hell night

A favorite from the early pay-cable days, Hell Night (1981) is a slasher on training wheels, keeping the sex and gore to a minimum while still providing some predictable jump scares in a gorgeous gothic environment. Linda Blair is likely the click bait for modern audiences, but the tone of the film is a far cry from her turn in The Exorcist. Here she leads a likable cast through a formulaic monster film that feels almost family friendly...in an R-rated sort of way.

All prospective pledges from Alpha Sigma Rho are forced to spend one night in Garth Mansion; a sprawling but decrepit estate where 12 years earlier the owner murdered his deformed family then hung himself. Marti (Blair) and her three fellow pledges are prepared for pranks - recorded screams and phony skeletons all prearranged to scare them into embarrassment. But soon people begin dying for real, and Marti must take on the surviving residents of Garth Mansion if she ever expects to survive Hell Night!

Some films succeed despite themselves. And Hell Night should have been a real bore, recycling the trapped-in-a-sorority scenario that had been kicked around since Bob Clark's Black Christmas. But, unlike most horror films, it's not just the final girl that's likable this time around. The rest of the cast - including Peter Barton, Vincent Van Patten and Suki Goodwin - are all genuinely endearing characters that we want to make it out alive. And the setting - a modern-day take on the traditional Gothic haunted house - is a nice change of pace from summer camps and suburbia.

Director of photography Mac Alhberg beautifully arranges a candlelit maze of secret passages, overgrown gardens and rooftop sets cloaked in perpetual night. And director Tom DeSimone, in his first gig outside of the XXX market, works overtime to impress with extended dolly shots and assorted showy camera moves. There's nothing here that hadn't been done before - or done better. But there an inexplicable "let's-put-on-a-show" enthusiasm to the proceedings the eventually wins your over. Those looking for serious blood and guts can do better. But Hell Night scratches a nostalgic itch for horror fans of a certain age...and would probably serve as a good introduction to those looking to pass the torch.

Scream Factory's Blu-ray/DVD combo is a 4K transfer of the best surviving 35mm print. And, while it certainly doesn't look like a ground-up restoration, it's a solid presentation of this oft-requested title. Film damage and quality shifts are common (some standard-def segment were used to fill in the blanks) but I can't imagine anyone complaining...particularly when the extras are this stacked. Bonus features include new - and lengthy - interviews will the entire original cast, director Tom DeSimone, producer Bruce Cohn Curtis, writer Randolph Feldman, the special effects team, production designer and a tour of Kimberly Crest, the original shooting location. An audio commentary with Blair and the cast is also packed in along with trailers, radio spots and a still gallery. It's one heck of a collector's package any way you cut it.