“Hold the Fort” Turns Suburban Homeownership Into Hellishly Hilarious Horror
“You can always tell which neighbors are gonna last.” That line hits differently when the neighborhood's crawling with literal demons and your HOA might be Satan's middle manager. Hold the Fort isn't just a horror-comedy—it's a therapy session for anyone who's ever survived escrow, nosy neighbors, or a real estate agent who swears the basement's totally not haunted.
Premiering July 2025 at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, William Bagley's latest film leans into the anxieties of first-time homeowners and yanks them through a flaming portal to hell—then hands them a garden hose and says, “Good luck.”
This is Bagley's first time screening at Fantasia, and judging by his giddy comment—“a dream come true!”—he's right where he wants to be. Known for The Murder Podcast, Bagley's voice blends low-budget inventiveness with a Gen Z-panic-button sensibility. Here, he doubles down on what's made his work tick: absurd setups, earnest protagonists, and horror that feels both ridiculous and real.
So what's the deal with Hold the Fort? It's simple: Lucas and Jenny (played by Chris Mayers and Haley Leary) finally land their dream home. It's cute. It's quiet. It comes with a HOA that's less about landscaping and more about death by hellbeast. When an onslaught of monsters from the underworld crashes their cul-de-sac, the couple has to fight to keep their home—and their lives.
Yes, there are demons. Yes, the HOA seems like it has a direct line to Beelzebub. And yes, this is the kind of film where every room probably has a cursed object and an expired inspection sticker.
The teaser, released by Blue Finch Films, gives off major Tucker & Dale vs. Evil meets Beetlejuice vibes—with a dash of suburban existential dread. You know that moment when a realtor says “this neighborhood has great schools” and your soul winces? Hold the Fort stretches that feeling across 90 minutes and drenches it in blood, bureaucratic satire, and neon-green ectoplasm.
It's not just another quirky horror flick. The real punch lies in its metaphor. Beneath the demons and slapstick gore is a subtle jab at how buying a home—a supposed life milestone—can feel like signing a contract with something much darker. You don't just get a mortgage. You inherit the ghosts of zoning laws, judgmental neighbors, and creeping doubt that maybe, just maybe… you made a deal you can't get out of.
And while the monsters might be the show-stealers, the real villain just might be the HOA president. You can bet he's got a clipboard, an unholy rulebook, and an agenda that's stricter than any ancient curse.
There's no wide release date yet, but Blue Finch will unleash this beast later in 2025. For now, all eyes are on Fantasia, where genre fans tend to spot the future cult classics early.
So—are you in? Or do you still think renting is safer?
