Last year's carnival slasher movie Hell Fest is having three of its featured masks made available to the public from Trick or Treat Studios. The officially licensed masks are now available to pre-order, featuring The Other, Hell Devil, and The Executioner. The latter two will retail for $9.99, with The Other costing a bit more at $24.99. Described as perfect, screen-accurate replicas, the masks are sculpted by Tony Gardner and are expected to ship in August or September.
Released in 2018, Hell Fest is directed by Gregory Plotkin using a screenplay by Seth M. Sherwood, Blair Butler, and Akela Cooper. It takes place in a traveling horror carnival known simply as "Hell Fest." The story follows a group of teens attending the theme park only to discover a masked serial killer is intent on killing them all for real. For some horror fans, it was great to see a new, original slasher movie playing on the big screen. Against a $5.5 million budget, the movie grossed over $18 million at the box office. Although profitable, the return did not meet the higher expectations Lionsgate and CBS Films had been anticipating.
One of the brightest spots of Hell Fest is with guest star Tony Todd, who plays the carnival's barker. The part is one of the more interesting roles of Todd's career, and the impression he leaves on the movie is very memorable. Although his screen time is limited, the barker can still constantly be heard throughout the movie, with his voice announcing the park's various attractions. Given that it's not confirmed whether Todd will appear in Jordan Peele's upcoming Candyman reboot, it's great for the actor to maintain a strong presence in the horror genre with other memorable characters like his role in Hell Fest.
It would be great to Todd reprise the role in a potential sequel to the movie, but it doesn't seem likely to happen. Because profits weren't as high expected, moving forward with a sequel could be seen as taking a gamble. For what it's worth, however, Plotkin is willing to return to direct should the sequel ever happen, saying he's discussed potential ideas with Todd and producers. "Tony is just a phenomenal person and a phenomenal actor. He and I had a lot of conversations about it," Plotkin said in a Daily Dead interview. "There's this whole idea of that mask room was kills that he's done in years past. I have thought through quite a few fun new kills we could employ and some different scenarios."
Hell Fest may not have been the smash hit at the box office producers were hoping for, but the movie does have its fans. If official merchandise sells well, that can only increase the chances of seeing a sequel to the movie made one day. If not, these masks will still serve as cool pieces of modern horror movie memorabilia to own. You can pre-order them now over at Trick or Treat Studios.
