James "The Jimi" Hattar submitted the following investigation for The Feminist Slasher Project.
Play by Play:
“Hell Night” (1981) directed by Tom DeSimone, stars Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Vincent Van Patten and Peter Barton. A decent 80’s Slasher flick set inside an old mansion that may or may not be haunted. I first saw this movie as a child by switching on Channel 9 to see “The Elvira Mistress of the Dark” show where she hosted different horror films every week. What I found interesting about the movie is not its originality or great plot, but the fact it was filmed at the Kimberly Crest Mansion in Redlands, California, near where I live. OK enough trivia; let’s get down to the story basics.
Peter, the president of the Alpha Sigma Rho fraternity, hosts a huge costume party. Peter is making four new fraternity and sorority pledges: Marti (Blair), Jeff (Barton), Seth (Van Patten), and Denise (Suki Goodwin…no relation to Susan) stay at the deserted and possibly haunted Garth Manor until dawn on hell night. Peter tells the four pledges the history of the mansion where they are to spend the night.
Twelve years ago to the day, Raymond Garth strangled his wife Lillian to death in the house and then proceeded to murder all of his deformed children. After that, he hanged himself. The police never found the body of the youngest Garth child, Andrew or his brother, Morris. Local legend states that Andrew witnessed the murder of his entire family and may still be living within the manor.
The four innocent pledges locked in the gates of the Garth Manor grounds, find their rooms to spend the night in the old mansion. The scholarly Marti and Jeff get to know one another near the fireplace, while surfer horn dog Seth and druggie Denise get it on up stairs in one of the bedrooms. Peter the president of the fraternity, with the help of his friends, attempts to scare the pledges in the mansion as a big prank. That is, until an unknown prowler begins killing the teens.
As the pledges talk and learn about themselves, they find some of the scary pranks the others have put into place. Thinking everything in the mansion is a prank, they slowly start to realize that the bodies piling up are for real. Could it be possible that the legendary surviving child of old man Garth is killing everyone in gruesome ways? Seth manages to escape the grounds to get help, but no one believes him. This leaves Marti and Jeff left to fight off the crazed killer.
This film is 80’s cheese at its finest. You even have Vincent Van Patten say the word “radical” throughout. The acting is decent, but the characters do stupid things that teens being chased by a killer usually do. The violence is not over the top or really graphic. The atmosphere is creepy throughout. Is this Slasher movie great? Nope, but it is kinda creepy and entertaining.
Feminist Slasher Project Research:
The Marti character played by Linda Blair was an intelligent, self supportive and beautiful college student, where the Denise character was just dumb, drugged out, eye candy. Marti made it known to an interested Jeff that she was not a whore, which he respected about her. Marti was the nerdy student who knew how to use her smarts as an advantage by having the popular girls pay her to tutor them and compensate all her school and board expenses. She is also a mechanic, who can fix cars. At the same time Marti is scared and makes stupid mistakes when the violence erupts, as any normal person would be. When left to fight her attacker she does her best to survive. Because of this strong female presence, I’d have to give “Hell Night” a Green Light for the Feminist Slasher Project.
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