A masked serial killer uses a horror-themed amusement park
as his own personal playground to terrorize a group of friends. HORROR
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Hell Fest (2018)Directed by Gregory Plotkin
Written by Seth M. Sherwood, Blair Butler, Akela Cooper Starring Amy Forsyth, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Reign Edwards, Christian James, Matt Mercurio, Roby Attal, Stephen Conroy, Tony Todd |
Hell Fest is another fantastic concept that ends up being wasted by the guy who gave us Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension. Imagine a fully immersive horror theme park where the costumed freaks can actually touch you. Every horror geek in the world would pay through the nose to be a part of that. It's also a great idea for a horror film setting, but with one-dimensional characters and a boring generic villain, the film ends up being just another forgettable slasher flick.
Our characters are your average drunk college kids and the one virgin who (predictably) ends up being one of our survivors. They all go to Hell Fest to get fucked up and freaked out. What they don't know is that they're being stalked by a masked killer who stalks his victims in the theme park, likely because any witnesses will think it's all part of the experience. While the first kill is actually fairly unpredictable and a real shock, it's all downhill from there, including a rather pointless cameo from horror legend Tony Todd as some sort of master of ceremonies. There's so much that's unremarkable about Hell Fest. It's the perfect opportunity to let loose with practical effects, makeup, and production design, to really let the fear cut loose. But for some reason, everything is held back. Scary horror movies are really hard to find, especially if you're as desensitized as I am. But I'll keep looking. At least I now know Hell Fest isn't one of them. |
The month of October is known for several things. Halloween, horror movies, and haunted attractions. With that, you would think there are a decent amount of horror films which would combine the seasonal spirit with ever popular haunts. But, somehow, that has not been the case. Recent years seem to be showing a changing trend. Hell House LLC, The Houses October Built, Hell Fest, and now Haunt are showing studios there is an audience for this type of horror. Hopefully, this is a sign we’ll be getting more of these type of horror films in the foreseeable future.
Whereas the first two films I mentioned previously mix found footage with haunted attractions, Hell Fest goes with a more old school slasher route. With that, comes many of the pros and cons associated with the ever popular subgenre. On the positive side of things, the production design and gore. This film looks good. The title haunted attraction is full of vibrant colors and completely immerses you into the world. The film also wisely doesn’t hold back from the gorier moments. Old school slasher fans will be very pleased in that department. As for the cons, the film doesn’t seem to take full advantage of its setting. While the gore is there, the inventiveness isn’t. Also, Tony Todd. Yes, the horror icon is a negative in this movie. But not because he’s bad. Instead, it’s because he ends up being in a completely useless cameo. I also got to give credit for the actors not doing a completely terrible job and leaving room open for a sequel. I usually don’t like when movies do that, but it fits the slasher aesthetic here. Hell Fest is a decently enjoyable horror film. While I think it could have taken better advantage of its setting and horror legend, Tony Todd, there is still a lot of fun to be had here. The cast does a good job, the production design is astounding, and the kills are brutal. If you’re a fan of old school slashers and haunted attractions, then this is a good way to entertain for an hour and a half. |