Hell Night (1981)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Tom DeSimone

Writer:

Randy Feldman (written by)

Release Date:

28 August 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Pray for day!

Plot:

Four college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion where they get killed off one by one by the monstrous surviving members of a family massacre years earlier for trespassing on their living grounds.

Plot Keywords:

Night | Sorority | Fraternity | Male Surfer | Teen

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Linda Blair	...	Marti Gaines
Vincent Van Patten	...	Seth
Peter Barton	...	Jeff Reed
Kevin Brophy	...	Peter Bennett
Jenny Neumann	...	May West
Suki Goodwin	...	Denise Dunsmore
Jimmy Sturtevant	...	Scott
Hal Ralston	...	Older Cop
Carey Fox	...	Younger Cop (as Cary Fox)
Ron Gans	...	Driver (as Ronald Gans)
Gloria Heilman	...	Party Girl

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Netherlands:16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1982) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

BLT Productions

Trivia:

For the scene where Jeff is thrown down a flight of stairs and hurt his leg, there wasn't a lot of acting involved. In reality, actor Peter Barton had really hurt himself and most of his limping was due to being in real physical pain.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Jeff Staggs's occupation is mis-spelt in the end credits as "Construction coodinator."

Quotes:

Scott: Now the fun begins.

Movie Connections:

References "Leave It to Beaver" (1957)

Soundtrack:

Theme from 'Hell Night'

Surprisingly good with a great ending

Overlooked this one when it was released but after seeing the DVD on sale and reading some positive comments on this site decided to part with my cash. Was I disappointed? No. Once you get past the cheesy opening with its gloriously B-movie style credits it turns into one of the more interesting stalk and slash films of the 80's. The set up is simple - 4 frat pledges have to spend the night in a mansion with a sinister past and a killer on the loose... who will survive? Do we care? Well yes, these kids are surprisingly likeable and, by cleverly putting them in pre-20th Century fancy dress in a candle lit house, removes them from the contemporary teen horror genre. The killings are pretty conventional – decapitation etc.– but the film then builds up to a tense and exciting final 30 minutes with a few surprises and a brilliantly staged ending. I'm probably over-praising this film somewhat but my expectations were low and my rewards were a decent 6.5/10!