Hellfest

The only thing that makes this film somewhat original is the setting. The director uses the space of a horror fest inside of an amusement park well, though the first half of the film's use of scares grows trite, and the strobe lights don't add to the scary feel as much as destroy it.

Character Development/Writing Quality: The film doesn't focus on character development at all. Instead, its concern is about annoying the crap out of the audience with constant 'jump scares', which get tired fast. Yes, this is a scary amusement park event, but the scares grow as stale as the immature sexual innuendos.

Values: Not many. Friendships are shallow, and there isn't much to like about the cookie-cutter characters. Taylor revels in committing "laps around the seven deadly sins".

Content (sex, language & violence): Sexual references, minimal language, violent kills (quite brief, but graphic)

Scare factor/suspense: The constant presence of the masked killer is unsettling, mostly for the characters rather than the audience. The special effects--scary clowns, zombies, some real and some not, and the ongoing barrage of scary noises--create an oversaturated atmosphere that actually takes away from the killer's intermittent appearances.

The main character, Natalie, is someone you root for, so she provides a reason to watch the unfolding. She is practically the only one who realizes that the killer is not an employee of the park, so her wit allows her to make smart moves.

SPOILER****Magically, the killer escapes the cops seconds after he is after two girls in the park. A weird cynical ATM-type ending, where the killer is never shown and is just a person who has a little girl.

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