Fantasia International Film Festival 2025 – Hold the Fort is one of those films that really should be seen with an audience. It’s gory, absurd, funny, and made with plenty of heart. It’s definitely a crowd-pleasing film. Horror fans, put this one on your radar.
Directed by William Bagley, who penned the script with Scott Hawkins, the film features a young couple, Lucas (Chris Mayers) and Jenny (Haley Leary), who move from the city to the suburbs. Jenny especially worries that maybe they won’t fit in. She questions if leaving the city was the best idea. Lucas, however, attempts to make friends from the get-go. He even chats up the president of the local neighborhood association, the uptight, sweater-wearing Jerry (Julian Smith). This initial tension between Jenny and Lucas regarding the move is a highlight, especially Jenny’s sarcastic quips about their new neighborhood. However, because the film is so short and lean, this aspect isn’t given much space and room to breathe. The film transitions to the action fairly quickly.
Jerry invites Jenny and Lucas to a neighborhood party. Well, it turns out the party entails neighbors fighting monsters. This occurs during the equinox when a portal to hell opens. Witches, kung-fu spirits, a werewolf, and a pretty gnarly looking big bad all emerge from the portal. The neighbors wield all kinds of weapons, including guns, a spatula, and sewing needles.
Again, because the film is under 90 minutes, there’s not a whole lot of time to develop the characters. That said, some of the neighbors do stand out beyond mere cannon fodder and have their moments and time to shine. It’s a hoot to hear Jerry unleash a flurry of curses after witches emerge from the portal and attack the home. Another neighbor, Leslie (Tordy Clark), can’t really function without snorting something, leading to more laughs. Then there’s McScruffy (Hamid-Reza Benjamin Thompson), a legend because of the number of monsters he’s killed over the years. He makes his entrance with guns-a-blazin’, until Lucas accidently shoots him in the leg with a shotgun.
In terms of laughs and gore, the film doesn’t relent. The fight against the monsters ramps up early into the runtime. The creature designs, for the most part, look cool, especially the reveal of the big bad. It’s evident the team behind this film has a love for practical effects and monsters. They’re also not afraid to spill a lot of blood and kill characters. There’s not a single neighbor in this film who isn’t painted red, and a few of the characters really get their dues and heroic moments. There’s also an interesting evolution that happens with Jenny and Lucas which makes up for their more one-note character development earlier in the film.
Hold the Fort is a bloody good time and entertaining romp. It’s a crowd-pleasing film that really should be seen with an audience. This film has plenty of monsters and lots of laughs.
