Publication Date: 09-21-2026

Hell Fest (2018) review

Dir. Gregory Plotkin

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★

From the jump, Hell Fest has an interesting conceit, one capable of producing nightmares amidst this spooky season. The idea of a killer lurking in a haunted house is both bold and brilliant given the countless opportunities for dread, creative kills, and general tension. It’s these obvious opportunities that should’ve made Hell Fest a slam-dunk, yet the film only appears to go half-in as opposed to all-in on a great concept.

The slender plot revolves around three college friends (Amy Forsyth, Reign Edwards, and Bex Taylor-Klaus of Scream: The TV Series) who decide to kick off Halloween right by going to “Hell Fest,” a horror-themed amusement park that features several mazes, wicked sideshow games, and folks in masks wandering aimlessly with the intent to scare. The three ladies go with their boyfriends and soon discover there is a killer hiding in the park; he’s masked and donning a costume that makes him blend in too well with the crowd. A night of fun soon becomes a series of perilous attempts at survival as the friends get lost in the convoluted park while trying to warn skeptical security guards that they’re in real danger.

The disappointment comes largely from the film feeling as if it leaves a lot of its best ideas underdeveloped or entirely unexplored. The characters are so unrefined and indistinct that you probably didn’t even mind the fact that I omitted their names. Their personalities never come to life in any meaningful way, and as a result, a breakout performance from Forsyth or Taylor-Klaus, who shows only glimpses of what she can do, must wait for another day. Hell Fest is admittedly characterized well itself, but long stretches of the teenagers monotonously wandering through the park undercut the time that could’ve been spent on elaborate setups that would inevitably lead to what we all paid to see. One of the film’s standout scenes comes when Tony Todd takes the stage as one of the girls gets put into a guillotine in what everyone perceives as just an ordinary stage-show — only the girls know that their friend could be in real trouble. The resulting bait-and-switch that comes about is exactly the kind of fun and nifty sort of pull Hell Fest needed to be successful.

Let it be known that the film doesn’t fall prey to unconvincing costume and set design. The fact that Hell Fest looks this good on this small of a budget (roughly $5 million) is a testament to a legion of people, most of whom will go unrecognized, finding interesting ways to make the film’s visuals click. The result is a film that’s great to look at, and director Gregory Plotkin is sure to make sure the action is at least clear, even as things get funky with excessive colors, strobe effects, etc.

History would’ve suggested that Plotkin, who made his directorial debut a few years back with the final Paranormal Activity film, and his experience editing acclaimed horror films like Get Out and Happy Death Day might’ve come in handy with a film like Hell Fest. However, outside of the concept, most inclusions feel depressingly ordinary and by-the-numbers. Plotkin can only do so much, as he’s handcuffed by a screenplay that doesn’t want to create characters, investing drama, or much worthwhile outside of finding a way to showcase the vastness of Hell Fest. This all should be more fun and scarier than what it ultimately amounts to, which is an unfortunate nothing-burger just as the leaves are beginning to turn.

Starring: Amy Forsyth, Reign Edwards, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Christian James, Matt Mercurio, and Tony Todd. Directed by: Gregory Plotkin.