Fantasia Fest 2025: Hold The Fort Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

This year’s festival is off to a strong start with William Bagley’s comedy-horror, Hold The Fort. The film follows Lucas (Mayers) and Jenny (Leary), a couple who, once they move into their new suburban neighborhood, quickly discover that nothing is as it seems when the HOA president, Jerry (Smith), invites them to the neighborhood’s annual equinox party. Walking the tightrope between absurdist comedy and gory over-the-top action, the party guests square off against witches, ninja zombies, exploding bats, and a werewolf as they are unleashed from a supernatural portal.

Bagley thrusts audiences straight into the action within the film’s short 78-minute runtime, as the couple get no chance to settle into their home and are forced to mingle through this party ritual. It refreshingly abandons the mystery unravelment often found in the horror genre, letting Lucas and Jenny, as well as audiences, know what they’re getting into immediately. Despite the obvious signs throughout the party, the couple’s initial oblivious behavior makes for a hilarious shock to the rest of the partygoers. Smith’s refined delivery as Jerry, and the forwardness of the character defines the nucleus of Hold The Fort, providing the casual suburban banter and meticulous management expected from an HOA handling a supernatural bloodbath.

Mixing practical effects with some noticeable VFX, the film never takes itself too seriously and prioritizes silly, over-the-top violence to carry it. Hold The Fort is effective at balancing this gory action with efficacious comic relief in our supporting characters dealing with their routine monster hunting, rapidly cutting between the extremes without breaking the immersion. While having a simplistic story and shallow character development, this swiftly paced film substitutes these deficiencies with video game-inspired action, referring to the monsters appearing in designated waves. While its limited budget becomes apparent at times, its quick-moving action minimizes these concerns to let viewers enjoy the chaos trapped in the fort.

In the end, Hold The Fort provides a fast-paced blend of comedy and horror, utilizing much of its limited budget to provide a silly and over-the-top story. Writer-director William Bagley brings this to life with gory violence, fun practical effects, and witty comedic relief that allows audiences to ignore the lack of character development. Without taking itself too seriously, the film marks a fitting addition to Fantasia, an indie horror film that audiences will have a blast with.

still courtesy of Fantasia Festival

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Costa Christoulas

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