"Hell Is for Real"

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What You Need To Know:
Lacking both plot and story, HELL FEST heavily relies on jump scares, gory theatrics, lighting, and some good cinematography. There’s no character development, including no information on the serial killer and his motive. The filmmakers leave it up to viewers whether the killer is an evil supernatural force from Hell or just insane. There’s no mention of morality, except as a joke or to condemn it. The movie contains excessive foul language, graphic violence, gore, and psychological and physical torture. One character jokes about being a child of Satan and publicly confesses to frequently violating the Seven Deadly Sins. Hell is best described as eternal suffering, which is what watching HELL FEST feels like.
Content:
More Detail:
HELL FEST takes viewers on a misadventure of a group of six friends as they party through an amusement park of horror where they are stalked and gruesomely murdered by a serial killer. Full of horror movie clichés and missing a real storyline, HELL FEST is loaded with cheesy jump scares, gore, torture, and licentious, destructive behavior. It’s a showcase for the occult and so is quite abhorrent.
The movie opens with a prologue of a random “stalk and kill” by a masked, homicidal maniac, played by Tony Todd. Cut to a group of six young people looking for fun in “Hell” on a raucous night out at an amusement park of horror called Hell Fest.
Natalie (played by Amy Forsyth) and Brooke (played by Reign Edwards) are friends reunited after a mentioned but unexplained distance and separation. Taylor (played by Bex Taylor-Klaus), Brooke’s new and edgy roommate, joins the outing, along with the three guys they’re coupled with for the night. Natalie is on her first date with Gavin (played by Roby Attal), Brooke is paired with Quinn (played by Christian James), and Taylor is paired with Asher (played by Matt Mercurio). The group sets out for a fun night at “Hell Fest.” The killer from the prologue, who murdered a young woman in a previous year at Hell Fest, presumably has returned to stalk and kill again.
The excitement seeking gang throw down what seems like endless amounts of alcoholic shots and has a meeting of the minds to decide where they will go into the amusement park of horror. With some prodding and giggling, Natalie agrees to go along with the group, straight to “Hell.”
Natalie witnesses the serial killer stalk and murder a young woman right before her eyes. At first glance, Natalie thinks it’s just part of the scare game. As she’s filled with eerie doubt, she gets the attention of the killer and becomes the next target. In fact, the masked serial killer has a new quest to stalk and kill them all one by one. The gruesome and torturous murders take place along the path through a series of haunted houses and mazes with a bombardment of jump scenes and gross-out scares on the way. Just like any cliched horror movie, the victims for the most part are compliant and don’t think to fight back.
HELL FEST’s storyline, or lack thereof, shows an absence of respect for the audience. There is no real plot or character development. Nothing is revealed about the masked serial killer or his motivation. He never speaks, and viewers never see his face. A little information is given at the conclusion, but the movie never tells viewers if he’s merely a homicidal maniac or an actual supernatural force from Hell. HELL FEST is full of clichés, jump scares, violence, gore, occult paraphernalia, and misery. Good lighting and cinematography add some interest, but not enough.
HELL FEST delivers exactly what it promises, Hell. Why anyone would want Hell is an entirely different subject. This dumbed down “gore fest” serves the appetite of those who have lost the taste for life entirely. The New Testament documents mention Hell many times. In John 10:10, Jesus describes the evil entity known as the king of Hell or the Devil, as “the thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy.” Jesus says He came to Earth so that people “may have life and have it abundantly.” HELL FEST makes no mention of the only solution to avoiding Hell, God and His grace. Rather, HELL FEST is filled with occult images, torture, murder, foul language, mockery of Christian values, and some crude, and immoral sexual dialogue. Hell is best described as eternal suffering, which is what watching HELL FEST feels like.