Hell Fest Review

Hell Fest is a serviceable, fun, slasher film to start the Halloween Season. This movie is about a masked killer who begins murdering innocent patrons at a horror theme park who think it is fake and part of the show. Amy Forsyth gives a great performance. Her character is likable and she sells the horror scenes well. Reign Edwards and Bex Taylor-Klaus give decent performances as Forsyth’s friends. Christian James and Matt Mercurio give okay performances. They are never given enough development to care much about them. Roby Attal gives a good performance. His chemistry with Forsyth is cute and believable. Gregory Plotkin did a great job directing overall. However, a few of his decisions in the third act deflate the tension too much. The script is serviceable with just enough character development that we know which character is which before the killing starts. The kills, for the most part, are unique and brutal. One, in particular, made me cringe watching it. The set and costume design here is fantastic. Our killer has a simple but creepy look. The park itself sets up a cool, yet creepy vibe very quickly and keeps up the tone throughout. At 89 minutes the pacing is good and does not take long to get to the violence. Overall while Hell Fest is nowhere near cinematic art, it accomplishes its goal of being a fun slasher film to kick-off the season.

6/10