth receives a little dose of medicine, from the business end of the gun.
Andrew, a hulking, grunting,rag-laden killer,was an interesting character indeed.The film is not a classic by any means, and is flawed with plenty of cheesy scenes.But still, it has its qualities too.The scenic beauty of the mansion,with its old gothic ornamental styling was affective indded. This is a fun flick to watch.
"Not Bad!"
gwnightscream13 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Linda Blair, Peter Barton, Vincent Van Patten, Suki Goodwin and Kevin Brophy star in this 1981 horror film. Blair (The Exorcist) plays college student, Marti who pledges a sister sorority of Alpha Sigma Rho. She and 3 others are forced to spend the night in a deserted house, Garth Manor where murders occurred 12 years prior. Soon, Marti and the others become terrorized by a mysterious killer who may be a surviving member of the family. Barton (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) plays Jeff, a boy who Marti finds romance with, Van Patten plays Seth, Goodwin plays Marti's friend, Denise and Brophy plays Peter, President of the Alpha Sigma Rho frat. This isn't a bad film and Blair is good in it. If you like horror/slasher flicks, give this one a try.
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