Rating: 
Summary: Hate those iron fences!
Review: So many horror movies came out in the early 1980's that movie makers sometimes had a hard time finding locations and situations that hadn't been used yet. Sorority and Fraternity initiations were a great way of sticking teens into situations no sane person would go into voluntarily. Hell Night sticks four unfortunate twentyish kids into Garth Mansion, the site of a grisly family slaughter years before. The sadistic pledge masters lock the huehuehuege iron gates behind them and inform them they have to stay the night. The pledge masters then begin setting off special effects they set up earlier to try and scare the four hapless pledges. As you might guess, there are real horrors inside which start thinning out the cast. Linda Blair is the obvious star of the show. I am a fan of Linda's but for some reason I just get the feeling while watching this that she is disinterested. In fact early on she seems to be improvising her lines. The GREAT commentary track explains some of this. Apparently everyone on the set had a great time and was loaded half the time. The director (Tom DeSimone)and producer (Irwin Yablans who brought us Halloween) are on the commentary as well. It's obvious everyone got along well and had fun making the film. Having seen the film before getting the DVD, I really liked the feel of it, although I wasn't sure why. The commentary hit on something I hadn't considered. The pledges are all in costumes since the Hell Night festivities were part of a costume party. The director mentions that this was done so they could logically dress the characters in gothic, period costumes without having to make an actual period film. The old mansion (a real location, not a set) combined with set lighting done almost exclusively with candlelight along with period costumes gives a very gothic, primative feel to the film. There are a few scenes of gore, but they are usually very, very fast cuts. The trap door in the floor scene rates as one of the all time great suspense scares. It would be easy to dismiss a lot of the horror films of the early 80's, and to be fair, there were many stinkers, but Hell Night holds genuine entertainment value (and not in a Mystery Science Theater kind of way). The movie is available in a double feature collection with the film Fade To Black. However if that edition doesn't include this great commentary track, I advise you buy this one instead.
Rating: 
Summary: "Leaving The Worst Fate to his Gorked Out Son Andrew...."
Review: Sure, "Hell Night" came out amid an onslaught of 80's horror films, and the basic premise has been seen hundreds of times before and since....but there is just something about this movie that raises it head and shoulders above all of the other Halloween/Friday the 13th wannabes out there. If you are in the mood for a serious story, something with a substantial plot and character developement...don't waste your time reading any further because "Hell Night" has none of that. I remember when I first saw "Hell Night" (almost 20 years ago?!!) and thought it was going to be awful...the opening scene with the bonfire and party on campus had me doubting I would be able to sit through the entire film. Then when the pledges arrive at Garth manor.....well you just have to see for youself. There are some genuine scares, and a great atmosphere to "Hell Night" and I love the use of the hedge-maze! And the unfortunate pledges stuck in Garth manor aren't the usual machete fodder found in most 80's horror, you actually begin rooting for these guys to make it out alive. "Hell Night" is a cool, often overlooked, horror film that would be a worthy addition to any fan of the genres collection.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Horror Hybrid
Review: That head-spinning little girl from THE EXORCIST (1973), Linda Blair--now all grown-up and gorgeous and causing all the guys' heads to spin--stars in HELL NIGHT, a surprisingly well-made and entertaining hybrid of the teen slasher film and the gothic ghost story. Blair plays Marti, one in a quartet of college students who are required to spend the night in a dilapidated old mansion as part of the initiation rites for joining a fraternity or its sister sorority. Rumors have it that the mansion is haunted by the sadistic late owner or, even worse, that it may be inhabited by the late owner's hideously deformed and depraved son. Unfortunately for the four Greek-house pledges, some of the rumors are true.... In spite of the bum rap that HELL NIGHT often gets for riding in the wake of John Carpenter's highly successful HALLOWEEN (1978), it is actually a very well-written, literate film that rises above the teen-slasher cliché by combining the sub-genre with elements from the classic ghost-story format. Not only are the teens being pursued by a deformed maniac killer, but all the action takes place within the confines of an old gothic manor house that seems to be afflicted by the supernatural. HELL NIGHT has some pretty good scares that might make even the seasoned horror buff jump. The sets of the manor house interiors create an appropriately spooky atmosphere, and the creature what does the slashin' is creepy enough to rival both Michael Myers and his cinematic cousins Jason and Freddy. And Marti (Linda Blair) gives the creature his final comeuppance in a most satisfying and grisly way. Most of the acting in this film is pretty good, too. No stranger to horror films, of course, the beautiful Linda Blair does an excellent job. She comes across as being genuinely frightened, jiggles in all the right places (a necessary requirement for the principal female in teen horror films), and screams quite effectively. Co-star Vincent Van Patten flashes his killer abs and flexes his biceps quite adequately (a requisite for at least one male lead in teen horror films), so he does an adequate job portraying the group's jock. The son of actor Dick Van Patten (better known as the father on TV's EIGHT IS ENOUGH), viewers may also recognize him from his various movie roles (e.g., Tom Roberts in ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL) and TV parts (e.g., the titular role in THE BIONIC BOY and a stint as Christian Page on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS). Also notable is actor Peter Barton, whom many older female viewers may remember swooning over when he played the titular roles on TV's THE POWERS OF MATTHEW STAR (c. 1982) and, more recently, BURKE'S LAW (c. 1994). Though they perform quite adequately in HELL NIGHT, most of the other actors are relative unknowns and did not go on to do any other TV or cinema work of note. It is unfortunate that the public has not seen more of Ms. Suki Goodwin, who portrays the fourth member of the quartet of pledges. Not only does her work here indicate that she has talent and potential, she is also quite pretty and has a sexy British accent. If nothing else, it would've been nice to see her become another famous horror-movie scream queen. HELL NIGHT. It's a slasher flick; it's a ghost story. It's two great sub-genres in one! However it may be categorized, HELL NIGHT is an underappreciated, underrated horror film that deserves a look. Aficionados of the slasher film will love it, but mainstream horror fans will like it, too.
Rating: 
Summary: HELL TO WATCH=HELL NIGHT
Review: The movie Hell Night looked ok so I thought I would give it a try,I'm glad it was a rental,this movie [smelled.] First off it is about a group of kids staying in garth manor to get pledged,it takes 40 minutes or so for anything remotely interesting to happen. The death scenes are bland and suffer from getting edited heavily and plot has been done a year ago with Terror Train in 1980 which is actually a good movie about kids in a frat on a train. FINAL VERDICT:UNLESS YOU WANT TO WASTE 1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES OF YOUR LIFE,AVOID THIS...MOVIE...
Rating:
Summary: Andrew Garth-to know him is to love him!
Review: The name Andrew Garth should be as well known as Jason Vorhees,Freddy Krueger,Michael Myers etc.,but there was never a sequel made to this fine horror flick. Maybe this is for the better though,because many sequels as we know tend to mock and understate their predecessors. Also,this movie has a definitive ending,nothing left to the imagination(and no door left open for a sequel!). This is one of those eighties gems that thrilled me to find it available on dvd. Starring the great Linda Blair of The Exorcist fame,this movie relies heavily on atmosphere and setting,and shines beautifully in it's approach. I first viewed this film in the early eighties at an allnight drive in,playing alongside Funeral Home and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.(the good old days!). Barely being a teenager,this movie terrified me! If you like older horror movies,you must give this one a chance. I enjoyed the commentary on the dvd as well. The picture on the dvd is brilliant compared to my vhs version. Long live Andrew Garth!(well,on dvd anyway!)
Rating: 
Summary: Guilty pleasure
Review: This is a surprisingly effective little semi-chestnut from the "glory days," if that's the term, of slasher flicks. Just as "Nightmare on Elm Street" raised itself, somewhat, above the genre with a nifty touch of psychology, "Hell Night" raises itself through clever scares and good production values (although its essential cheapness is evident whenever a candle flame or other light source is reflected in the camera lens rather than being filtered out), and through mostly sympathetic and likable characters. It is also intriguing to see that Frank Darabont, who would later go on to acclaim for his scripts, does technical work on this movie. The plot is simple: four college fraternity/sorority pledges must spend one night in a decrepit mansion, on the 12th anniversary of the last tenant's massacre of his entire family, save for his youngest child. Of course, it is still believed that said child still lives in the house, which comes equipped with trap doors, tunnels, and secret rooms, a belief that, as the pledges find out to their dismay, is correct. Despite her top billing, Linda Blair really isn't the star; she shares the screen equally with the rest of the major cast. She plays an appealingly sweet-but-smart heroine, and though she's hardly a beauty (and would be considered obese by today's standards), she looks downright luscious in her cleavage-baring Bo Peep getup, with her normally frizzy hair in a bun. Blair and Peter Barton interact so well together that you scarcely notice that Barton could give Rob Lowe a run for his money in the pretty-boy department, nor his badly-dated early 80s haircut. The scenes where they talk to each other about their respective backgrounds are actually interesting, and you want them to end up together. The film is light on nudity and sex (two mostly-clad characters do little but roll around on top of a bed, giggling) and is surprisingly mild on swearing. However, the scares are bloody and well-executed, no pun intended, building up to a climax that does not disappoint. It's worth a look.
Rating: 
Summary: A very fitting title.
Review: This movie is another 80s teenage sex and terror flick, done with a minimum of inspiration and talent. Some fraternity pledges spend their initiation night in silly costumes at an infamous house where survivors of the family murdered 12 years ago take their revenge. Linda Blair is the only recognizable face ...
Rating:
Summary: Horror at it's best !
Review: This movie should be up there with the likes of "Halloween" as a classic of the genre. Unlike most of the slasher flicks of the eighties, "Hell Night" is not full of gruesome special effects and blatant nudity. Instead the movie relies on suspense, and it does this very well.
Let's face it, the story is not the most original, 4 sorority pledges have to spend 1 night in "Garth Manor" to gain entry to their chosen fraternities. Some of their peers set out to make it a night full of frights, but as is turns out, they needn't have bothered....Garth Manor is truly haunted. Heard it all before ? So have I, but I don't think I have ever seen the subject matter handled so well.
As awful as the deaths are, there is very little blood involved, and I don't think I saw one fake intestine ! The chills however, are plentiful. The setting, a dark, gothic mansion, candlelit and isolated is perfect. The mood is goosebump enticing. The music is eerie and the performances are all good. Of course, Linda Blair shines, as always. Ms Blair plays the nice quiet girl wondering what the hell she is doing in this situation, who turns out to be the only one with the guts to grapple with the monster 1 on 1.
If only more horror movies had attempted to do what Hell Night did. Pick your actors for acting ability rather than willingness to show flesh, and spend some budget on script development and filming techniques rather than bucketloads of blood and gore.
I have been a fan of this film for years and when I bought the DVD was amazed at the difference in picture quality. I actually saw things that I had never noticed on my VHS copy. The DVD also includes a theatrical trailer and amusing and informative commentary with movies makers and Linda Blair also. It also has some background info and filmographies of cast and crew.
I cannot speak highly enough of this movie. I recommend it thoroughly to anyone who enjoys a scary flick, as well as Linda Blair fans. I never tire of watching this brilliant effort !
Rating:
Summary: hell night... hell yeah
Review: This was a good solid horror movie, especially for this generation who seems to think horror was born with Scream. It has what your looking for when you watch a horror movie for whatever the reason may be. After a million viewings of Jason, Mike Myers, Leatherface and Freddy (the last 2 had good first movies at least) horror done bad is horrible (Scream 2-3?) so look to the 80's and find this along with Funhouse, Humongous and My Bloody Valentine.
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