In the first fifteen minutes of Hell Fest, before entering the Halloween carnival (of the same name), an overly excited Taylor- played by Bex Taylor Klaus – tells her friends about a real life murder that happened at a similar event nearby, the year before.
“What can I say, some people are just evil – they’re monsters, and to them, every single day is Halloween… and they dress up, so we don’t know,” Taylor states.
In response to the protagonist Natalie asking, “Know what?” she explains, “ That they walk among us.”
This quick minute of dialogue is easily overlooked, and yet it’s vital to understanding Hell Fest as a whole. It lays out the theme of the next hour and a half, and serves as a foreshadowing of the evil in plain sight. As well as offering brief exposition about our unknown villain.
Hell Fest debuted in theaters in the fall of 2018 – a month before Halloween (a timing issue that seemed to also plague the recent Halloween horror, Cobweb) – and quickly disappeared, with little chatter. On its fifth anniversary, it remains largely unnoticed, and deserves more appreciation as a slasher that stands out from its peers, and offers some unique qualities.
In many ways, Hell Fest follows a standard, horror movie template. A group of friends attends an interactive horror theme park, where a killer is on the loose. There’s little role development, other than the fact that Natalie has been coaxed into going by her best friend Brooke, incentivized by the invite of her would-be boyfriend, Gavin – who has procured her a ticket. From there, the movie takes off, and moves into the action pretty quickly.
But while Hell Fest is formulaic to some degree, it diverges from typical horror tropes. One of the biggest ways is with the killer himself. While most slashers have a whodunit style, where the murderer lurks among a cast of characters we’ve already met, Hell Fest does not. It never reveals the villain, or his motives, instead opting for something much more mysterious.
It’s that mystery that makes this slasher effective, and the best moments are when the murderer, wearing a disturbing mask with a distorted face, comes onto the screen. These scenes differ from everything else in the movie, in look and tone. Drenched in neon lights, and pulsating music by Bear McCreary, the masked man approaches each victim stealthily (even if some of the situations are set up for him a little too perfectly).
While other famous villains have a trademark weapon, this one relies merely on what’s accessible in the park. He wields a selection of carnival items, which include an oversized mallet, and a guillotine. He has zero dialogue, and at times, has a Terminator-esque vibe – especially while scanning the park, to find and stalk his victims. In one moment, in a dimly lit, red bathroom- that has hints of Brian De Palma’s Blow Out– he almost appears supernatural. In another shot where he walks directly towards the camera, approaching Natalie, and Brooke, he resembles Jason Voorhees. But he’s not a monster, he’s simply a man – and that makes him even scarier.
An unclear antagonist isn’t the only element of Hell Fest that stands out. It also defies typical horror patterns with the deliberate choice to have best friends Natalie and Brooke (down to their matching half heart BFF necklaces) both survive. We don’t historically see two final girls in these types of films, and it’s a reminder that more than one badass woman can survive a horror movie. Five years later, it’s still a notable aspect of Hell Fest, a nod to an evolving genre.
Hell Fest never got a sequel, but its ending could make an argument for one – on the other hand, it’s that ambiguity that makes it memorable. In the end, it explains almost nothing about its killer, the film coming to a close with a truly chilling twist.
Usually a horror movie without a clear or tidy ending can feel unfulfilling, but here, the mystery adds an element of fear. Watching a faceless maniac- who just acted out a series of gruesome murders- drive home in his minivan, back to his suburban home and totally normal family, makes this scenario even scarier. “They walk among us,” the film reminds.
On its fifth anniversary, Hell Fest is worthy of more credit, and more fans.
It’s currently streaming for free on Tubi.
The post ‘Hell Fest’ 5 Years Later: Why the Halloween Slasher Deserves a Second Look appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.