The 1980s was a wondrous golden age for the slasher film, so it's no surprise that the upcoming HELL FEST is hoping to recapture a bit of that particular magic. The film follows Natalie (Amy Forsyth) as she visits her childhood best friend Brooke (Reign Edwards) and her roommate Taylor (Bex Taylor-Klaus) and the three of them, as well as their boyfriends, decide to attend Hell Fest, "a sprawling labyrinth of rides, games, and mazes that travels the country and happens to be in town." However, one visitor has decided to turn Hell Fest into their own personal hunting ground and sets their sights on Natalie and her friends. CBS Films and Lionsgate have released a new throwback trailer for HELL FEST, which I think actually works better than any of the previous trailers. Check it out above!
Executive producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead) previously explained where the idea for HELL FEST came from: "One of the executives at my company came to me with a pitch: Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a film about someone who is actually evil, who’s using that environment to kill people?" said Hurd. "What if one of those people in a mask, or one of those people who had a prop chainsaw, was actually a killer themselves? And that is where the idea came from." I smell a franchise, assuming enough people throw their money at it.
The official synopsis for HELL FEST:
A masked serial killer turns a horror themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show. College student NATALIE (Forsyth) is visiting her childhood best friend BROOKE (Edwards) and her roommate TAYLOR (Taylor-Klaus). If it was any other time of year these three and their boyfriends might be heading to a concert or bar, but it is Halloween which means that like everyone else they will be bound for HELL FEST – a sprawling labyrinth of rides, games, and mazes that travels the country and happens to be in town. Every year thousands follow Hell Fest to experience fear at the ghoulish carnival of nightmares.
But for one visitor, Hell Fest is not the attraction – it is a hunting ground. An opportunity to slay in plain view of a gawking audience, too caught up in the terrifyingly fun atmosphere to recognize the horrific reality playing out before their eyes. As the body count and frenzied excitement of the crowds continues to rise, he turns his masked face to NATALIE, BROOKE, TAYLOR and their boyfriends who will fight to survive the night.
HELL NIGHT will hit theaters on September 28th.