One Night of Fear is the new slasher film from director Brian Troxell (Spare the Rod, Deep Seeded, Intrusive Behavior).  It premiers on Video on Demand and Amazon Prime on November 30th.

The film is inspired by true stories from the Ocala National Forest in Florida.  Over the years, several hikers have gone missing without a trace and that lore lays the foundation for the plot.  Five friends head out into the Ocala National Forest for a weekend of camping.  When one of them is brutally killed by a mysterious psychopath, the rest of the group flees to a nearby house to hold up for the night.  With the help of a park ranger, they must find a way to survive while the mysterious stalker lurks in the shadows…with a really…big…machete.

I was super excited to review this one, because the Ocala National Forest is only about an hour away from me, and most of the filming was done even closer.  Plus, I’m a big supporter of more films being made in my home state.  But enough ranting….

Despite having a meager budget of $20,000, One Night of Fear shines in the cinematography department, boasting some impressive shots and pretty memorable scenes with the killer. The plot isn’t necessarily anything we haven’t seen before, but I believe that’s the point.  One Night of Fear felt like a horror film made by horror fans, for horror fans.  Around less than two minutes in, I found myself cheering out loud at a pretty blatant homage to the Friday the 13th franchise and one of its more memorable kills.

There are some great flashback scenes, and in my opinion this is where veteran B-movie actor Joel D. Wynkoop delivers what is arguably the best performance in the movie.

The other performances hold up, and the dialogue took me back to old Tales from the Darkside episodes.  Add in a handful of other 80’s slasher clichés- gratuitous nudity, a decent soundtrack and plenty of “why the fuck would you do that?!?” moments- and you’ve got a really solid B-horror flick that is reminiscent of the campy slasher movies many of us grew up on and still adore.

Ultimately, I give One Night of Fear 3 out of 5 stars.  It certainly has a place on an evening’s horror playlist, along with some cheap beer and pizza.

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