Hell Night, Linda Blair joins a Sorority

A fraternity where every guy is a hunk. A sorority where every gal is a babe. Mongoloid mutants. Decapitations! Linda Blair! Sold yet? From the greatest year for slasher films, 1981, we look at "Hell Night." Directed by TomDeSimone, the past few decades have treated this film well.  As we have seen, of late, the Greek system embarrass their universities, perhaps this film will serve as a warning to high school seniors to not pursue a fraternity or sorority...well...probably not.

Initiation night at the coolest fraternity and sorority on campus. One heck of a hell night is planned for the pledges. The presidents, Peter (Kevin Brophy) and May (Jenny Neumann)...neither one of these unfortunates will fare well, I'm afraid...will lock their freshman aspirants in the Garth Mansion. Now abandoned, the mansion is home to a gruesome past. Born deformed and insane, a murder suicide wiped this clan out many years ago.  Uh oh....legend of their demises might have been greatly exaggerated.  As Marti (Blair), Jeff (Peter Barton), Seth (Vincent Van Patten), and Denise (Suki Goodwin) begin their night of confinement, the horror commences.  Suki, looking forward to a night of pre-maritla sex with Seth, has brought in drugs, alcohol, and music.  Can you guess their fates?  Oh yes, Suki spends most of the film in some red lingerie.  Marti and Jeff, are a more clean-cut pair, and have boring conversation with their time together.  Uh oh....Peter, May, and their pal Scott (Jimmy Sturtevant) sneak back onto the grounds intending to scare the pledges.

 After May is pulled into the basement, and separated from her head, it becomes apparent not all the Garth family perished.  Dressed in ridiculous costumes, our pledges are soon made aware that they are being stalked by a monstrous mutant.  Slasher film maxims apply here, which is bad news for lingerie clad, nymphomaniac, Denise. This is very sad, as her English accent was quite alluring. Who will survive?  Will Jeff and Marti's refrain from pre-marital sex be enough to save them from the monstrous maniac?

Not critically acclaimed when it came out (....most Linda Blair films were not), this is a fantastic slasher film.  In 1981, Rex Reed, Gene Siskel, and Roger Ebert ruled the field of film criticism, and those intellectuals never cut any slasher film a break.  Campy and atmospheric, you will enjoy "Hell Night," which is available in fine quality on YouTube.