Anonymous Andy (Minus_The_Beer) 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.

morrison-dylan-fan Taking part in a poll on ICM for the best films of 1981,I started to keep a look out for DVDs of titles from the year. Becoming more aware of her credits after a friend kindly gave me a personalised signed photo of her last October,I was taken aback to spot Linda Blair's 1981 flick in the local DVD shop!,which led to me getting set for a hellish night.The plot:Deciding to give four new students a challenge before they are welcomed into the group,the president of the Alpha Sigma Rho,gives Marti,Jeff,Seth and Denise the task of spending a night in haunted estate,which the lone survivor of a family massacre is said to haunt. Desperate to join the group,each of them decides to take part. Using the estate as an urban legends,members of Alpha Sigma go to the estate to freak the four out by pretending to be ghosts. As they start making spooky sounds,the Alpha Sigma discover to their horror that they have stepped on an estate whose resident does not want any visitors.View on the film:Made during a (how should we word this?...) "hazy" phase in her life,Linda Blair gives a very good performance as Marti,whose "Final Girl" innocence allows Blair to show a Gothic Horror queen reserve manner,which is torn by Blair getting Marti to show some guts in the final Slasher phase of the flick. Stumbling round as the "jock" goofball, Vincent Van Patten gives a terrific performance as Seth,with Patten using Seth's comedic exchanges with Denise to show some wits which become more prominent as the night of hell begins.Initially looking like a typical dumb frat party Slasher movie,the first screenplay by Randy Feldman reveals the satirical bite that Feldman would later use on Tango and Cash. Playing around with Seth being annoyed at just being seen as a complete idiot,Feldman turns the "dumb jock" image of Seth into someone who actually shows intelligence over how to survive the night,which allows for a firm bond to be made between the four. Whilst being a bit inconsistent with the mythology of the estate,Feldman pushes those flaws aside with a delicious blend of the Haunted House and Slasher film,as the creepy things that go bump in the night that the four hear,is smashed by elaborate body count slayings.Making one of his few non-"Adult" flicks,director Tom DeSimone (who reunited with Blair as a co-director on Savage Streets) and cinematographer Mac Ahlberg (who later worked on Re-Animator) give the hellish night an eye-catching,stylised appearance,via slightly "mis—framed" shots bringing attention to the evil bubbling behind the gang. Filmed in three different locations, DeSimone cleverly makes it all look like one location,thanks to whip-pans and overlapping shots circling the estate,as the hell night unfolds.

ivegonemod This was OK, and really only because I happen to be a semi-fan of clean slasher flicks between 1975-1982. No nudity and no sex scenes, and very little profanity; that's how I roll.There's action here, but most of it is boring and stupid. The kids are just so insipid at the sorority and fraternity. The Garth house overnight kids were the best of the bunch, but Linda Blair is a bit slow. I kinda liked Seth; he shouldn't have come back, he should have just let those idiot police officers lock him up for safety.What happened to Denise anyway? Did I miss it? The other guy in the house (not Seth) is a fool. He's seen dead people and one girl go missing, and yet when he spies a light in the garden from the upstairs window, he has to go investigate and thinks it is smart to leave Linda Blair's character behind, telling her not to worry. Uh, why not fool? She doesn't say that, she just whines that she doesn't want to be left behind. Then why don't you follow his stupid butt stupid? Lots of other idiotic things go on here.

megamagdaleno Four teens are going to sleep in a manor with terrific stories about it.Yeah,very original for the time.The acting is good,except Linda Blair.I especially liked the Vincent Van Patten performance,and Suki Goodwin is good in her role of bad girl.There isn't much blood and the murders aren't original.The special effects are poor and we didn't see breast and there the scenes in bed are very innocent.The setting is amazing and one of the best settings in the horror story!!I give it a 5 and not a 6 or a 7 because the killer back story isn't clear and that's upsets me.Megamagdaleno's mark:5'2SPOILERSThe favorite kill:Peter,who is cornered and pierced by a scythe.Then,the Peter's flashlight falls into the floor as we hear the killer's grunts