Hell Night - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]
D**.
Fun trip down memory lane
I saw this right before my sophomore year in college on a date with a woman who reminded me of the wonderful Suki Goodwin, who plays Denise in the movie, so I freely admit I'm biased about Hell Night. But this honestly holds up well 40 years later for an 80s "slasher" flick. Holds up better than me for sure.IThere's little to no blood in the movie so it can be watched by older pre-teens without fear of grossing them out. Even the "sex scene" between Vince Van Patten and Goodwin has no nudity and is done for laughs more than sex. Kids today see raunchier stuff in Hardee's hamburger commercials.What I love about this movie is the terrific creepy atmosphere the director creates by using candles to light up all the rooms in the mansion so there are plenty of shadows flickering about for when the monster strikes. The jump scares are done well and not excessive, which is a pet peeve for a lot of us horror fans.Finally, the four main characters, the pledges, are all likable which makes pulling for them a little more emotionally relevant. Linda Blair is gorgeous and phenomenal like always and Van Patten excels as surfer dude, Seth. Even Peter Barton who plays rich boy, Jeff, is terrific. And you already know how I feel about Suki. 💜💛💚💙💖If you're a fan of 80s horror, you'll love this. If you prefer the torture porn of the "Saw" movies, you can skip this. You'll get bored.
D**R
Bland Horror
This wasn't that bad, it had the classic horror schemes down for sure (characters acting stupidly and doing things that the audience knew would get them killed.) Apparently the killer here could teleport to wherever the plot needed him to be too. I was scratching my head about that a few times.At any rate, it's 80's horror and it wasn't that bad...but it wasn't that good either. It comes off as kind of bland when you compare it to the great slasher pictures of the time.
C**D
We still love Suki!
It has been years since I've seen this early 80's horror classic. It still boasts impressive candle light cinematography and some genuinely chilling moments. SCREAM FACTORY has done very nice work on this newly remastered presentation which features some great extras (including brand new interviews with the 4 main characters of the movie). Fans wont want to miss owning this HD version of the movie and the chance to watch the lovely Suki Goodwin light up the screen and get lost in the spooky atmosphere.
J**P
Great Movie finally got released, thanks Shout Factory
Been wanting this movie for years, one of my favorites in the slasher genre of the 80s. I highly recommend this movie to every horror fan out there. I have just recently upgraded to Blu-Ray and I was surprised to have found this title on Blu Ray from Shout Factory. Thank u Shout Factory for all the great work you're doing with classic t.v. shows and movies by giving them the releases they deserve. I greatly recommend this movie and anything released by Shout Factory especially if u love lots of extras like me.
C**7
Glad this is on Blu-ray
I use to own this movie on VHS & hadn't seen it in a long time because I got rid of my VHS collection years ago to make room for my DVD & Blu-ray collection. I still really enjoy the movie & will watch it every October around Halloween from now on. It's nice to find a Blu-ray that actually has decent special features & not just a trailer & commentary.
M**Z
My wife was scared! lol
I loved the movie. I honestly thought it was going to like Friday the 13th movies where Jason is this super unstoppable villain. You can easy get sucked into the movie, like my wife did.I recommend this movie.
R**I
Great spooky house, whacko killer 80's flick. Get it. Love it.
It took me a while to catch up with "Hell Night"--I saw it on cable long ago, in the 80's, and I remember enjoying it then. Well, a few intervening years have improved this particular psycho killer on the loose movie. It might have gotten three stars from me then, but now it's so much fun that it rates five stars. Why do deformed people lurking inside abandoned houses go on mad murdering sprees? Well, in these movies, they just do. That's what you paid your five bucks for, and that's what you get.We have our standard setup--fraternity pledges must spend a night in a creepy old haunted house. Of course, there really IS something very evil and dangerous in the house, and the pledges find they are in a dire situation. A night of horror ensues. "Hell Night" delivers the goods fairly well, and rates up there with "The Funhouse" as a well-produced, nice looking slasher film with style to spare.The 80's saw a glut of slasher films after the release of "Halloween," and most of them were wretchedly awful, so the gems stand out, and this is one of the gems.The acting performances are pretty decent all around. We have the wonderful Linda Blair, doing a screaming, cleavage-baring Hammer Films-style damsel-in-distress bit, sure to satisfy fans of that sort of thing. Vince Van Patten steals the show for a few reels when his surfer/party animal character "Seth" suddenly grows a brain and LEAVES THE SPOOKY OLD HOUSE as soon as he realizes there is a real killer on the loose. Seth then goes on to alert the authorities, procure a weapon, and return to the house to save his buddies. This is all very entertainingly bizarre for an 80's horror film because in most of these things, there are no characters so sensible and proactive. Van Patten literally has to be seen to be believed. The various supporting players also do well.The spooky old house itself is a combination of two houses (one for the exterior scenes, one for the interiors) and some sets built on a stage for special business (catacombs below the house, hair-raising rooftop action, etc.). The DVD is a little murky at times, but the house is one of THE best spooky houses ever presented in a film. I think it rivals Hill House from the original "The Haunting". There, I said it.Finally, although there is a good bit of blood and gore, the film has an admirable sense of restraint and never goes overboard in that department. Graphic violence is usually only quickly shown, and this helps the character performances stay in proper focus. This is what they call "class," guys.A very nice-looking, well-acted horror film. Don't buy that new stuff they are calling horror films; all that new stuff is garbage. Get your microwave popcorn popping, and give this one a spin.
J**S
Enjoyed This Movie.
I really enjoyed this Linda Blair movie from the 70's early 80's. It also stars Peter Barton who is best known for being on The Young & The Restless. & Bold & the Beautiful. He was also in Friday the 13th part 4. The Final Chapter. Yes he was a Jason Victum. Lol
C**R
Very good movie but slashers as a rule of thumb should never be this long
Hell Night came out bang in the prime of slasher movies, often referered to as the golden year- 1981. Thankfully despite some of the dross it was up against, Hell Night is one of the better movies. Decent acting, some interesting character arcs put this one into the same quality slasher group as HOUSE ON SORIORITY ROW and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME. Linda Blair and her friends need to complete a pledge for their initiation, so they have to spend the night in a supposedly haunted mansion. You can guess the rest.It should be noted though that the acting carries this movie through and there are some genuinely brilliant creepy scenes set up carefully by the director Tom DeSimone who will probably be best remembered for this softcore adult movies from the 1970s. One of the producers is Chuck Russell who would go on to have a very successful career in Hollywood in producing and directing.The only problem with the movie is that at times it is slow. Any slasher movie that runs over the 90 min mark and alarm bells should be ringing, some of the great ones have and suffered a little from this. It's not enough to damage the movie but filler scenes never help.If you're getting Hell Night then this is the edition to get, Region 1, great picture, postcard inside and commentary including Blair herself.
M**O
A time-stamped minor classic
Firstly, I wish they'd stop reissuing this film with tinkered artwork. The original 80s poster was perfect as it was, with Linda Blair at the gates of spooky Garth Manor.Hell Night is a largely forgotten member of the original slasher movie cycle from 1980-81. Unlike much of its brethren, it's a moderate affair in both violence and production. It's cheap and it's surprisingly cheerful, with humour and well-drawn characters (for this type of film, at least) pitting their wits against a crazy killer who "haunts" the reportedly abandoned mansion house where they're to stay one night in order to gain entry to the best Fraternity/Sorority on campus.Naturally, nothing goes as planned and teens start finding themselves beheaded, impaled, stabbed and snapped like twigs until Linda Blair's sensible final girl is the only one left to battle the deformed psychopath who wants her as a ceiling decoration.These days, a film this plodding wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of any success, it's simply too much of a slow-burn affair that the Saw generation would gawk at in disbelief that it takes almost half an hour for someone to die.However, the gothic, Hammer-feel to things works wonders with the minimalistic plotting. Candles, secret passages and period costumes only magnify the sense of hopelessness that surrounds the stranded teenagers as their numbers dwindle.If you like Hallowee, Terror Train, Prom Night, Happy Bithday to Me, My Bloody Valentine and their ilk (let's exclude the remakes), then this is a worthy addition to your collection.
B**E
CHEESY BUT FUN !!
I originally seen this movie on the big cinema screens of old which by today's (inferior sized) were huge and this film has stuck in my mind since until I bought my copy off this site and enjoyed it again on my own telly and guess what? It has lost none of it's charm for an old cheesy '80's and I enjoyed it a lot as it made a change from some of the appalling so called horror films of today. This is a movie for couples to cuddle up to. My advice is buy it whether you have seen it before or not as it is Blair's best movie apart from The Exorcist !!
L**A
awful!!
I read if anyone had given 1* reviews before giving mine----just wondered if I was alone in thinking this was absolute garbage. Well I realised I am not alone and this is awful---really awful. Cheap, dreadful acting by mainly no-namers and a well-worn,well-tried, well- used theme.Oh dear!!!
L**
Horror, gothic, humarous,
Great purchase. If you're a fan of the 80's horror. Lots of extras about the film, interviews the cast. This is a favourite of mine. Gothic mansion etc...
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