Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Evil Dead Trap Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 8, 2021

If Calum Waddell's name doesn't ring an immediate bell, but if you have a particular interest in horror, specifically Asian or Italian horror, you might want to check out Waddell's main IMDb credits listing page, where Waddell has amassed a kind of astounding 163 credits as producer, along with 142 as director, with a handful of other credits in writing and as either an actor or as a talking head in various featurettes. Chances are if you are a horror fan, especially if your collection has any number of cult items in it, you may in fact have seen a piece that Waddell had some hand in along the way. In that regard, when in a bonus feature included on this Blu-ray disc Waddell launches into a veritable laundry list of directors and/or films with a perceived connection to Evil Dead Trap, he has a rather authoritative ambience, despite the almost comical number of items mentioned. These include Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, and Mario Bava in the Italian giallo category, along with a glut of films ranging from Ringu to Emanuelle in America to Videodrome. And in fact David Cronenberg comes in for special mention not just by Waddell, but also by James Munch, in one of three commentaries also included on this disc as supplementary features. This if all to say that is some come away from Evil Dead Trap feeling like they've been consuming a very strange hybrid, there may be reasons why.

If, as some of the supplements also get into, it's kind of odd that Evil Dead Trap seems to be riffing on the title of The Evil Dead, the Trap part of its title may give at least a bit of a hint as to some of this outing's Saw-like proclivities, just to toss in yet another seeming reference point. Evil Dead Trap concerns a television hostess named Nami Tsuchiya (Miyuki Ono), who kind of perhaps comically works at what is almost like a public access show on cable, where she invites people to send in what amount to their home movies. One night she discovers an envelope on a control desk which turns out to be a VHS tape documenting the actual murder and gruesome immolation of a hapless woman. Nami, who harbors arguably unrealistic hopes of becoming a crusading journalist, decides to investigate. Cue the copious displays of more bodily immolation and various horrific ways of being gruesomely slaughtered via a variety of ways that would be amiably at home in any given Saw film and you basically have what seems to be "the rest" of the story.

But in a late reveal that will arguably be both infuriating and kind of gobsmacking in equal measure for some viewers, a bordering on science fiction element suddenly enters the fray, giving the last half hour or so of the film an almost lunatic energy. The upshot of all the mayhem won't be revealed here, other than to say that it in and of itself may remind some folks of yet another retinue of properties, either literary or cinematic (kind of hilariously, there's even an actual news article that's related, but which obviously contains some spoiler material for those who choose to click on the link). It's an undeniably gonzo development in any case, and is so odd that it delivers at least a hearty "WTF?" if not any significant "meaning". Also in a somewhat comical fashion, Evil Dead Trap takes the whole "supposedly dead villain coming back to life" to maybe delirious new heights, with the film offering what might reasonably be called several codas.

Evil Dead Trap Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Evil Dead Trap is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Unearthed Films and MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. I couldn't see any technical data listed anywhere on the packaging of this release, but a cursory look at the screenshots will probably fairly easily reveal a transfer that is rather heavily grainy most of the time, with some of the darkest scenes looking pretty splotchy and close to pixellation at times. While the entire transfer is fairly soft looking, detail levels are actually rather good in some of the (relatively brief) brightly lit outdoor scenes. That said, those scenes can feature a somewhat peculiar peach tint which becomes inherently less visible in the vast bulk of the presentation, which can alternately be just plain dark or often bathed in almost cobalt blue tones. There are some noticeable deficits in general detail and fine detail in particular in these very dark or deeply lit and/or graded scenes, to the point that it can be hard to make out what's going on in the frame at certain selected moments.

Evil Dead Trap Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Evil Dead Trap features LPCM 2.0 and LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks in the original Japanese. I frankly didn't hear a whale of a lot of difference between these two, though the interest score, which some of the supplements compare to Goblin but which also reminded me at times of Mike Oldfield's immortal "Tubular Bells" from The Exorcist. Dialogue is presented without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Evil Dead Trap Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Toshiharu Ikeda and SPFX Manager Shinichi Wakasa can be accessed under the Setup Menu.


• Audio Commentary by filmmaker Kurando Mitsutake (Karate Kill, Gun Woman) can be accessed under the Setup Menu.


• Audio Commentary with James Mudge of easternKicks can be accessed under the Setup Menu.


• Trappings of the Dead: Reflecting on a Japanese Cult Classic (HD; 19:18) is a well done piece with Calum Waddell which is referenced above in the main body of this review.


• Storyboards (HD; 6:13)


• Behind the Scenes Stills (HD; 3:13)


• Promotional Artwork (HD; 2:08)


• Trailers includes Evil Dead Trap (SD; 1:28) along with trailers from other releases from Unearthed Films.

Additionally, this release comes packaged with a slip cover.

Evil Dead Trap Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Evil Dead Trap may be of more interest for some its "meta" connections than for its actual content and or execution (pun probably unavoidable), but fans of Asian horror have evidently long considered this a Holy Grail of sorts, and so this release should be well appreciated at least by that particular demographic. Video quality encounters some hurdles, but audio is fine, and the supplements are very good, for those who are considering making a purchase.