I don't like posting questions with little information but I know there are a ton of horror fans who post here so I need your help.

I remember seeing a horror flick a loooooooooong time ago as a kid and the part I remember the most is a couple sitting in a bedroom in a huge mansion (I think it was a mansion) that was built right next to a cemetary, one of their friends had to run outside and get the keys off a man who was killed by something and when she got to the gate (I think by the cemetary) she had to pry his hand open to get the keys (she struggled a bit as well).

I remember the movie was very freaky because It was like the people were dazed throught the entire film.

It might be a Lucio Fulci flick but I'm not sure.

If you can help out at all - please do!!!!!!!

Could this be Hell Night, a cult-classic trashy horror flick with the incomparable Linda Blair as the straight woman???!! I think so!! Not a bad flick really when you compare it to the other Friday the 13th-style dreck coming out at the same time. I'm still waiting for the Special Edition.

Well, this is a guess, but Fulci does have a film called House by the Cemetary. Or would that be too easy?

It's not House by the Cemetary.

I'll check it out - and if it's not the one, I'll keep nagging everyone.

You are right Rivero - Damn good call

First, the movie is "Hell Night" with Linda Blair.

So, this may be considered a worthy blast from the past thread bump, maybe not. Yesterday was one of those extremely rare days where I didn't have to work, workout, or have any other obligations for the entire night.......man, talk about a recharge from just ACTUALLY relaxing, it was amazing.

I once again thought about this movie and even remembered that I posted this thread many moons ago and decided I wanted to watch it to definitely make sure I had the correct movie - I thought I did from my replies in this thread but then never watched it. I questioned if it was the correct title again because I remember that it looked like they were wearing old clothes from a different time period. Well, I got a good laugh because the old clothes thing was correct but only because they were in costume in the movie.

The main reason why I'm dusting this thread off is because the movie is actually VERY good. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for making the villain/monster so mundane (which I actually didn't have a problem with and even kind of preferred it) - this could have been a movie right up there with the classis slasher big name films.

It moves slow and is basically two genres in one movie, but it really works for the last part of the film.

Irwin Yablans who was a producer on a lot of good flicks was one of the producers on this as well.

TCM played it the Halloween before last. I didn't like it anywhere near as much as you did, but speaking of slasher movies that were better than expected, I saw The Burning last night on Tubi and thought it was impressively well-done.

Lol, I remember the burning. It was ok. Funny you named a movie that was made the same year as hell night.

At the end when Linda Blair crashes the car into the gate, impaling the killer, I can't help thinking there's a model of it in the Allstate museum and J.K. Simmons saying, "been there done that".

lol - good one. I really am surprised to see people replying to this thread

The poster is burned into my mind, as I would see the cover every single time I went to the video store as a kid. Oddly, it wasn't until after seeing the movie I realize the poster shows Linda Blair grabbing the gates of the estate, I always misinterpreted the picture her hanging outside the barred windows of a house, trying not to fall to her death. It never occurred to me to ask, "How did she get on the other side of those bars?"

Well, since she tries to climb, and hangs from that gate*, maybe your childhood self was inadvertently half-right?

*I know this because the thread made me watch the movie, which has been on my list since probably 1983. For some reason, it never had enough buzz to get me to fully take the plunge.

it's a pretty solid movie, with a couple decent jump-scares, some good suspenseful sequences and atmosphere, and generally good performances.

it's not quite gory enough, about 15 minutes too long, and the $1.89 they spent on the villain's make up is disappointing.

I love the Burning. I watch it quite a bit actually.

Hell Night I’ve only seen a few times. I think I picked up the shout release a while back. I mostly remember that poster/box art.

The flick has sentimental value for me because it's one of those movies "I shouldn't have been watching at a young age" and for some reason, it really stuck with me. I now remember the part where I was talking about them being "in a daze" as well - it's when they're' in the bedroom and the creep comes through the floor under the carpet, no music or anything - that was cool and even much cooler and freakier when you're a kid.

The blonde dude going to the police station, stealing the gun, etc.. all uber cheese but I still think this is a better horror movie than most - even compared to today's horror flicks.

L. Ron zyzzle - yeah, it's not gory enough because Irwin Yablans (the producer) wasn't a fan of gore.

I seem to remember Fango publishing pictures of the head in the bed, which was enough for me to think it was going to be great!

They wanted a decent amount of gore in the original Halloween as well, Yablans curbed it, I THINK Carpetner wanted a decent amount of blood as well but I'm not sure on that.

Hell Night is one of my all time favorites. Literally. I put it on a "top-ten all time" list here a year or two ago and got a lot of "What?"

(I'm posting this from my home office/studio, which has an original poster of the movie framed and hanging on the wall)

I first saw it as a teen, on a Friday night horror marathon on Showtime. It was the last film of the night and I was pretty burned out, I think I started reading a magazine or something as it started in the background. But after Kevin Brophy's monologue about the history of Garth Manor, I was in for the duration. Owned it on VHS, it was the first DVD I ever bought, I have the Scream Factory Blu, and if there's ever a cleaned up transfer taken from a negative and not a theatrical print, I'm buying it again.

A lot of things make it great. The costumes for one, because it doesn't get dated like a lot of movies from the era. I mean, who doesn't chuckle at Jamie Lee Curtis' bell bottoms in Halloween, or Kevin Bacon's short shorts in Friday the 13th? The setting is just wonderful, one of these days I'll visit the Kimberly Crest Mansion in Redlands. And the cinematography from Mac Ahlberg is top notch. Check out the scene where the windows fly open and blow out the candles, and Linda Blair is bathed in a blue glow. Cinematic chef's kiss on that one.

The relative obscurity of it works in its favor too; there's never been a sequel, some inanity like Andrew Garth surviving the gate impalement, or that Linda Blair's Marti is actually a Garth, or any stupid shit that they need to do to make it a "franchise"

I do agree that it runs a little long though, there's a few "walking" scenes that go on for a good 5 minutes without anything happening or even much of a payoff. It's already like an hour and 45, you could trim a good ten minutes and still be in that 85-95 minute running length that's typical for a slasher.

By the way, does everyone know that one of the production assistants on this was Frank Darabont? Yes, THAT Frank Darabont.

I wonder if the title of this thread should be changed to to "Hell Night (1981) Discussion", as it seems to be a movie a lot posters might have two cents to chip in, but aren't clicking on the vague thread title.

Good idea - I may have asked a mod myself but I honestly expected nobody at all to reply after I bumped this.

I definitely agree with the running time, that's one of the gripes I have with it - small gripe though.

It doesn't surprise me that Darabont was involved - even if you hate this movie - you can't deny that it was made well.

If you listen to the audio commentary (and you should), one of the things the PAs did was have all these pre-burned candles in various lengths, sorted in boxes. The film was totally shot out of sequence, so before a scene the PAs would ask where they were in the script for a particular scene, then put in proper length candles so you don't have the blooper of long candles on scenes late in the movie. You don't often get that kind of dedication on a low-budget slasher that was (let's face it) basically an effort to cash in on the Halloween/Friday the 13th popularity.

(although this doesn't explain why when the fraternity/sorority kids bust into Garth Manor at the beginning of the film, there's already several candles burning inside. Didn't think of that one, didja Frank?)

Funny you mention that. I tool that the candles were already lit in the manor because they were in there previously setting up the scares.

I will give this a shot since I have wondered about a horror movie since I was a kid. Saw it on TV at a very early age and it scared the shit out of me. Somewhere between 1977 and 1980 so definitely a movie before that time. Can't remember if it was in color or not.

All I remember about it was a detached hand or arm coming after or attacking people and I know there are several movies with such actions. The biggest clue I remember is it either coming out of the water or a boat and attacking a person on a boat dock. Then "crawling" its way to a door on a small porch where someone answers or opens the door.

That's it. All I can remember. I have tried several of the old "detached attacking hand/arm movies" but never seemed to find that scene from the few I have checked out. It could have been a TV movie as far as I know but I truly have no idea. The damn thing has plagued me for years in not being able to find it.

Thread renamed!! Thanks Adam.