Evil Dead Trap (1988)

A splatter slasher with a bit more cinematic substance that I expected.

I remember seeing the trailer for this movie many years ago on a dvd for another movie I owned and I always thought it was one of those straight to video nasty types. (The movie is fairly well known for one scene in the opening.) I assumed it wasn't the sort of thing I wanted to watch, but what always stayed with me was the music in the trailer and years later after being on an 80s Japanese media kick, I came back to this movie. and I'm glad I did. It is a far more polished movie than I assumed from the trailer and has some real substance in production values. All that said, it is not for the squeamish either.

The premise involves the lead reporter investigating the source of a disturbing video tape in hopes of getting a good scoop for her failing TV show and she is one of the better leads in a horror movie I've seen. The lead actress was just fantastic. I loved her makeup and wardrobe and she just dominated the screen with charisma. I could watch her all day she just exudes this 80s coolness. I also liked that she was a strong lead and made very smart logical choices in the context of being in a horror story. (Rare for this era). In fairness the majority of the cast reacted with a realistic and natural responses too. I liked this sort of more grounded sensible writing,

The other real star of this movie though was production. The soundtrack was fantastic and if you like 1980s vibes this is a big one. The sense of sadness and dread in some parts and tension in others was really well captures. I don't think I've noticed or thought about a horror track this much since Halloween. The film also uses some really nice camera shots. I'm not a film student but even I was noticing "what an interesting shot this is." I particularly remember one long wide shot filmed on the rooftops, it really wasn't what I was expecting from this genre.

The movie is not perfect though and without saying too much, personally I think the story holds it back somewhat from being up there with some of the classic greats of the genre. In the end it was a bit silly and is probably better when it's not analyzed too much. It's by no means terrible though and if you can suspend your disbelief and just come along for the ride, its a very functional and satisfying horror movie. I had a good time and would watch again.

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