Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Hell's Trap Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 17, 2024

The perils of masculinity largely drive the action of 1989’s “Hell’s Trap,” with men making terrible errors in judgment in the name of dominance. Director Pedro Galindo III (“Vacation of Terror II”) aims for frights, but he also arranges something of a survival picture, teasing elements of “Rambo” to accompany the slasher film formula. The Mexican production is a low-budget affair, with most of the tale taking place in the woods, and while excitement is limited, the movie has some enthusiasm to offer. “Hell’s Trap” is short (76 minutes), which helps, as the general backyard production vibe only connects during a few scenes, though the helmer has some assistance from the cast, with young performers eagerly participating in the tale of human hunting.

Mauricio (Tono Mauri) and Nacho (Pedro Fernandez) are rivals, with the former losing to the latter during a heated paintball spy game. Mauricio can’t handle failure, refusing to give up on his mission to make Nacho look terrible, especially in front of his enemy’s girlfriend, Alejandra (Edith Gonzalez). Cooking up another test of manliness, Mauricio invites Nacho on a bear hunt, out to find the beast that recently killed a pack of hunters in the wilderness. Unable to resist a challenge, Nacho agrees, joined by Alejandra and pal Charly (Charly Valentino) as they venture into the woods for a camping adventure. Mauricio is aided by Javier (Armando Galvan) and their girlfriends, Carlota (Marisol Santacruz) and Viviana (Adriana Vega). While the gang settles in for a weekend of tracking, they’re soon revealed to be prey for Jesse (Alberto Mejia Baron), a military veteran who’s never stopped fighting a war. Masked and armed with a razor glove, Jesse is determined to slaughter the invading army, while Nacho quickly grasps the severity of the situation, desperate to find a way out of the woods.

Mauricio is a sore loser, unable to deal with the idea of surrendering to a rival. This behavior turns a simple game of “Gotcha” into a war between the men, with Mauricio determined to ruin Nacho in some way. Naturally, a bear hunt is proposed, the ultimate test of manliness, with “Hell’s Trap” getting up and running fairly quickly as a plan to venture into dangerous territory is hatched. The screenplay goes broad to establish personalities, as Charly is the overweight slob and Alejandra is feisty, unafraid to punch those who offend her. There’s some “Friday the 13th”-esque vibes as well as the young people meet with Jeremias (Alfredo Gutierrez), an old man who knows about the dangers of the forest, also happy to sell the kids an Uzi to help with their hunt. Nacho and Mauricio have been warned, but ignore it, preferring to set up camp and get to work killing a massive animal.

Jesse is a Freddy Krueger-style killer. While he carries a bow and arrow to handle some long distance intimidation, he prefers a specially created glove with razors, allowing him to get close and slice up his victims. “Hell’s Gate” gets to killing soon enough, but Galindo III doesn’t generate a slaughterama with the endeavor, keeping the feature more about survival than slashing, watching Nacho and the gang figure out what’s happening to them. “Hell’s Trap” isn’t a terribly active film, but there are a few fun ideas along the way, including Jesse’s fondness for setting traps, and there’s some potential in Mauricio’s psychological battle, with the young man disdainful of women and furious when he loses. A greatly refined script would likely develop the character into more of a dramatic complication. Alas, “Hell’s Trap” keeps things simple for maximum B-movie potential.

Hell's Trap Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Hell's Trap" is listed as "newly scanned and restored in 4K from 35mm archival positives." Wear and tear is easily found during the viewing experience, with scratches common, and some mild wobble during the main title sequence. Age is present, but detail remains strong, capturing intense reactions with clear skin particulars. Costuming remains fibrous, including Jesse's feral appearance and smooth mask. Exteriors are deep, providing a sense of the open world as the characters race around the woods. Interiors retain decorative additions. Color is distinct, with sharp greenery and red blood. Style choices bring out brighter primaries, and skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is nicely resolved.

Hell's Trap Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix also carried evidence of age, with crispier sound elements. Dialogue exchanges hit some sibilance issues, but remain intelligible, with heated conversations preserved. Synth scoring supports as expected, and sound effects are basic but appreciable, exploring gunfire and explosions.

Hell's Trap Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Making of 'Hell's Trap" (7:46, HD) is an interview with producer Eduardo Galindo, who makes a slightly weird claim that "Hell's Trap" predated "Friday the 13th." Trying to go against trends in sex comedies, the Galindo Family elected to make horror movies, returning to Mexico, including work inside a mine for the five-week-long shoot (resulting in one actor getting lost in the underground maze). Casting is highlighted, along with technical achievements, and memories from the premiere are shared.

• "From Super Blonde to Movie Villian" (12:37, HD) is an interview with actress Marisol Santacruz, who came into contact with "Hell's Trap" at an awards ceremony, offered a part by Pedro Galindo III, Eduardo Galindo, and Santiago Galindo. The role was one of her first acting jobs, soon dealing with the pressures of performance and the behavior of her headstrong mother. Santacruz recalls the hectic time in her life, balancing the responsibilities of her days on "Hell's Trap" with her duties as a beer pitchwoman, which often threatened her employment on the film. The interviewee provides memories from the shoot and her thoughts on character business as an acting novice. She also praises Gallindo III, who delivered an appreciation of cinema to help with her screen presence. The interviewee also praises her co-stars and her time with horror makeup, and she recalls the premiere of the movie, which made her grandmother cry for all the wrong reasons.

• "Mexican Special Effects" (5:46, HD) is an interview with special effects artist Jorge Farfan, who describes the bulk of his work as either taking place in a "jungle or forest." He provides a few memories from the "Missing in Action" shoot, using some of that experience to create a survival scene in "Hell's Trap." It's a Hollywood education brought to Mexican cinema, and the interviewee explores his thoughts on cinematography, editing, and the "four elements" to help create exciting features.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Hell's Trap Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a lot of the characters tearing around the woods, marching on crunchy leaves as they encounter various acts of malice from Jesse. Occasional disruptions to expectations are welcome, creating a few surprises, and Galindo III gets something going with action beats as the kids and the predator escalate their war with grenades. "Hell's Trap" ends up engaging with scrappy production highlights and invested actors, who do their part to generate some energy for the picture. It's not a crisp thriller by any means, with obvious padding hurting momentum, but "Hell's Trap" has a few charms as it looks to merge horror and action.