EVIL DEAD TRAP (1988)

 

Directed By: Toshiharu Ikeda Written By: Takashi Ishii  Cinematography: Masaki Tamura  Editor: Akimasa Kawashima 

Cast: Miyuki Ono, Aya Katsuragi, Hitomi Kobayashi, Eriko Nakagawa, Masahiko Abe

A late-night TV presenter receives a snuff tape, in which a woman is brutally killed. She decides to take a crew out to a location indicated in the tape, but only death and despair await them.

This is a movie best to go in blind as even if described it can never match the experience of watching it and what actually happens throughout the film. 

The location of the film the warehouse that the characters go through Is a character In itself as it seems the deeper and longer they stay there it seems to get bigger and as they journey along it seems like they are going deeper and deeper into hell on earth. A demented funhouse that seems to be a playhouse for the killer. 

This is a movie I had heard about for a while but from its title believed it to be an Evil dead movie Rip off. 

The irony is that the film actually does at times seem to have homages to the film of Its title’s inspiration with scenes of a rampaging camera going throughout the location. As seemingly whoever the evil is seeking.

You also have to consider when the film was made and released. As it’s a refreshingly original film where you can see the inspiration for many other horror films. In its, DNA is definitely in the SAW movie franchise with the boobs traps and graphic violence and consequences. 

The special effects and make-up are impressive and practical. Especially for the time as you can tell this was a film made with love of the genre 

Unfortunately, one of the few weaknesses of the film is that while trying to serve us sec and nudity, which seemed more common for the genre at the time we get a graphic sec scene but we also get a totally unnecessary graphic rape scene. That really adds nothing but gives the film an unneeded sense of depravity. Punishing certain Characters even more cruelly than needed and for no reason.

This is the kind of film where after a while you kind of give up all hope of sense or the film comes to a logical conclusion and just goes with it the chaos that it offers up and hopes it is worth it or it stays as unpredictable as it has presented itself so far. 

The film doesn’t have a big body count but makes up for it with impressive and original kills. Not to mention piling on the tension at times. Even if towards the end it feels a little long and overplayed. 

Grade: B