For this year’s 31 Nights of Horror Challenge, the Day 11 prompt was Tony Todd. There are only a couple of movies that fit that genre, namely Candyman which is the one most people know about but did you know that he has done a lot of other horror movies as well, namely, Hell Fest (2008).
Storyline
Hell Fest is introduced as a horror theme park which travels across the country during the Halloween season. A young girl from Cincinnati is shown to be separated from her group during one of the mazes. There she is confronted by a masked figure known as “The Other” (Stephen Conroy).
She recognizes The Other as a man who had been following her and her group of friends the entire night. The Other attacks the girl, stabbing her in the gut before hanging her. The young girl’s corpse appears to blend in with the other prop bodies as The Other leaves the scene. Natalie (Amy Forsyth) is shown to be arriving at her former apartment where her best friend, Brooke (Reign Edwards), still resides.
She greets her old friend but is disappointed to learn that a former classmate, Taylor (Bex Taylor-Klaus), whom Natalie does not get along with is living with her. Though Natalie’s visit was planned, Brooke is shown to have been uncertain that Natalie would actually arrive as she had been distant of late due to school and work. As such Brooke and Taylor arranged a visit to Hell Fest with Quinn (Christian James), Brooke’s boyfriend, Taylor’s boyfriend Asher (Matt Mercurio), and their respective friend Gavin (Roby Attal) who is attracted to Natalie.
What We Think of Hell Fest
First off Tony Todd does very well in this movie. He is not only the carney barker during one of the pivotal scenes but he is also the emcee, if you will for the entire park.
This was a decent movie. It takes the average fright fest at a theme park to a whole new level.
The eponymous Hell Fest setting is certainly the most impressive part of this film. We are treated to a number of fascinating backdrops, costumes, and effects as our characters travel the seemingly massive horror park. Some of the kills are done quite impressively with practical effects. Finally, the villain has a very nice understated design, and their “reveal” or lack there of was good.
Unfortunately, there’s quite a few parts that left me and other viewers frustrated. We have usual cliches of our victims acting painfully stupid. We have oddities such as when the park begins to evacuate, they don’t think to turn on any of the lights or shut down the rides.
Very close to a great Halloween flick, but a few eye rolling cliches really hold it back.
6 out of 10
Trivia
Tony Todd’s role in Candyman was my daughter, Nicole’ first horror movie when she was about three. She and I watched it together in my old Las-y-Boy chair. To this day she loves horror and does her own 31 Nights of Horror with her family.
Most of the decorations used on set were borrowed from Six Flags Over Georgia’s Fright Fest decorations.
Many of the characters walking around Hell Fest in the beginning are from Netherworld Haunted House in Georgia. Netherworld is in the top ten haunted attractions in the USA.
The plot of this film is very similar to that of The Funhouse (1981). Both films also have similar tag lines. Hell Fest’s is “Fun getting in. Hell getting out.” The Funhouse’s is “Pay to get in. Pray to get out.”
