Evil Dead Trap (1988)

EVIL DEAD TRAP (1987)

Dir: Toshiharu Ikeda

Nami, the host for Nami's Late Late Night requests home movies from her audience. When she receives a snuff film, she takes her crew out to investigate. The factory where the film was shot appears empty, but as they begin searching for clues, they quickly realize they are not alone.

Evil Dead Trap gives us a slasher film that we want out of the eighties while also giving us something entirely Japanese. At 55 minutes, all of Nami's friends are dead. What follows is 25 minutes of agony as we wait for exposition, effects, twists, or a busload of teens that happen upon the factory and get another ten to fifteen deaths. But no, it's Nami wandering around with a mysterious stranger.

At the one hour twenty mark we have fire, explosions, another shot of synth music, and the death of the killer. Why is there another twenty minutes left? Oh, it's because the guy had a demon fetus inside him the whole time. I always miss that twist in films. The demon is shown via great special effects, with rain and slime, and there's an Alien (1979) vibe to it. But then it speaks in a child’s voice, "You took my brother." Shinichi Wakasa, the special effects creator, went on to make the monster suits for a few Godzilla films. The last twenty minutes is Nami running around, knocking down walls of the set, flames erupting everywhere, and a final twist.

It is a Japanese Dario Argento film. While the end may slide into some very weird territory, the elements of Giallo and slasher prevail. If you view the stranger, who's helped Nami through the film, as having a split personality that killed her friends, then it’s par for the course in Giallo. The killer doesn't die when he's shot, stabbed, or burned, this is a page out of the western Slasher films. The cinematography, sets, effects, and Goblin-esque soundtrack, while all reminiscent of historic horror, are all uniquely used and original. If it wasn't for that immensely boring twenty-five minutes in the middle of the film, Evil Dead Trap would be perfect.