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.

Fella_shibby I first saw this in the late 80s on a VHS. Revisited it recently on a DVD. Plot - four college students are taken off to run-down mansion and are given the task of spending the night in the creepy old mansion. The house has a dark past, twelve years prior, the owner of the mansion had killed his wife and children except for one who disappeared. The movie is very slow. The first kill happens aft a long time n the tension is nada. As slashers go this is particularly tedious, the kills are bland and badly shot. There is zero nudity in spite of being directed by a porn director. We do get to see some cleavage of the overweight Linda blair dressed in a Santa claus dress. Her chubby cheeks were a total turn off man. One couple keep beating around the bush about sex. They seem to be half dressed in bed for hours but nothing happens. The emphasis on atmosphere is a good point in this film. The house is creepy and the story just offbeat enough to be unsettling. The scene in the tunnels were creepy for those times. Recommended only for 80s slasher fans.

Toronto85 Hell Night is an 80's slasher with a little added class and sophistication to it's production. Linda Blair, star of the Exorcist, plays Marti in this thriller about a group of pledges that have to stay in a haunted mansion over night as a part of their initiation. The mansion is Garth Manor and the story goes that the man who lived there more than a decade ago, murdered his entire family. The legend is that one member of the Garth family survived, and roams the empty corridors of the deserted estate. Once inside the manor, Marti and her three friends soon discover that two frat boys are playing pranks to spook them. But very soon, they realize that something is very wrong when one of their own turns up dead.I really like the style of Hell Night. It is an eighties film, but definitely has the feel of the old classic monster movies from the fifties. There are also some genuine scares when the ghoul pops up out of nowhere to strike his next victim. The monster's make up is also done really well. He looks realistic and almost human like. The characters are pretty likable too, with Linda Blair and Peter Barton leading the way. Pretty decent acting all around.Some things I had problems with where the overall legend of Garth Manor and whether or not there were two killers or one. The story is never really fully explained to the viewers, it almost would have been the same if they hadn't had a back story to the manor at all. There is also the question of is their two killers. I always took it that there was just one. That's how the story of Garth Manor is also written. Check this one out, it's one of the more unique of the 80's slashers flicks.8/10

Bob The Barbarian This movie is like many you'll find from the 80's LONG, and DULL. It's just as bad as Halloween. If you like Halloween then there's obviously something wrong with you because that movie is terrible, But I liked the remake, so what does that tell you? I don't Know. I have a very specific taste when it comes to movies, and I love horror movies, but so many of them are just plain bad. Like this one.Nothing happens, nothing happens, nothing happens, Then the only good part of the whole movie happens; Wes I mean Seth escapes from the Mansion and goes to the police station where they tell him to F off so he steals a shotgun comes back to the mansion and blows the Villain away, now this doesn't kill him but getting spiked on a gate does... that makes sense. So the only good character in the movie Seth gets killed and then there's a dozen scenes of Linda Blair trying to escape, then it ends. Yes I spoiled the movie for you, but it's justified because you can hardly call this a movie.It's so boring that after half way through I thought it was almost over, more like I wished it was, but it wasn't, and I seriously didn't even want to watch the rest of the movie, even when the villain finally shows up, it made it just as uninteresting.The movie is crap, and don't let anyone tell you different, just because they seem like they know what they're talking about, they don't. This movie is boring! I mean there's nothing artistic about it, nothing different about it, nothing even remotely interesting, just save your time and never watch this, If your looking for good slasher movies this is not one.