for a fan of 80 slasher the premise of hell night seem like it can not miss . you have get linda blair in a serious horror effort and the spooky castle with a horrible past and four school kid who have to spend the night there . and of course there a deformed murderer there who intend to insure those kid will not live through the night . this should have be a mini classic . and apparently some people think very highly of it . can not imagine why . despite have a wonderful idea to work from the film doesn not manage a scare or anything resemble a creepy atmosphere or mood . when a film fail on those front a hardcore fan can take solace in inventive kill or gratuitous nudity . it score a point for nudity but the kill be pretty lacklustre and when compare to some classic such a friday the 13th and halloween 2 and the burning for example . even water down flick like my bloody valentine and friday 2 and 3 come off way well . i can not find anything good to recommend here . the pacing be way off and the acting be ludicrous and the script pure toilet paper . the effective castle surroundings be not use in any imaginative way and every effort to create a scary mood get completely squash . blame the director . well and i always do . just think what a young john carpenter or tobe hooper ( when he do good thing ) could have manage with this flick . not every 80 slasher have something go for it . hell night be live proof of that .