While there’s always going be exceptions, the general conceit of the slasher horror movie subgenre is that it exists as a form of violent escapism. When the slasher genre started to wane a couple decades ago, the “torture porn” genre (ex. Saw, Hostel, etc.) flourished in its absence. As long as the movie hits a few key notes and leaves buckets of blood in its wake, audiences are going to get what they came for. Hell Fest is in many ways a return to form for slasher movies but at the same time it fails to clear this very basic benchmark.
Much like the numerous movies based around killings on holidays or killers with unconventional weaponry, Hell Fest is structured around a loose gimmick. The film surrounds a group of 20-somethings stalked through a travelling Halloween amusement park by a masked psychopath. Using the setting to his advantage, the killer slips in and out of notice by appearing to be just one of the dozens of workers paid to scare the park’s guests. Even though this is a fairly specific set-up for the film, it very rarely makes use of the premise. Of the measly half-dozen-or-so kills in the film, maybe two of them have anything to do with the setting or theme. The rest are so unremarkable that they almost feel like afterthoughts.
Strangely enough, the most engaging and entertaining aspect of the film is the series of haunted houses and mazes the characters run through while evading the killer. At times I wanted them to slow down and take their time so I could admire the gags and scares in each of the haunts. In other words, I wished the movie would get out of the way so I could get a better look at the backgrounds.
At a fairly brisk 89 minutes, a lot of my issues with Hell Fest could be ignored. It doesn’t wait long at all to jump right into things and introduces enough fresh ideas to prevent it from feeling like a completely missed opportunity. With a few more inventive kills and a better integration of its gimmick, I feel it could have been a fun retro throwback to the golden age of slashers.
5/10