Shiryo No Wana' (AKA Evil Dead Trap') is brutal Japanese horror/violence at its most interesting (but not its finest), however derivative of Italian, American and Canadian genre motifs and sensibilities. Of particular influence here are Argento, Fulci and Cronenberg; unfortunately, Ikeda falls short of the masters on most occasions.
With many standard genre elements tossed in, this grab bag is too unfocused and overlong. A tighter edit (by cutting approx. twenty minutes of extended scenes) could result in a potent brew, despite the film's copycat quality. The awkward mix of brutal, somewhat intense death scenes and, at times, rather silly, empty exposition leaves the viewer wanting more -- or much less. After the first hour, the action and imagery get stale and lack payoff. Around 1:20, a new storyline is introduced (the birth of Hidecki), which, despite its extremely bizarre quality, is not entirely welcomed.
But Ikeda's film does have its technical high points, esp. in the field of gruesome special FX. Some of the more interesting and original deaths scenes include (possible spoilers): A woman speared every which way but loose (that's what happens to young girls who have sex in horror movies!); a man stabbed through the back of the head and out the mouth; a girl hacked to the side of the face with a machete; and another girl tortured, then knifed in the eyeball (a la Bunuel/Peckinpah), embellished with an ample amount of oozing goo. And to make it all seem not so empty -- a rather explicit, sweaty sex scene. A disturbing film, not recommended for most. Followed by two sequels. --- david ross smith
With many standard genre elements tossed in, this grab bag is too unfocused and overlong. A tighter edit (by cutting approx. twenty minutes of extended scenes) could result in a potent brew, despite the film's copycat quality. The awkward mix of brutal, somewhat intense death scenes and, at times, rather silly, empty exposition leaves the viewer wanting more -- or much less. After the first hour, the action and imagery get stale and lack payoff. Around 1:20, a new storyline is introduced (the birth of Hidecki), which, despite its extremely bizarre quality, is not entirely welcomed.
But Ikeda's film does have its technical high points, esp. in the field of gruesome special FX. Some of the more interesting and original deaths scenes include (possible spoilers): A woman speared every which way but loose (that's what happens to young girls who have sex in horror movies!); a man stabbed through the back of the head and out the mouth; a girl hacked to the side of the face with a machete; and another girl tortured, then knifed in the eyeball (a la Bunuel/Peckinpah), embellished with an ample amount of oozing goo. And to make it all seem not so empty -- a rather explicit, sweaty sex scene. A disturbing film, not recommended for most. Followed by two sequels. --- david ross smith