Retro Review: Hell Night (1981)

Given the success of John Carpenter's Halloween and Friday the 13th, the 80s was a hotbed of slasher movies. It can be argued that for a good decade the horror genre was simply made up of crazed/masked killers murdering teens.

Many of these films came and went with little fanfare other than poor reviews by mainstream critics. And, as is often the case, several have earned a cult status among fans.

Hell Night is one such movie, and it's not a bad one by any standard.

Sure, there's nothing much new here. Simple set up (fraternity pledges must spend night in allegedly haunted mansion) followed by standard execution (there are crazy mofos inside who want to kill them). But the film has a decent, gothic vibe to it that other slashics don't, and director Tom DeSimone relies more on suspense than graphic murders, which creates a few effective moments.

Yes, star Linda Blair, who was still riding the success of The Exorcist, is cute as a button and shows ample cleavage throughout.

Hell Night has nothing new to offer, but it's a fun enough ride to stand out among the 80s horror crowd. I'd watch it again too, so it's a Good.

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