There's really nothing to write home about with Hell Fest. It gets the job done, but just barely. It's just a little bit smarter/scarier/more interesting than most of these films, but just enough to get an E for effort.
If Hell Fest has anything going for it, it's the cast. There are fairly likable people instead of the usual shrill stereotypes one usually sees in these movies. I did root for them and that's not something I can say for a lot of modern horror films.
Some of the effects are pretty decent including one incredibly nasty piece of Fulci-esque eye trauma, but something does feel a bit uninspired about most of the murder set pieces and, since the story itself is nothing special, it might have helped to get a bit more creative with these scenes.
While there are isolated moments of tension throughout, Hell Fest is never truly scary or shudder inducing. The killer's get up doesn't help things much. It's just not very haunted and scary. This might dull things a bit.
If Hell Fest stands out for anything, it's the unorthodox ending that might have a lot of people scratching their heads. It's certainly an interesting choice and one that might get people thinking.
If Hell Fest has anything going for it, it's the cast. There are fairly likable people instead of the usual shrill stereotypes one usually sees in these movies. I did root for them and that's not something I can say for a lot of modern horror films.
Some of the effects are pretty decent including one incredibly nasty piece of Fulci-esque eye trauma, but something does feel a bit uninspired about most of the murder set pieces and, since the story itself is nothing special, it might have helped to get a bit more creative with these scenes.
While there are isolated moments of tension throughout, Hell Fest is never truly scary or shudder inducing. The killer's get up doesn't help things much. It's just not very haunted and scary. This might dull things a bit.
If Hell Fest stands out for anything, it's the unorthodox ending that might have a lot of people scratching their heads. It's certainly an interesting choice and one that might get people thinking.