Hell Night (1981)

Four college students spend the night in a creepy mansion as part of a fraternity hazing. They are told it was the home of a deformed and damned family whose patriarch murdered them and then killed himself. There was one son unaccounted for though, and people say he still wanders the mansion... but those are only stories, right?

The plot is familiar, and the killer doesn't get fleshed out beyond the initial spooky tale. There aren't many kills, and surprisingly for a 1981 slasher, very little gore. The brief opening shot of a wet t-shirt contest ends up being the only nudity in the movie. Linda Blair is likable as Marti, but it's not a particularly strong performance.

So why did I find myself enjoying this movie so much? It's just got such a fun, spooky vibe. The house is a great location, and it's shot well. Tom DeSimone's sturdy filmmaking means it looks and moves better than many other 80s slashers. My wife and I have watched more intense and disturbing horror movies this October, but Hell Night made her jump in her seat the most times. I am a sucker for cute actresses in cute costumes, and Blair looks great in Marti's Red Riding Hood get up. It's classy but cleavage-y enough to add some sex appeal (and co-star Suki Goodman spends a commendable amount of time in lingerie). Marti spends most of the movie with Jeff (Peter Barton) who is also wearing an olde-time-y costume. The pair of them walking around the mansion by candlelight gives the whole thing a classic horror feel. It's like 80s kids wandered into a 60s-made horror movie that takes place in the 1800s. Gothic plus slasher but with the mentality of a carnival haunted house that just wants you to have a good time. Even surfer-bro Seth grew on me in the last act when he proves surprisingly dependable and persistent.

The one element that was fresh then and still makes it stand out is Marti. She is far more active and capable than most female characters in slasher movies. We just watched The Prowler, where the lead actress spends about 50% of the run time obeying the command to "Wait here!" like a character in a video game escort mission. It was so refreshing just to see Marti say, "No! I'm coming with you!" She also comes from a lower-class background compared to her cohorts and had to work in her dad's garage in high school. The class element is only discussed in one scene, but we can infer that it gives her some of the grit that differentiates her from the damsels in distress of other movies. Then it becomes explicit at the climax, when her auto repair skills let her start the car that serves as both escape tool and weapon to take out the gate and killer in her way.

I didn't love anything about this movie, but I liked a whole lot about it. This is definitely going to get some replay, as it's a perfect Halloween movie. It's not set on Halloween, but everyone's in costume thanks to the frat party. It's got some good spooks and scares, but it's not intense enough to ruin a party atmosphere. It would be a great choice for younger or more squeamish viewers who like horror but can't handle explicit gore. I declare this film FUN-derrated!