Remember in the '80s when slasher flicks were a dime a dozen? How they all had little themes like summer camp or some random holiday? Well meet Hell Fest. A throwback to the stab-happy movies of that era that managed to find a setting largely untouched in the genre: haunted funhouses. Taking place in a seasonal Halloween amusement park a masked killer takes advantage of the fact that every employee is in costume and actively trying to scare guests to stalk and murder a group of college students undetected. A group who, while a bit annoying at first due to how unnecessarily vulgar they are, quickly begin to grow on you due to their love of all things horror. This definitely has some decent thrills. There are a couple of really good kills, one of which is very Fulci-esque, and a few genuinely tense moments near the end. The real star of the show though is the environment. The creative mazes and attractions the characters' visit make the traveling carnival look like something you'd actually want to visit were it not for the demented murderer lurking about. Plus, it's hard to not get excited by a cameo from the Candyman himself, Tony Todd. It drops the ball in a pretty big way with its villain however. Outside of a neat reveal in the final scene there's nothing interesting about him. His most defining attributes are that he slowly plods forward in a clear nod to the likes of Jason Voorhees and Michael Meyers, a tear in his right shoe, and that he hums Pop Goes the Weasel. None of which make him very memorable or scary. It's this kind of thing the hold this back from ever attaining true classic status or turning into its own franchise with sequels. Still, even relying on visuals and location alone like it is, Hell Fest is ripe for a cult following. It got off on a bit of a wrong foot with me at first as its cast of young actors and actresses seemed prime to grate on the nerves. Yet, their enthusiasm proved infectious and it wasn't long before I was having just as much fun as they seemed to be having onscreen. The entire setup makes it a perfect October watch and it even capitalizes on the premise in some clever, effective ways. All of which is enough for me to give it a pass and a recommendation.