VOD from the Dead - Death Trip (2021)
Taking weekend trips with friends was a staple of my 20’s. Usually with just enough money to cover housing and essentials (booze, chasers, water, and some form of food), and sharing houses meant to sleep four with 16 people. It’s also safe to say that some of the places we stayed, or things we did, were not always with a “safety first” mindset. It’s only when I think back to those days now that I realize I am very lucky to have made it this far. My parents would be both ashamed, and I’d like to think a little proud as well. We aren’t here to talk about my bad decisions, but rather that of a group of friends in 2021’s DEATH TRIP. DEATH TRIP captures the reckless abandon so many of us experienced in the infancy of our adulthood, but does it deliver on the macabre promise the title suggests?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Four friends take a cottage trip in the dead of winter. During their stay, they discover dark details about the neighboring cottagers. After one of the friends is found mutilated, the group worries they're being targeted by angry locals.
Good chance they won’t be getting the cleaning deposit back after this weekend.
HOW IS IT?
I’m just going to come out and say that I really dug this. It’s not perfect, but it got a lot of things right. The first thing that stood out to me was the cast, specifically the group of friends. It feels very authentic, almost like this group are actually friends. I don’t know if that’s the case, but I was sold on them from the start. In fact, something that DEATH TRIP captures exquisitely well is the horror of how reckless we are as young adults and how dramatic our relationships are. Director and Co-Writer James Watts alongside Writer and Co-Star Kelly Kay tap into this part of life so well I found myself thinking about similar situations I had been in. There is a scene in particular where the group, consisting of four females and one male, is picked up by a group of guys to go to a random house party. The way everything plays out it felt less like a movie and perhaps déjà vu, and the tension in this particular scene is a powder keg that explodes with an absolutely nerve-shattering conclusion. I realize not everyone will relate to this kind of experience, but it’s worthy to note that DEATH TRIP succeeds where many movies fail; trying to capture the spirit of youth.
On a technical level, DEATH TRIP is a very slick production. There are some really wonderful shots, and some homages to a certain King / Kubrick collaboration, which makes DEATH TRIP more interesting to watch than the average horror film. There are times when it becomes a bit distracting though and takes you out of the film seemingly just for show. I can’t really fault this too much, as it isn’t overdone to the point of making the film less entertaining. The same could be said of the music which I found to be both intrusive and fitting. It’s creepy and off-key like you would expect, but there are a handful of times that it is a tad grating. Again, not something that deters as much as it is noticeable.
It’s hard to talk too much about DEATH TRIP’s plot without spoiling the fantastic reveal, but it is worth mentioning some of the uneven bits and abandoned ideas. For example, there is a hint at something supernatural, but it’s not developed enough and ends up feeling out of place. Overall the pacing is quite good which makes the 104-minute runtime move faster than expected. My major gripe with the film, and what keeps it teetering away from greatness, is the decision to do random cuts of different points in time. There is no payoff for this, and it ends up taking the focus away from the tension. The only reason this brings DEATH TRIP down is because of how much it happens, similar to the supernatural idea it’s a concept that hurts more than helps. While this brings the viewing experience down some, it is worth applauding the tension that ratchets up once the film hits the halfway mark. Up until then, it feels like a build-up to a slow burn (and I love a good slow burn) which ends up being a series of bad things getting worse at a brisk pace...and that’s something to be proud of!
Who would have thought a nice friends weekend would turn into a DEATH TRIP?
LAST RITES
DEATH TRIP captures the fun, frivolous, ill-advised, and often shady experience of a weekend trip with friends gone wrong in your 20s and mixes it with some truly fist-clenching moments of tension. While not all the aesthetic choices work, the cast and the script keep the viewer engaged and delivers the horror goods!
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Runtime: 104 Minutes
Where can you watch it?
DEATH TRIP will be available on February 16 On Digital from Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight.
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