BLOOD WORK: SILVER TONGUED SILVER SCREEN: HELL FEST (2018)

Tis the season for fall funhouses, haunted hayrack rides, scary corn mazes, and amusement park haunted houses. For us horror fans going to an amusement haunted house is the next step up in scary entertainment. It's safe. It provides that adrenaline rush we look for in horror films (well, good haunted houses do anyway). And we can go home no worse for the wear, feeling like we had a good time. Personally, I love going to haunted houses. It's one of the highlights of the Halloween season for me. The idea that one of the actors in a haunted house might actually try and harm me, even try to kill me, is terrifying.

HELL FEST takes the idea of a traveling amusement park/county fair of the size and scope of Universal Studios' "Halloween Horror Nights" and poses the question, "What if someone in a haunted house wasn't who they said they were?" At it's core Hell Fest is a classic slasher film reminiscent of Bava and Argento Gialli and early 80's American slasher films. Tobe Hooper's FUNHOUSE (1981) immediately comes to mind along with the classic ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? episode THE TALE OF LAUGHING IN THE DARK. When viewed specifically through the perspective of "An Ode to Classic Slasher Films" is where the film really shines.

Viewing Hell Fest as a classic slasher film will help to hide the darker side of the film, an aspect that will either strip away all enjoyment of the movie or not.

Personally I really enjoyed Hell Fest but that darker aforementioned element, when I thought about it too much, did disturb me a little.

THE PLOT

Natalie and Brooke, old friends from grade-school, have reunited for a weekend of fun and hanging out. To Natalie's curiosity, Brooke has secured them and their friends tickets to the most popular traveling horror show in the country: Hell Fest. Together with four friends, Brooke and Natalie begin their night at Hell Fest, making their way through haunted mazes, funhouses, and general carnival fare. In one of the haunted houses Natalie is nearly bowled over by a terrified young woman. A man in a mask follows after, grabs the woman, and seemingly kills her before Natalie's eyes. The event was convincing enough to get under Natalie's skin. When the same masked man begins turning up several times, stalking Natalie and her friends, Natalie gets the sense that this man isn't what he seems. When her friends begin disappearing one by one Natalie quickly realizes that this isn't a part of the show but very very real.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

This movie doesn't offer anything new. It's a standard "by the numbers" slasher film. But that is the charm of the film. It's a pure slasher experience done very well. Put yourself in the mindset of an early 1980's slasher film a la PROWLER (1981), MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981), TERROR TRAIN (1980), and so on. Hell Fest has more in common with these films than franchise slashers like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers (although their first few films in both series feel akin to these). If you're expecting anything outside of this or wanting something that reinvents the wheel, so to speak, you'll likely be disappointed.

The death scenes are pretty good although minimalist, which I feel adds a little more realism. The gore is rather light. You won't find anything as graphic as a Rob Zombie film nor any practical effects work worthy of Tom Savini or KNB Efx Group. But there is horror veteran Tony Todd (CANDYMAN, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD remake) as the carnival barker. Tony Todd is awesome as always.

As for the rest of the cast they're fine, likable yet generic. The three women in the film standout more than the men. Amy Forsyth made for a likable and strong "final girl" for the film. But you don't go to these movies for the acting.

The strength of the film lies in the unnerving presence of the killer and the Hell Fest setting. The simple yet eerie orange mask and hood along with the creepy humming of "Pop Goes the Weasel" makes the character a more than worthy villain. Bear McCreary's score, like the gore, is minimal but quite effective. And then the wonderful setting of Hell Fest is the perfect backdrop. It's such a cool looking place that I want to go there for real (without a serial killer being present of course). It's like a whole horror themed amusement park, perfect for horror geeks like me.

The element that nearly saps the film of all its entertainment value though is the ending. SPOILER ALERT! There's a revelation about the killer's identity that feels all too real. So real in fact that it disturbed a few other moviegoers in the theater. When asked if they liked the movie they replied with, "Yes and no" describing the ending as being the source of their mixed feelings. After seeing the ending one can imagine a real person performing the cruel acts in the film. I had a similar reaction to the film BETTER WATCH OUT where it felt too plausible and seemingly a blueprint for someone to go out actually do these things in real life.

It's often said that horror films reflect the times in which we live. While The Conjuring universe films reflect the public's current horror preferences and trends, Hell Fest channels the anxieties of the today. In 2017 it seemed as if every weekend a mass killing, terrorist attack, bombing, ect. was occurring. Hell Fest feels like an effort to exorcise these demons of society, which is a function of horror films.

THE VERDICT

Where The Nun was a pure Gothic style horror film like something from the Hammer Horror heyday, Hell Fest is a pure classic slasher movie experience. It's a niche horror film, likely to be forgotten by today's audiences but destined to emerge as a cult classic. It's a praise worthy tribute to the slasher films of 1980-1982. It also feels like a horror movie reflective of the world we live in today, which may or may not flush all the entertainment value of the film down the drain. Maybe in a few years when these anxieties aren't so fresh in our thoughts Hell Fest will find a little more appreciation.

Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10

Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10