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Greetings, ghoulies!

I’m your host, Dustin J. Fallon, and welcome to another Horror And Sons film review!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned with certainty in my adulthood, it’s that being a homeowner can sometimes be a nightmare. Okay, it’s a bitch. While thankfully not something that I have to personally worry about, I’d imagine that dealing with an HOA (Homeowner’s Association) is one of Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell, somewhere between Heresy and blue cheese.  However, in writer/director William Bagley’s new film Hold The Fort, that Hell becomes quite literal for a couple who quickly discover that buying their new home has placed them in the middle of a battle between the members of their HOA and a parade of practically-created creatures from beyond.

Hold The Fort now comes to HD Digital this June 23rd, and should be available to rent or own on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango At Home. The film is the second feature from Bagley, whose previous film, The Murder Podcast, released in 2021. Hold The Fort premiered at 2025’s Fantasia Film Festival, followed up by screenings at Beyond Fest and Toronto After Dark among others.

In the film, Jenny and Lucas have just purchased their first home. Set in a nice suburban neighborhood called Gruber Hills, it could be a dream finally come true for the young couple. It could also prove to be a nightmare as it’s a HOA community; a decision that Lucas signed off on without advising his wife… and without actually reading the contract. Both prove to be big mistakes on his behalf. Chris Mayers and Haley Leary star as “Lucas” and “Jenny” respectively. Both appeared in the 2020 horror anthology film Bad Candy. (Remember that title. I guess it’s important.) Mayers has also appeared on Shudder’s “Creepshow” series, while Leary has also appeared on “The Walking Dead” and in 2022’s Dead By Midnight: Y2Kill

Before the couple has even finished unpacking, they are paid a visit by their HOA president, Jerry, portrayed by internet comedian/content creator Julian Smith. After briefly welcoming the couple to the neighborhood, Jerry invites them to the neighborhood’s annual Equinox party, held that evening at the Association’s “clubhouse”; Fort Gruber, named after the property’s original owner. Here, Lucas and Jenny find the various residents of their community gathered for what appears to be a rather casual and friendly event. There’s a potluck and even a raffle for fabulous prizes, which are followed by the evening’s main festivities: defending your life against the various evil creatures that emerge from a portal to Hell that bursts open in the neighborhood on this particular night each year… a minor inconvenience Lucas would have known about had he actually read his HOA contract. Oops.

Within minutes of the film’s opening, a battalion of witches on broomsticks spew forth from the hole, unleashing a barrage of magic missiles that decimate multiple residents in Gallagher-esque buckets of blood, brains, and body parts… most of which ends up on Lucas’s face in ways that feel like a tribute to Evil Dead 2. (Which I’m super cool with.) From here, the remaining band of eccentric neighbors rally to survive the night as more monsters of varying species crawl, fly, and float their way from the opening. Meanwhile, a frightened and bewildered Lucas spends most of his time cowardly running around like a headless chicken in attempts to save his own life… which occasionally ends in the injury and/or death of other characters. Oops again. Eventually, Lucas will have to find an inner strength he’s never known if he hopes to get he and his wife out alive.

Hold The Fort‘s action comes pretty rapid fire, with monsters mashing (well, witches a-witching), heads popping, and guns ablaze within minutes of its opening. As previously mentioned, there’s no shortage of blood on display, although nothing here is what I’d call gory or gruesome. Things do slow down some during the film’s second half. However, despite the number of bodies (human and otherwise) piling up, the film remains delightfully silly throughout, reflecting the absurdity of its scenario through Lucas’s reactions to each new situation that he finds himself. Even some of the monsters themselves, particularly the exploding bats, are fairly ludicrous, as is the perpetually one-liner popping “professional monster killer” (named “McScruffy”) that is brought in for assistance each year. All this said, Hold the Fort makes it all work wonderfully; never over-doing things to obnoxiousness or burying itself by trying to do too much.

Now, there are some CG effects to be found, but I did find these to be used rather sparingly and never in a way that distracted or took me out of the viewing experience. As previously mentioned, the majority of the film’s various monsters (or, at least, the more humanoid ones) were achieved through practical make-up and costuming effects. While most of the various monsters look decent enough, one particular creature maybe isn’t entirely convincing, but wisely spends the majority of its screen time obscured in shadows. (What’s up with that mouth though?)

For me, what made Hold The Fort most entertaining was its cast of quirky supporting characters, such as the drugged out Leslie (Tordy Clark, who also appeared in Bad Candy, as well as 2022’s Glorious) or the gruff, but amicable Ted (Levi Burdick, who also appeared in The Murder Podcast). Each has their own eccentricity, some more pronounced than others. As such, you may find yourself disappointed or even saddened to watch some of them die, even if you might not want to associate too closely with such people in your real life. Then again, maybe you would. I don’t know your opinions on meth. You do you, baby.

Overall, I found myself highly entertained by Hold The Fort, enough so that I can see myself returning to the film again in the future. If I have to find some sort of complaint or shortcoming, it would be that as the arrival of each new creature generally takes place after the previous had been dispatched, it does rob the viewer of the joy of seeing these various monstrosities on-screen together at the same time and, if not exactly interacting with each other, presenting their threats as more of a group. A “monster party”, if you will. Again, this is more of a personal preference and is not something that truly hurts the film in any real way. Consider it bitching for the sake of having something to bitch about… not that I’m actually bitching.

Hold The Fort comes highly recommended from this viewer, and I do see this being a film that many other horror fans very well might enjoy.