Hell Night (1981)
One Fraternity Party Descends Into an Old Manor’s Deadly Secrets
A group of college pledges (including the smart-tough Marti, the suave insider Jeff, the party-love Denise, and the surfer Seth) accept a hazing challenge: spend one night locked inside Garth Manor, a mansion haunted by rumors of a gruesome past. The manor once belonged to Raymond Garth, who murdered his wife and three disabled children before killing himself. According to legend, two of his children a grotesque killer named Morris and a still-missing sibling named Andrew may still lurk in the labyrinthine rooms and hidden tunnels. As the initia- tion prank turns horrifyingly real, the students must survive traps, terror, and dark family secrets in the dead of night.
Directed by Tom DeSimone, Hell Night marries slasher tropes with gothic horror style moody lighting, creepy architecture, costume party garb that adds eeriness rather than levity, and a sympathic “final girl” in Marti who proves more clever than you’d expect. The atmosphere crackles, the scares are uneven, but it’s the efficient direction, memorable setting, and idea of a night you can’t escape that give this film its cult horror standing.
Buy it Now
Genre: Horror
Director: Tom DeSimone
Rated: R
