Fantasia Film Festival 2025 Review: Hold the Fort

Hold the Fort still. Photo: Fantasia Film Festival.

Lucas (Chris Mayers) and Jenny (Haley Leary) are finally homeowners, but there’s just one small catch; they are now part of a Home Owner’s Association with a strict set of rules that must be followed. 

All in all, it seems like a fair price to pay for their share of the suburban dream, but this HOA has one bylaw the new homeowners may have skimmed over; once a year, a portal to hell opens up in their small community. 

After being invited to an annual equinox party in the neighbourhood, Lucas and Jenny learn that their fellow suburbanites have to battle with an influx of deadly creatures from hell each year as they come spewing out of the hole. 

Writer-director William Bagley takes this Cabin in the Woods-style concept and transplants it to suburbia with great results. The tone is dialled up to 11 with a mix of pithy one-liners and over-the-top gore that feels destined to elevate Hold the Fort into a late-night staple. 

As the residents battle with wave after wave of new horrors from witches to exploding bats, the film takes on a Looney Tunes-level of slapstick insanity, with characters brutally killed off left and right. 

Horror-comedies are a tough genre to crack, but with a solid mix of practical effects and performances that are perfectly tuned to this film’s frenetic frequency, Hold the Fort proves that there’s always something when you’re a homeowner.

Hold the Fort screened as part of Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival. It screens again on July 26 at 12:00 pm — tickets are available here.