Hell Fest (2018) Full review
- Jimmy Ray
- Jan 21, 2019
- 2 min read
What would happen if a film like HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT were remade as a big(ger) budget movie and sold to the masses? Why Hell Fest, of course! The shaky cam found footage has been replaced by a nice glossy overlay and an attractive cast. Let's face it though, this is bare bones storytelling to the Nth level. A group of young people score VIP passes to Hell Fest, a big spooky haunted house festival and unbeknownst to them, are being stalked by a real killer. That's it, in a nutshell.
Director Gregory Plotkin (Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension) knows his subject matter and wisely plays it safe. There's really no flexibility here and Plotkin is fully aware of it sticking to the script and focusing on the sparse aspects of the story. The cast is pretty good for this type of thing, and their chemistry as a real group of friends works well enough. The real standout here is Amy Forsyth who really pulls you in with her expressions, light manner, and girl next door innocence. She makes this one better than it would otherwise be.
The "Killer" is stoic and silent and harbors a deep secret. Camera work is spot on in this one and while there aren't too much in the way of surprises, the overall product is squeaky clean and fitfully fun. Probably the weakest aspect of the whole thing is the murky killer with his cock-eyed mask. No voice, no personality and yet that makes him a bit more chilling. It's a unique setting as the "fake" haunted house provides jump scares for the patrons that we see coming a mile away as we wonder where the killer will strike next.
Familiar tropes rear their ugly heads when the killer is left "knocked out" and unattended or when he miraculously shows up far ahead of the group but these are light and don't trip up the film too badly. Bear McCreary (Walking Dead) provides the appropriately unsettling score. It should also be noted that horror king Tony Todd makes a cameo appearance that is kinda cool but adds nothing to the movie.
In summation, Hell Fest is a fun if somewhat familiar film that balances darkness and fluff and provides a decent if temporary ride into horror. It's not going to win any awards, but considering the high profile push and delving into a story with very little meat to it, it was actually pretty damn good.
3.5/5
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