Imagine being at a haunted attraction, and unbeknownst to you, a serial killer was prowling the grounds posing as one of the costumed characters. You wouldn’t know because it could be any one. That’s the exact scenario being presented in Hell Fest, and it makes for a great movie.
The plot is about a group of friends who visit a horror themed amusement park full of mazes and such, and soon find themselves the victims of masked serial killer who turns the park into his own personal playground. The killer thrives on his anonymity and the fact he can do as he pleases. It is Halloween after all, so he could hang a dead body in one of haunted attractions, and someone would think it’s just one of the props. His sole purpose behind doing this seems to be to teach people the meaning of fear as he tends to target those who mock and belittle the actors for not being scary enough. That spells disaster for everyone involved, and he takes great pleasure in toying with his victims.
Tony Todd has a cameo in this movie and is having a blast at it. The kills were pretty gory, and the movie keeps your interest all the way to the end. I have to applaud the ending for being unconventional. Usually the way these movies go, the killer is revealed to be the cousin’s sister’s boyfriend’s roommate, and they will have some hammy reason for why they did what they did. Not the case here. Even at the very end, the killer is never revealed. He actually gets away with his crimes, and we only get one small detail as his identity. I was impressed how they went about that.
In all, this is a pretty good film, and for one of those haunted attraction themed movies, it does well with its presentation. It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t need to be. Horror fans will enjoy nevertheless and it definitely has that spirit of Halloween vibe you are looking for. It is currently streaming on Netflix, so I highly recommend watching it for yourself. If you already seen Hell Fest, feel free to leave your thoughts below!
Till next time, stay scared!
-Tha Thrilla –
