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Evil Dead Trap
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Wikipedia article
'Evil Dead Trap' (known in Japan as lit. Trap of The Dead Spirits) is a 1988 Japanese slasher 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.
Cast
* Miyuki Ono as Nami Tsuchiya
* Yuji Honma as Daisuke Muraki
* Hitomi Kobayashi as Rei Sugiura
* Shinsuke Shimada as the TV producer
* Aya Katsuragi as Masako Abe
* Masahiko Abe as Akio Kondou
* Eriko Nakagawa as Rya Kawamura
* Mari Shimizu as the voice of Hideki
* Kyko Hashimoto
* Terumi Niki as the voice of Haha no Koe
Production
Special effects were by Shinichi Wakasa who would go on to a career as a monster-suit maker for several Godzilla films.
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.
Release
'Evil Dead Trap' was released theatrically in Japan as on May 14, 1988 and it was later released in Japan on VHS on September 25, 1988 and as a DVD on June 23, 2000. On November 7, 2000, the film was released on DVD in the United States by Synapse Films. The release included the original theatrical trailer, and audio commentary by director Ikeda and special effects manager Shinichi Wakasa.
Reception
'Evil Dead Trap' received positive reviews from critics, with praise highlighting the film's mixing of giallo and slasher film genres, cinematography, and special effects, while most criticism was directed at the film's weak ending.
Jon Condit from Dread Central rated the film a score of three out of five, highlighting the soundtrack, story, and cinematography as being reminiscent to Dario Argento's giallo films. While calling the film "fun and well crafted", Condit criticized the film's weak ending. Niina Doherty of 'HorrorNews.net' also criticized the film's ending, while commending the cinematography, special effects, and mixture of elements from slasher and giallo films. 'Empire Magazine's Mark Dinning gave the film four out of five stars, commending the film's cinematography, gore effects, and style, calling it, "an effective and bloody slasher let down only by its last act".
In their book 'Japanese Cinema: Essential Handbook', authors Thomas and Yuko Weisser awarded the film four out of four stars, calling it the best of contemporary J-Horror cinema, while also noting Argento's films as obvious inspiration.
Legacy
References
Bibliography
** Weisser, Thomas. (1998). "Asian Cult Cinema Report: Film, News and Gossip", in 'Asian Cult Cinema', #22, 1st Quarter, 1999, p. 4-6. (American premier of 'Evil Dead Trap')
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