Hell Night (1981)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Tom DeSimone

Writer:

Randy Feldman (written by)

Release Date:

28 August 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Pray for day!

Plot:

Four college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion where they get killed off one by one by the monstrous surviving members of a family massacre years earlier for trespassing on their living grounds.

Plot Keywords:

Night | Sorority | Fraternity | Male Surfer | Teen

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Linda Blair	...	Marti Gaines
Vincent Van Patten	...	Seth
Peter Barton	...	Jeff Reed
Kevin Brophy	...	Peter Bennett
Jenny Neumann	...	May West
Suki Goodwin	...	Denise Dunsmore
Jimmy Sturtevant	...	Scott
Hal Ralston	...	Older Cop
Carey Fox	...	Younger Cop (as Cary Fox)
Ron Gans	...	Driver (as Ronald Gans)
Gloria Heilman	...	Party Girl

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Netherlands:16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1982) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

BLT Productions

Trivia:

The film makers had a hard time with the owl who was supposed to fly directly at the camera. They eventually settled with a shot of the owl flying to the upper right of the camera.

Goofs:

Continuity: Peter stated to the Frat party that no one has been into Garth Manor since the killings years prior, yet when they enter through the front doors no one is surprised to see a room full of lit candles.

Quotes:

Denise Dunsmore: Quaaludes and Jack Daniels.
Seth: This is one radical chick.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Scary Sherry: Bianca's Toast (#1.15)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Theme from 'Hell Night'

Extremely tame R-rated screamer...

Group of sorority and fraternity pledges must spend the night in a supposedly haunted house as part of their initiation--how much you wanna bet something evil really lurks there? Schlock thriller with terrible cinematography and a draggy pace does boast some talented names in the credits (co-producer Irwin Yablans had a hand in the original "Halloween"), but the drawing card is of course Linda Blair, and she's attractive and professional as always (though looking a bit sheepish with this third-rate material). Supporting cast is less interesting, with Peter Barton perhaps an escapee from the Osmond family. A better director might have worked up more suspense by drawing us closer to the characters--and a better screenwriter might have given the director something to work with. It's a suspiciously mild drive-in quickie, not really deserving of its R-rating, though the big finale is well-staged. * from ****