Evil Dead Trap, known in Japan as Shiryō no wana (死霊の罠), is a 1988 Japanese horror film directed by Toshiharu Ikeda and produced by Japan Home Video.
Plot:
TV show host Nami asks her viewers to send in home movies; she receives a snuff film apparently shot at a nearby factory. Taking a camera crew out to investigate, Nami finds the factory deserted. As Nami and her crew begin to scour the factory, they are murdered one-by-one in grisly fashion until only Nami remains. She ultimately discovers that the killer is Hideki, a small, fetus-like man conjoined to his fully grown, naive twin-brother, who seems unaware of the killings…
Special effects were by Shinichi Wakasa who would go on to a career as a monster-suit maker for several Godzilla movies. Hitomi Kobayashi who plays the supporting role of Rei Sugiura was a top star for Japan Home Video (JHV) under their adult video (AV) label Alice Japan. JHV financed the film as a vehicle for Kobayashi but director Toshiharu Ikeda, unsure of Kobayashi’s acting ability, instead put Miyuki Ono in the starring role.
Sequels followed in 1992 and 1993. Avoid the UK DVD which has footage substituted, containing a milder version.
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Reviews:
“Overall, Evil Dead Trap is worth watching for fans of Eastern cinema, or for horror fans in general. Though not particularly different from its American or European counterparts and not quite as good as others have claimed, the film at least serves up an atmospheric, if somewhat slow, package of slice and dice. Viewers should be warned, however, that although for most of its running time the film lurches around quite happily in its own semi-coherent universe, the final act will either astound the audience with its sheer weirdness, or have them throwing empty bottles at the screen.” BeyondHollywood.com
“It’s tense, it’s genuinely horrific, it’s beautifully directed by Ikeda with a real eye for colour and marvellous use of the geometry offered by the perspectives of corridors. Really absolutely one of the best horror films (Japanese or otherwise) I’ve ever seen.” MJ Simpson
“Evil Dead Trap starts out with a fresh concept and some clever suprises, but quickly deteriorates into a splatter-by-numbers flick that we’ve been seeing for thirty years now. The final arc of the story is a different tale altogether, but comes as too little too late to redeem the pedestrian middle act. And, as I mentioned, it’s pretty goddamn silly. The movie is aided by a soundtrack whose minimalist aspects could well be ripped from one of its Italian counterparts but still has a distinctively Japanese feel to it. Oh, and if you’re looking for the loudest, most obnoxious foley work you’ve ever heard, you’ve found your movie. I know what they were trying to accomplish by drawing out the senses, but it really just plays out as being more annoying than frightening.” For the Retarded
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