A group of Southern Cal students are forced to spend a night in an abandoned mansion known for its disturbing history. What begins as a prank intended to frighten them quickly turns into something more sinister, suggesting the stories surrounding the house may be true. Peter Barton and Vincent Van Patten portray two of the central male characters. “Hell Night,” released in 1981, feels very much like "Friday the 13th" but set within a gothic-style building. Those who enjoyed films such as "The Funhouse," "The Prowler," "Zombie High," and "Prom Night IV: Deliver Us from Evil" might find something to enjoy here, though “The Funhouse,” "Prom Night IV," and even the "Friday the 13th" movies are generally more enjoyable experiences. Beyond Linda Blair’s appearance, Suki Goodwin and Jenny Neumann offer noteworthy performances among the female cast; their looks are presented without being overly explicit. It's a suitable horror film for Halloween because it incorporates all of the expected elements, and isn’t as unpleasant to watch as some other movies in the genre. It does suffer from having too many unnecessary scenes, and trimming about ten to twelve minutes would have improved it considerably. The film has a running time of one hour and forty-one minutes and was filmed at Kimberly Crest Estate in Redlands (identified as Garth Manor), University of Redlands, and various locations in Redlands, California. Interior party scenes were shot in South Pasadena, and studio work occurred in Hollywood. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB