Tedfoldol
everything you have heard about this movie is true.
Stellead
Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
Sexyloutak
Absolutely the worst movie.
Michael_Elliott
Hell Night (1981) ** (out of 4)Early entry into the 80's slasher craze has four college students being locked up inside an old mansion. The gate is locked so that they can't get out and on their way into the mansion they are told about the legend of a family massacre and the one person who was never found. Sure enough, before long they are being stalked and killed by a maniac.Tom DeSimone's HELL HOUSE is a rather well-made film for the genre and it was released rather early on so there are some original moments here, which is something that was missing from a lot of what would follow. The film appears to have been influenced by various Gothic horror films of the 1980s as the director is clearly going for some atmosphere and not just a bunch of cheap thrills and gory deaths. With that said, for me HELL NIGHT just doesn't work because it's just too routine in way too many ways.The biggest problem I had with the film is the fact that there really weren't any interesting people in it. The four college students are extremely boring and there's not a bit of energy or life in any of them. Usually these slashers at least give you characters that you like and could hang out with but these four are just boring and everything dealing with them just doesn't have much fun. I'd argue that the killer himself is rather routine and he just doesn't stick out in an overly crowded field of killers.For the most part I thought Linda Blair and Vincent Van Patten were good in their roles. The death scenes aren't the most graphic that you're going to see but there is a little blood for fans of that. The final chase lasts way too long and at 101-minutes the film also drags in spots. There are a lot of scenes with the characters just sitting around talking and it takes way too long for this train to get moving and by the time it does there's still just not enough going on.
meddlecore
Hell Night is a decent early 80's slasher, starring a mechanically inclined Linda Blair.Each year the local fraternity and sorority hold a Devil's Night bash together; using it as an oppourtunity to haze their pledges.They demand that they stay overnight in an abandoned mansion, where a man went mad; killing his wife- and two of three of his deformed children- before hanging himself. Though only three bodies were ever found...Rumour is...the surviving child roams the tunnels that run beneath the house, even to this day.Either way, the ranking members of the not-so-respective fraternities and sororities have rigged the house up with special effects, to ruse the pledges into thinking the place is haunted.But little did they suspect, that something truly was lurking below. The tales were more than just urban legends, it seems.Now Marti, Denise, Wes & Jeff must try to escape with their lives...if they can...The whole thing starts off a bit slow, but the pace really picks up near the end; and you end up right into it. The special effects and gore are kind of lame, but they get the job done. And it's not the best of the sorority girl slashers, but it's also not the worst. Worth a watch if only cause buddy jacks a shotgun from the cops...and of course Linda Blair's general badassery.6 out of 10.
AaronCapenBanner
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.
mapb
A bunch of drunken college students...a creaky old house...a group of innocent pranksters...and a mysterious man lurking in the shadows...could it be a slasher movie? Yes, as a matter of fact. And a surprisingly good one at that. The plot is paper-thin (four kids are locked in a creepy mansion for their fraternity/sorority initiation, menacing stranger comes out of the woodwork, heads start rolling). But hey, it's a slasher movie - a deep, thought- provoking story is not required. The plot is served with generous side helpings of cheese and corn - I almost felt like I was watching a comedy up until the first disposable character was offed. However, the scare factor ramps up later, with suspenseful kills and some excellent chase scenes. There are even some wonderfully creepy shots from the killer's point of view, a device that manages to hit my personal scare buttons every time. The setting provides a creepy and relatable backdrop - after all, who among us hasn't been to some supposedly haunted place and worried that the rustling in the bushes isn't just our goofball friend? Unusually for a slasher, I actually felt a little sad to see some of the characters go. Despite being a collection of horror-movie stereotypes, the main cast manages to be likable and well-rounded (except perhaps the obligatory slutty girl, whose lines could probably fit on a single page). Linda Blair stars as the serious girl who is exasperated with the whole initiation affair.Now, don't get me wrong. This is not one the of the great horror movies of the ages. It's corny and immensely cliché, but it what it does, it does well. If you're looking for an original, ultra-serious horror movie, the run away from this one as fast as you can. But if you want a fun late-night popcorn-muncher, definitely give it a try.
