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Happy Hell Night is Brian Owens' only stab at directing and considering the result that's hardly surprising. Because despite being a entertaining slasher flick Happy Hell Night has plenty of problems.

For a film that follows the genre conventions of a slasher flick the villain is oddly out of place. Instead of psychopath on the loose the villain here is a demonic presence of pure evil. This villain would have been better served in a movie with a eerie atmosphere something Happy Hell Night is thoroughly lacking. There's not really any suspense in any shape or form.

We get only minimal introduction to the characters and what we do learn about them doesn't cast them in a positive light, leaving little room for empathy. Jorja Fox, from the hit show CSI, is probably the most recognizable face in the movie. She makes an uncredited appearance gets a great death scene.

The plot manages to be both confusing and predictable. It would have been nice to have known a little bit about the reason for the demons' existence. But we don't get any insight into its motivation or raison d'être. The audience simply must except he's evil and has some reason for targeting the fraternity in question.

So why then is Happy Hell Night an entertaining slasher flick. Well for one it has all the ingredients a slasher flick needs. There's plenty of nudity although most of it is seen through the tube of a television. Which is a bit like second hand smoke it's still considered bad for you but doesn't deliver the same satisfaction. Most of the killers one liners fall flat because they just seem out of place or don't make any sense. But there are some unintentionally funny moments like the consternation on the faces of the protagonists when the murders that started it all are mentioned.

The murders are entertaining although even an icepick to the head gets boring after a while.

So the movie delivers on nudity, kills and unintentional humor in this case pretty much in that order. Sorry CSI fans Jorja Fox doesn't do any nudity here. Slasher fans will find plenty to like but casual viewers will find little to fawn over.

A lot has been written about this movie. Myself I found it a great experience. I thought it was a courageous attempt to make an almost documentary style action movie. True although the movie has a typical Miami vice plot the style is the direct opposite of the series. While the series was stylish flashy and high drama the movie gives an almost clinical view of the events that unfold. Case in point is the music that was so prolific in the series always remains in the background in the movie. The acting is also less expressive there is almost no crying or screaming in the movie. Things just seem to happen as they do in real life. It's refreshing to see a big budget movie that takes a new and daring approach to a genre. But do not be deceived it still makes for great cinema and Michael Mann sneaks a few beautiful shots in to the feature. My advise is check it out for yourself!

This is Corbuchi's third entry in a series of cop-thrillers featuring Thomas Millian as inspector Nico Giraldi. This series features more humor than other Italian cop-thrillers. They also contain less violence and less of a political statement. And worst of all there is hardly a story-line. Instead the movie focuses on Millian as a fun-loving member of a anti-theft squad. This particular movie is even a step down from it's earlier entry's. If you're looking for comedy go for it, but if you're looking for a good example of an Italian cop-thriller with lots of action, violence, corruption, and a revenge-theme you'll have to look elsewhere.