Evil_Dead_Trap Knowpia

Evil Dead Trap
Evil Dead Trap
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Toshiharu Ikeda
Written by	Takashi Ishii
Produced by	Satoshi Jinno; Michio Ôtsuka
Starring	Miyuki Ono; Aya Katsuragi; Hitomi Kobayashi; Eriko Nakagawa; Masahiko Abe
Cinematography	Masaki Tamura
Music by	Tomohiko Kira
Production; companies	Director's Company; Japan Home Video
Distributed by	Joy Pack Film
Release date	May 14, 1988;
Running time	105 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

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

Plot edit

TV show host Nami asks her viewers to send in home movies; she receives a snuff film shot at a disused military base. She takes a camera crew out to investigate, and they are murdered one-by-one in a grisly fashion until only Nami remains.

Cast edit

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
Kyōko Hashimoto
Terumi Niki as the voice of Haha no Koe

Production edit

Special effects were by Shinichi Wakasa who would go on to a career as a monster-suit maker for several Godzilla films.^{[citation needed]}

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. However, director Toshiharu Ikeda, unsure of Kobayashi's acting ability, instead put Miyuki Ono in the starring role.^[1]

Release edit

Evil Dead Trap was released theatrically in Japan as Shiryō no wana (死霊の罠) on May 14, 1988.^[2] It was later released in Japan on VHS on September 25, 1988^[3] and as a DVD on June 23, 2000.^[4] 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.^[5]

Reception edit

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 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.^[6] 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.^[7] Empire'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".^[8] 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.^[9]

Legacy edit

References edit

^ 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.
^ 死霊の罠(1988) (in Japanese). All Cinema. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
^ "死霊の罠 [VHS]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. 25 September 1988. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
^ "死霊の罠 [DVD]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. 23 June 2000. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
^ "Evil Dead Trap - Synapse Films". Synapse Films. n.d. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
^ Condit, Jon (July 6, 2005). "Evil Dead Trap (1988)". Dread Central. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
^ Doherty, Niina (March 15, 2020). "Film Review: Evil Dead Trap (Shiryô no wana) (1988)". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
^ Dinning, Mark (January 1, 2000). "Evil Dead Trap Review". Empire. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
^ Weisser 2003, p. 91-92.

Bibliography edit

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)
Thomas Weisser; Yuko Mihara Weisser (2003). Japanese Cinema: The Essential Handbook : Featuring Japanese Cult Cinema Since 1955. Vital Books.