Evil Dead Trap

Evil Dead Trap (known in Japan as Shiryō no wana (死霊の罠) lit. Trap of The Dead Spirits) is a 1988 Japanese horror film directed by Toshiharu Ikeda and produced by Japan Home Video. The films follows the conventions of a slasher film.

Evil Dead Trap
Directed byToshiharu Ikeda
Written byTakashi Ishii
StarringMiyuki Ono
Aya Katsuragi
Hitomi Kobayashi
Eriko Nakagawa
Masahiko Abe
Music byTomohiko Kira
CinematographyMasaki Tamura
Production
company
Distributed byJapan Home Video
Release date
  • May 14, 1988 (1988-05-14)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

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

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.[1]

Release

The film was released theatrically in Japan as Shiryō no wana (死霊の罠) on May 14, 1988[2] and it was later released in Japan as a VHS tape on September 25, 1988[3] and as a DVD on June 23, 2000.[4] A DVD version titled Evil Dead Trap with English subtitles came out November 7, 2000 from Synapse Films.[5]

Reception

Evil Dead Trap received mostly positive reviews from critics. Jon Condit from Dread Central awarded the film a score of 3/5, writing, "Evil Dead Trap is a fun and well crafted movie, but its enjoyability (YES it is a word in my dictionary) is seriously damaged toward the end. Ah, the precious ending where so much is at stake when it comes to winning over the horror fan who’s seen so much ass-tacular celluloid that’s it’s tough to sell them on anything."[6] Mark Dinning from Empire Magazine gave the film 4/5 stars, writing, "Not one for the faint of heart, this is an effective and bloody slasher let down only by its last act."[7]

References
  1. Galloway, Patrick (2006). "Evil Dead Trap: Shiryo no wana". Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press. p. 165. ISBN 1-933330-12-0.
  2. 死霊の罠(1988) (in Japanese). All Cinema. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  3. "死霊の罠 [VHS]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  4. "死霊の罠 [DVD]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  5. Evil Dead Trap (1988). Amazon.com. ASIN 6305789649.
  6. Condit, Jon (2005-07-06). "Evil Dead Trap (1988) - Dread Central". Dread Central.com. Jon Condit. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  7. Dinning, Mark (January 2000). "Evil Dead Trap Review". Empire Online.com. Mark Dinning. Retrieved 21 July 2018.

Bibliography
  • Thompson, Nathaniel (2006) [2002]. "EVIL DEAD TRAP". DVD Delirium: The International Guide to Weird and Wonderful Films on DVD; Volume 1 Redux. Godalming, England: FAB Press. p. 254. ISBN 1-903254-39-6.
  • 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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