HOLD THE FORT (2025)

New On Demand from Vertigo Releasing!
Directed by William Bagley.
Written by William Bagley, Scott Hawkins.
Check out the trailer here!!

Lucas (Chris Mayers) and Jenny (Haley Leary) are newlyweds moving from the big city to the suburban community known as Fort Gruber. A close-knit community with a unique past. Because Lucas and Jenny didn’t really read the fine print on their neighborhood contract, they missed the part where, once a year, the neighborhood gets together for a potluck and then spends the night fighting monstrosities that escape from a Hell Mouth, a portal to hell that unleashes a variety of monsters to attack the earth. It just so happens that the first neighborhood meeting Lucas and Jenny are required to attend is the night the Hellmouth opens and they must join their neighbors in combatting whatever comes out of it.

HOLD THE FORT has a fun premise full of potential. Writer/director William Bagley and his co-writer Scott Hawkins show their creative side by having the neighborhood take on Kamakaze Bats, Kung Fu Ghosts, Zombies, Werewolves, Witches, and all sorts of monsters. Half of the fun of this film is seeing what kind of weird ass monster spews next from the Hell Mouth and what the neighborhood must do to take them on, using a crate filled with ancient and magic weapons, as well as an arsenal of guns and ammo. It’s almost as if those behind the film spun a wheel to pick what kind of creature comes out next. The randomness of it all makes HOLD THE FORT unpredictably fun.

Along with the kooky premise, HOLD THE FORT pretty much is a non-stop action romp from about fifteen minutes in until the credits roll. There is very little down time as the Hell Mouth keeps belching up monsters every hour, so if the group doesn’t kill all of the first threat, that means they have to take on the combined threat of that one plus a new one the longer the battle goes on. So there’s a ticking clock to these battles that adds some nice tension to the mix.

The effects are great and a lot of it is practical which I appreciate. Sure, the Kamakaze bats and witches on broom sticks are CG, but the practical werewolf was a nice touch. There’s also a cool monster known as the Stick Man that seems to be the granddaddy of all monsters who both looks terrifying with an original design and seems to be quite formidable. The non-stop parade of monsters makes this film feel fast-paced with threats coming from every direction.

There are some enjoyable characters. I especially liked the strait-laced performance from Julian Smith as Jerry the neighborhood coordinator and the no-nonsense gruffness of the Normal Fell-esque Levi Burdick as Ted. There’s also an awesome character named McScruffy (Hamid-Reza Benjamin Thompson) who plays a mercenary hired by the neighborhood who has badass combat experience. These three characters play things big and steal the show. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so bowled over by the lead, Chris Mayers as Lucas. First and foremost, he’s not that likable as his cowardly behavior puts his wife and the rest of the neighborhood at risk as he freezes just when the action begins. Now, I’m not saying that I would fare any better against monsters from a Hell Mouth but seeing him leave his wife behind isn’t very admirable a character trait. Yes, there is a redemption arc for Lucas, but for me, it was a little too little and a little too late. On top of that, Lucas’ wife Jenny (Haley Leary) is way, way, waaaaay too hot for him. Now, being a ginger myself, far be it from me to rag on a ginger dude getting a hot wife. But honestly, the film really does nothing to let us know a plausible reason for Jenny and Lucas are together. This is just a case of two fine and dandy actors who simply lack any chemistry whatsoever.

The comedy is peppered throughout and while this is a strong premise, I do feel that HOLD THE FORT does rely on it a little too much for laughs. The main joke is seeing suburbanites load up with weapons and fight monsters, but it feels as if that is the only joke this film has for most of the runtime. Sure, there is the randomness of the monsters and a few drug jokes thrown in for good measure, but I think the joke that these are suburbanites and their fighting monsters isn’t a premise that can fill an entire movie. I think this might have made for a great TALES FROM THE CRYPT or CREEPSHOW episode, but the premise doesn’t stretch to ninety-minutes.

If you look past the character flaws of the leads and the repetitious humor, there’s a lot to like with HOLD THE FORT. The low budget fun of the practical effects and the non-stop action do keep things going so fast, you can’t help but get caught up in the fun. It’s not perfect. But still, there is a lot to chuckle and thrill at with HOLD THE FORT.