Happy Hell Night (1991) Quest Entertainment/Horror RT: 87 minutes Rated R (strong bloody violence, nudity, sexual content, language, partying and drinking) Director: Brian Owens Screenplay: Michael Fitzpatrick, Brian Owens and Ron Petersen Music: Nenad Bach Cinematography: Sol Negrin Release date: April 13, 1992 (US, video) Cast: Darren McGavin, Charles Cragin, Nick Gregory, Franke Hughes, Laura Carney, Kate Delay, Janez Vrhovec, Jorja Fox, Tanja Pujin, Ted Clark, Jeffrey Miller, Robert Restaino, Scott Bell, Irfan Mensur, Sam Rockwell, Gala Videnovic, Lisa Rankin. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ** ½
The slasher movie Happy Hell Night is NOT a sequel to 1981’s Hell Night starring Linda Blair. I just wanted to put that out there for the benefit of horror fans still wondering what the hell a gork is. That question still remains unanswered as of this writing (March 2024).
There are, however, some similarities between the two horror films. Both involve a fraternity initiation that turns deadly when some dumb college kids go messing around where they shouldn’t. This time, it’s an insane asylum that houses a psychotic killer, an evil priest named Malius (Cragin, True Lies). He killed a bunch of fraternity pledges in his family’s crypt as part of a Satanic ritual. He’s been rotting in the asylum for the past 25 years, but that’s about to change. He’s about to be set free thanks to an initiation stunt that goes horribly wrong.
It’s more than a harmless prank actually. It’s revenge. Phi Delta Kappa leader Eric Collins (Gregory, Another World) finds out his rebellious brother Sonny (Hughes, Band of Brothers) is banging his girlfriend Liz (Carney) when he spots them at a nearby motel together. Sonny is trying to gain entry into the fraternity so Eric sends him and another pledge to the facility to take a picture of Malius. They break in with surprising ease (aren’t these places supposed to be guarded?) and make their way to his cell where they inadvertently help the killer escape. Can you guess where he might be heading?
Eric and his frat brothers have no idea what they’re getting themselves into by involving Malius in their tomfoolery. Eric’s dad Henry (McGavin, Kolchak: The Night Stalker), on the other hand, does know. He was there in ’65 when the first killings happened. He knows something that he doesn’t want anybody else to know, least of all his sons. There’s also a local priest (Vrhovec) who knows all about Malius, what happened that night and why. When a panicked Liz goes to him for help, he urges her to get out of Dodge as fast as she can.
By the time Malius gets to the Phi Delta Kappa house (did you guess correctly?), the party is pretty much over. The few remaining revelers have retired to the bedrooms for a little casual sex. If you’ve ever seen any slasher flick EVER, you know such activity comes at a high cost.
Directed by one-film wonder Brian Owens, Happy Hell Night is one of hundreds of straight-to-video horror movies that mostly collected dust on shelves at video stores. It came out several years after the slasher craze died out. I didn’t bother with it then for the same reason I didn’t bother with most DTV releases then. In what I now realize is a narrow-minded view, I figured if a movie wasn’t good enough for cinemas, it wasn’t worth my time. I can’t believe I really thought that way. I’m the Movie Guy! I should be open to any and all cinematic experiences. I’m glad I now have the time and means to rectify this error in judgment.
I had time for one crappy horror movie from Tubi on Sunday morning. After weighing my choices, I went with Happy Hell Night based on the amount of violence and gore promised by IMDb. They weren’t lying, this one is bloody! The killer’s weapon of choice is an ice axe and he uses it like a pro. One victim, played by future CSI star Jorja Fox, gets it through the top of her head. Another gets it from behind, right through the eye. The killer drags one victim around after ramming it under his chin. That’s not all. Malius makes quite the mess with his methods. We get two decapitations and the mutilated remains of another victim in a bathtub. Somebody is crucified upside down. A nurse gets her throat slit. It takes a little while for the gory stuff to happen, but it’s worth the wait.
Happy Hell Night may be low budget, but the effects still look great, especially the gory ones. There’s also a good scene where a statue of Jesus on the cross comes to life. Malius looks suitably evil. Unfortunately, he’s saddled with one-liners that make him sound like a poor man’s Freddy Krueger. It would have been better for him to remain silent while plying his trade. It’s thick with atmosphere too. The asylum is a creepy old dark place with rats, decrepit cells and cobweb-covered corridors. The finale takes place in a crypt in a cemetery at night. Owens has the look of a good cheesy 80s horror flick down pat. I know, it’s technically a 90s movie, but let’s not quibble over details.
Would you be surprised to learn the acting in Happy Hell Night is terrible? No? Neither was I. What I am surprised about is Darren McGavin. On second thought, no I’m not. He’s not the first former star to sign on for one of these B-level horror movies. He’s in good company with such noted thespians as Joan Crawford (Trog), Veronica Lake (Flesh Feast), Farley Granger (The Prowler) and Jackie Coogan (The Prey). He’s billed as the film’s star, but he’s only in it for about five minutes total. That he manages to keep a straight face amidst all the dreck is a testament to his professionalism. The rest of the performances are strictly amateur night. Look for a pre-fame Sam Rockwell as the younger version of McGavin’s character. On the upside, a couple of the girls (Fox and Pujin) look smokin’ HOT! And there are plenty of naked boobs so there’s that.
Happy Hell Night, a Canadian-Yugoslav production filmed primarily in Toronto, is no horror classic. It’s far from it actually. It’s still kind of fun though. It has a decent kill count and ample gore. Owens is also generous with the sex and nudity. This is how a slasher film should be. The folks at Blumhouse would do well to study movies like Happy Hell Night. Given their recent output (Night Swim, The Exorcist: Believer), they need all the help they can get.
