The 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival has begun! Kicking off my coverage is an outrageous horror comedy, Hold the Fort. Written and directed by William Bagley (The Murder Podcast), Hold the Fort follows a married couple moving from the big city to a suburban, HOA neighborhood. If you thought your HOA was bad, at least it doesn’t include battling a hoard of evil creatures escaping a portal to Hell once a year.

From the moment Hold the Fort begins, audiences will have a good idea of the kind of humor that’s in store. When we first meet Lucas, new resident to the community, he’s on a run through his new neighborhood. It looks and feels very Leave it to Beaver, but there are signs something about this place is off. Lucas’s wife, Jenny, isn’t as thrilled about the move because Lucas didn’t tell her it was an HOA neighborhood. They get invited to an “equinox party” by the HOA president on their first night in the new home. It’s at the clubhouse party they discover Lucas didn’t read the contract very thoroughly – the neighborhood is next to a portal to hell that opens once a year, unleashing vampires, witches, werewolves, and worse. It’s a hilarious premise for two main reasons. First, most people hate HOAs. I for one have never been a fan, but this film turns the HOA into the good guys up against hellish monsters. Second, the shock the two main characters experience relies on a common occurrence – no one reads an HOA contract from start to finish. If Lucas had done that, they would have been informed enough to either decide not to move there or to make sure they’re properly armed for battle.

The film has a very silly type of humor that won’t appeal to everyone, but those who connect with it are sure to have a great time. Most of the characters are caricatures, overacted a bit to emphasize how outrageous these people are and the situation is. The film establishes just enough lore for everything to make sense, but leaves it vague in other areas in order to pack in plenty of surprises. There are a number of great one-liners that might not always land, but they certainly add to the camp and humor. I also urge audiences to stay at least for the first half of the credits. If you do, you’ll get to see some fun bloopers, which I wish more films included. Hold the Fort is the kind of horror comedy that will become a watch party and Halloween horror movie marathon favorite, especially with its quick 74 minute runtime.

With most of the performances being intentionally over the top, the casting was vital to Hold Your Fort‘s success. Chris Mayers (Creepshow, Atlanta) plays new resident, Lucas. At first, Mayers makes this character come across as intensely upbeat and optimistic. Yet when the bloodshed begins, it’s unclear if Lucas will rise to the occasion and be a hero or a zero. While Mayer’s portrayal definitely leans into camp, it’s also one of the more understated performances. Haley Leary (Spookt, Bad Candy) plays Lucas’s wife, Jenny. Of all the characters, Jenny is the most realistic and relatable. Leary gives a great performance, making Jenny a funny, sarcastic, tough character audiences will love. Other laugh-out-loud performances come from Julian Smith (Rub Some Bacon on It), Michelle I Lamb (Law & Order: SVU), Levi Burdick (Satisfaction), Hamid-Reza Benjamin Thompson (Avengers: Infinity War), and more.

Adding to the comedic camp are the sights and sounds of Hold the Fort. The music sets the tone first. With each scene the score changes to fit the mood. It goes from 50’s sitcom to 80’s action synth to a heroic composition and everything in between. The music seems to cover every mood and time period to match the scene. When it comes to the visuals, the filmmakers chose to primarily have the film take place in a single location, the neighborhood clubhouse, so the creatures can shine. The portal and everything that comes out of it are brought to life with a combination of CGI and practical effects. The CGI is a bit cheesy, but that is rather in keeping with the tone of the film. The practical effects can look a bit rough, but for the most part they’re fantastic. Whether it’s creating gory wounds or monsters from your worst nightmares, the effects team ensured audiences were treated to a feast for the eyes.

Hold the Fort has everything horror fans could want – laughs, gore, and a monstrous HOA party. Bagley created a film that is sure to become a horror fan favorite. It’s campy, it has plenty of frightening creatures, and anyone who has lived in an HOA neighborhood will easily relate to the two new residents. All of the performances are fantastic, whether they’re intentionally silly or more grounded in reality. While the comedy and writing is a very specific kind of humor some might not connect with, Hold the Fort will no doubt gain a horde of fans who appreciate a side of jokes with their carnage.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10