Evil Dead Trap / 死霊の罠 (Experimental J-Horror Slasher)
Here’s a good one, but not for reasons you’d likely guess. Having heard the legends of the “Evil Dead Trap Trilogy” (is it really though?), I was always curious about them, but not until I learned that 88 Films was doing their own Blu-ray drop of the first and second did I decide I should probably take a look at the first at least. More correctly translated as Trap of the Dead Spirits, Evil Dead Trap has been called an excellent homage to both the slasher and giallo genres within the realm of J-horror, yet is it really? In my opinion, no to both, but boy is it worth a watch for a very specific reason. I suppose you could argue there’s some giallo in here, and sort-of a slasher, but really this is J-horror, which has its own direction, so let’s start there.
Forget the plot, which is absolutely stupid. In Evil Dead Trap, TV host Nami Tsuchiya, who requests fan VHS submissions, finds herself caught in the mystery of an apparent snuff film she receives, which was shot at a local military facility that’s fallen into disrepair. Going their with her team to figure out the mystery all alone (lol okay), what ensues is a series of supernatural murders at the hand of an acceptably hooded slasher villain. Without spoiling the ending, which many have wrongly maligned, the plot pacing, and character development is largely empty and, at times, ludicrous. Other than the famous appearance of Japanese adult film star Hitomi Kobayashi, whose fame through Japan Home Video’s adult label Alice Japan (アリスJAPAN) led her to be billed as a top star in Evil Dead Trap, there’s not much to note about the characters or cast. The real reason to watch this one is the absolutely stunning filming style. It’s not the colors, its the settings, the camera angles, and the experimental touches that place this one above the usual, far beyond the approach of giallo cinema, and certainly even further past the usual slasher of the 1980s. Though you’ll easily fall into the plot once you get past the initial ridiculousness of it, the visual treats it displays are amazing.
Unearthed Films Official Facebook
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Evil Dead Trap (2021, 2024, Blu-ray)
Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
Distributor: 88 Films, Unearthed Films
4.4 / 5
