Gregory Plotkin is carving out quite the place for himself in the horror genre. He's probably best known for his extensive work on the Paranormal Acitvity franchise - having edited almost all of the movies and directing Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension - but you also might have caught his name in the credits of smash hits like Get Out and Happy Death Day as well because he edited those, too. Now this weekend Plotkin could continue to make his mark on the genre with his second feature directing effort, Hell Fest.
The movie features a group of friends who decide to spend the night out at a traveling haunted park called Hell Fest. Jump scares courtesy of mazes and creepy characters should be in good fun, but there's someone walking around the park that night who's taking their role way too seriously - and that's probably because this individual isn't even a park employee; they're a real slasher trying to pick off park guests one by one.
With Hell Fest hitting theaters on September 28th, I got the chance to sit down for a brief interview with Plotkin and producer Gale Anne Hurd which you can watch right here, but Plotkin also swung by the Collider studio for an extended chat during which we covered his path from production assistant on Weekend at Bernie's II to director, his experience working on Hell Fest and also some spoiler-filled behind the scenes details on his new slasher, The Other. You can hear about all of that using the audio player below. You can also access the interview using the PodcastOne App or on iTunes. (And don't worry; there's a spoiler warning during the chat in case you haven't seen Hell Fest yet!) This interview is available in video form as well. Click here to give it a watch.
For more Hell Fest interviews, check out the links below:
- Watch the Cast of ‘Hell Fest’ Play a Horror Themed Round of “Would You Rather”
- Tony Todd Talks ‘Hell Fest,’ Cats and His #1 Tip to Nail the ‘Candyman’ Remake
Here’s the official synopsis for Hell Fest:
A masked serial killer turns a horror themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show.
College student NATALIE (Forsyth) is visiting her childhood best friend BROOKE (Edwards) and her roommate TAYLOR (Taylor-Klaus). If it was any other time of year these three and their boyfriends might be heading to a concert or bar, but it is Halloween which means that like everyone else they will be bound for HELL FEST – a sprawling labyrinth of rides, games, and mazes that travels the country and happens to be in town. Every year thousands follow Hell Fest to experience fear at the ghoulish carnival of nightmares.
But for one visitor, Hell Fest is not the attraction – it is a hunting ground. An opportunity to slay in plain view of a gawking audience, too caught up in the terrifyingly fun atmosphere to recognize the horrific reality playing out before their eyes. As the body count and frenzied excitement of the crowds continues to rise, he turns his masked face to NATALIE, BROOKE, TAYLOR and their boyfriends who will fight to survive the night.
