Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Hell Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 10, 2018

She became an instant genre legend with her turn in 1973’s “The Exorcist,” but Linda Blair didn’t have much interest in returning to horror, delivering detached work in 1977’s “Exorcist II: The Heretic.” Blair was happier making movies about riding horses and roller skating, making 1981’s “Hell Night” something special, luring Blair back to the land of scary business with a trendy slasher that provides a little more visual oomph than the competition, supplying a near-regality as it goes about the business of hacking up teenagers. Blair is the big draw here, but she’s not the highlight of “Hell Night,” with director Tom DeSimone giving the endeavor a uniquely atmospheric presence to help the shock and terror along. Pacing issues are common, but the production creates an engrossing haunted house experience, using the location effectively while character panic registers with appealing urgency.

It’s a big evening for Alpha Sigma Rho president Peter (Kevin Brophy), who’s organized the annual “Hell Night” blow-out party, with special plans for pledges to test their loyalty. Stepping up to face their fears are Marti (Linda Blair), Seth (Vincent Van Patten), Jeff (Peter Barton), and Denise (Suki Goodwin), who are tasked with spending the night inside the abandoned Garth Manor, once home to a family of monstrous people. While the foursome attempt to get comfortable inside the estate, exploring its rooms and hallways, Peter sets up shop outside, working with his stooges to provide a scary evening of sounds and visual tricks to whip the pledges into a frenzy. However, Peter’s vision for terror is cut short by an actual haunting, with the residents of Garth Manor returning to protect their property, picking off the college kids one by one, leaving Marti, Seth, Jeff, and Denise on their own as they battle to live through the night.

Screenwriter Randy Feldman (“Tango & Cash”) sticks with the basics in “Hell Night,” introducing the viewer to four ambitious, sexual, slightly goofy young adults who desire fraternity and sorority life, submitting themselves to the plague of the celebratory night, where kegs are thrown through windows, wet t-shirts contests are a must-see event, and an elaborate prank is engineered by Peter, doing his part to keep a yearly tradition alive at Garth Manor. Backstory is regulated to conversations inside the house, and the nightmarish history of the haunted dwelling is fed to the audience via an extended monologue from Peter, who delivers a novel-thick tale of a disturbed family and their bloody end. In terms of slasher cinema, “Hell Night” gets right to the point, pushing Marti, Seth, Jeff, and Denise past the gates and into the house, which is dolled up with haunted house decoration, prepped to be an overnight stay the gang will never forget.

Once the evening begins, “Hell Night” falls into routine, with Peter working on the outside to trigger eerie sounds and stage magic tricks to unnerve the pledges. On the inside, the pledges pair off, with surfer dude Seth ready to ravish Denise, who’s dressed for a seduction, while virginal Marti makes conversation with Jeff, trying to establish some connection to help get through the night, with romantic interests developing quickly. Bedroom confessionals are established, but the real meat of “Hell Night” remains with the macabre, as former family members of Garth Manor return to claim new victims, emerging from the shadows as they tear through the intruders, making quick work of Peter’s crew of dim-wits. Heads are chopped off, bodies are bloodied, and supernatural visits are made, giving DeSimone plenty of grim events to visualize, but his pacing isn’t where it should be, often drawing out suspense sequences to a point of premature expiration, confusing length with tension, leaving many scenes limping to their resolution despite compellingly wound-up performances from the cast.

Hell Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

There's a disclaimer before the film begins that lists the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation as sourced from a 35mm print, with SD inserts provided to fill in missing moments. Obviously, this is not an ideal situation for fans hoping to be stunned by a full refreshing of this obscure effort, and the viewing experience is strange, showcasing brief warping and a multitude of speckling and scratches, some quite wide and green at times. The SD stretches are brief, but they interrupt the visual flow with pixelation issues and a choppy appearance, though Scream Factory does what it can to match the footage, just not as successfully as hoped. Limitations are unavoidable, and the bulk of "Hell Night" looks merely passable, lacking fine detail, though one has to consider the softness of the original cinematography and the tattered source. Colors aren't direct, but remain appealing, with some amplification helping with period outfits, house decoration, and gore zone visits. Delineation is challenged throughout the dark movie, but solidification isn't problematic.

Hell Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is a basic offering of dialogue and music, with scoring efforts struggling a bit during the listening experience, prone to a few moments of damage. Performances register as intended, with only a few highs slipping into distortive extremes. Sound effects are blunt and effective. Atmospherics survive.

Hell Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features actress Linda Blair, director Tom DeSimone, and producers Irwin Yablans and Bruce Cohn Curtis.

• Interview (35:21, HD) with Linda Blair is a slightly scattered overview of her career, with the actress recalling the early efforts that inspired her choice to take part in "Hell Night." Blair seems proud of the picture, discussing her tight relationship with Curtis and his influence over her early creative choices, her camaraderie with co-stars and crew, and the difficulty of such a long, cold shoot, forcing the company to work on Thanksgiving Day. The star also explores her hair and make-up, and her special relationship with costume designer Lennie Barin.

• Interview (26:57, HD) returns to the Kimberly Crest estate with director Tom DeSimone, who recalls his early movie industry ambition, which took a detour into adult films for nearly a decade before moving back to mainstream with "Hell Night." DeSimone shares anecdotes and technical challenges from the shoot, and offers a post-mortem study of the picture's cult popularity.

• Interview (20:50, HD) with Peter Barton shares his career launch with no acting experience, getting by on his looks and on-the-job training in various projects, including the television show "Shirley." Barton highlights his limited acting resume, which reached its peak with "Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter," and his family ties, which led him to reconsider his future in acting, though he makes it clear he's ready for a comeback.

• Interview (14:10, HD) with Curtis explains how "Hell Night" was put together, sharing casting highlights and producing duties, with a fondness for the movie's potential as art and horror generating a special production experience.

• Interview (25:51, HD) with screenwriter Randy Feldman is a dry discussion of his history in the business, initially inspired by a viewing of "Black Christmas" to help cook up "Hell Night," tapping into slasher trends of the day. Feldman examines his regrets with the project, including the use of laborious dialogue to secure a history to the haunted house, but he's happy with most of his ideas, working to add surprises and challenge clichés. A conversation about his creative education is included, with the work of Shane Black helping to sharpen his writing habits, allowing him to engage the reader.

• Interview (26:53, HD) with Vincent Van Patten and Suki Goodwin is a conversation-style chat in a hotel room between the former co-stars, who try to break the inherent awkwardness of the meeting with memories of on-set shenanigans and personal choices, including Goodwin's refusal to do nudity. The pair trades stories and revelations (Van Patten swears Kevin Costner was a grip on the picture), emphasizing just how cold and sleepless the shoot was, and they catch up on personal lives. Joining the pair in the final minutes are Kevin Brophy and Jenny Nuemann.

• Interview (23:01, HD) with Brophy and Nuemann is similar to the Van Patten/Goodwin chat, offering a casual walkthrough of memories, including Brophy's managing of an extended expository monologue that shares the history of the haunted house, learning later that Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of the scene. The pair inspects the lasting appeal of "Hell Night" and detail uncomfortable make-up effects, also sharing the highlights of their professional achievements and personal lives.

• "Gothic Design in Hell" (22:50, HD) provides an overview of the effort to turn the Kimberly Crest estate into a viable playground of the damned, with art director Steven Legler. It's all about design minutiae here, breaking down locations and sets, with work to generate a cohesive look and offer interesting areas of the property to explore.

• "Anatomy of Death Scenes" (21:43, HD) breaks down individual practical effects, guided by crew interviews, including make-up artist Pam Peitzman and special effects artist John Eggett.

• "On Location at Kimberly Crest" (6:48, HD) returns to the estate with DeSimone, who provides a grand tour of the grounds with shaky camerawork and focus issues, showcasing the extensive use of the area.

• Photo Gallery (8:31) offers BTS snaps and set pictures.

• Radio Spot (:32) is offered.

• TV Spots (1:05, HD) supply two commercials for "Hell Night."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:56, HD) is included.

Hell Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Hell Night" could easily lose 20 minutes and not suffer any significant damage, as most of the effort is atmospheric, brought to life by cinematographer Mac Ahlberg, who masters a candlelit appearance for the B-movie, offering a "Barry Lyndon"-esque glow to what's normally disposable entertainment. It's a good-looking picture, and when it finds its groove as a monster feature, there are some effective frights to enjoy, cranking up the action between extended breathers to walk around in the dark. "Hell Night" is best known for Blair's participation, but it's an enjoyable genre endeavor, gradually moving away from the cruelty slasher cinema is known for, becoming a more traditional massacre, executing the routine with intermittent invention.