Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Trapped Alive Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 6, 2019

Sometimes supplemental features on various Blu-ray releases can provide little tidbits of information which are kind of inherently sweet, if often also a tad on the funny side. Case in point: Trapped Alive was the result of a production company called Windsor Lake Studios' attempt to make the tiny northern Wisconsin town of Eagle River a filming hub. The producing coalition actually bought an old Girl Scout camp that resided on scores of acres and had several outbuildings already there, as well as a perhaps obviously scenic locale. (You can read a brief mention of the sale in a 1987 issue of the Kenosha News which is available here.) But what what really struck me as being sweet and funny about this ostensible “new Hollywood” is that the producers of Trapped Alive (which was originally to be titled Forever Mine, more about which in a moment) is that they built some new sets for the film that they wanted to repurpose (as in redress, but keep the basic structures) for two subsequent films (in what would have been at least a bit of a cost saving measure). But here’s the punchline: as one of the talking heads discloses in a making of featurette included on this disc, the production company had not one clue about what these two “next” films would be, and the plan was to write the screenplays “around” the use of the pre-existing sets. From a cursory perusal of the IMDb, I’m not sure if or what the “other” two films may have been, if they even got made (my hunch is The Chill Factor, due in about another month from Arrow, may have been one of them), but one way or the other the whole “hey, we have a set, let’s make a movie” aspect to this team is kind of endearing.

As co-writer and director Leszek Burzynski relates in his comments on the making of featurette, his original conception for the film included the kind of cheeky title Forever Mine, since the bulk of the film takes place in an abandoned (supposedly — but you know how those things tend to work out in horror films) mine where a bunch of disparate characters find themselves. The film was shot in 1988 but wasn’t granted a release until 1993, and evidently never had a theatrical exhibition under the Forever Mine title, instead being released as either Trapped or Trapped Alive. That oft repeated quote about roses smelling as sweet might be morphed slightly to indicate that Forever Mine and/or Trapped and/or Trapped Alive would probably be just as silly, no matter what it might be called.

In some plot dynamics which kind of weirdly presage a South African film I reviewed a while ago, Accident, a bunch of otherwise unconnected characters end up in a car together, after which they have a debilitating crash which traps them in a dangerous environment. In the case of Trapped Alive, two women leave for a holiday celebration out in the wild (of course), and are stupid enough to stop for a guy waving them down on a snowy hillside. He turns out to be just one of several escaped convicts, and you can pretty much guess what happens next. Suffice it to say, that's just the beginning of a string of "bad luck" for the women (and, frankly, the convicts), once they end up in a mine where there may be something more sinister lurking in the shadows. A well meaning local policeman also gets involved, and there are some kind of silly, almost soft core, sidebars that are interjected now and again, just in case the threat of being torn to bits in a dark mine shaft doesn't get the adrenaline pumping enough.

As even Burzynski readily admits in his interviews, this was by and large a “not quite ready for prime time” cast, though B-movie stalwart Cameron Mitchell is on hand in a kind of glorified cameo that was probably shot over just a day or two. Burzynski kind of unabashedly shares an anecdote about how horror icon Michael Berryman was originally cast in a central role, but at the first table read, he started giving notes to the other actors, as well as Burzynski himself, and according to Burzynski he was let go the same day.

Trapped Alive Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Trapped Alive is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:

Trapped Alive has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in 1.78:1 with stereo audio.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution, graded and restored at OCN Labs. The grade was supervised and approved by director of photography Nancy Schreiber, ASC.

The soundtrack was sourced from a set of original 3/4" tape masters and a DVD master.

All restoration work was completed at OCN Labs and was completed in collaboration with director Leszek Burzynski and DOP Nancy Schreiber.

All original materials used in this restoration were accessed from Films Around the World.

With an understanding that this was not an elaborately budgeted feature, and also with an awareness that much of the film takes place in very dark and/or dimly lit environments, this is often quite a striking looking transfer. For such an inherently lo-fi effort, Burzynski and Schreiber really invest the film with at least flirtations with style, and there are a number of nicely done moments where the frame can be filled with a soft focus background offering some lush color while a foreground object appears in shadow. When lighting is more fulsome, the palette pops quite appealingly and fine detail is precise looking on elements like fabrics or (in a couple of cases) special effects makeup. There are some fairly wide variances in clarity and grain resolution as the film segues from relatively brightly lit moments to the darkest moments. Grain can occasionally look fairly chunky in the darkest moments, but resolves naturally.

Trapped Alive Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While Arrow is listing the disc's LPCM 2.0 track as stereo, I frankly didn't hear much if any separation, and the IMDb lists the theatrical release as being in mono, for what that's worth. The track does provide excellent support for dialogue (such as it is) and some kind of goofy sound effects. Fidelity is fine throughout the presentation and there are no problems with damage, distortion or dropouts.

Trapped Alive Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• There's Evil Underground (1080p; 30:52) is a really fun and sweet hearted piece with some really engaging interviews with Leszek Burzynski, cinematographer Nancy Schreiber, production manager Alexandra Reed and actors Alex Kubik and Sullivan Hester. Michael Berryman fans and/or Michael Berryman might want to skip this one, for reasons alluded to above.


• Interview with Hank Carlson (1080p; 18:37) features a makeup effects crew member.


• Upper Michigan Tonight TV Documentary (720p; 22:32) is an archival 1988 piece on Windsor Lake Studios, with some behind the scenes footage of Trapped Alive being shot, and interviews with Leszek Burzynski, producer Christopher Webster and production designer Brian Savegar. The title of this piece may lead some with more jaded sensibilities to question, "Upper Michigan, upper Wisconsin -- what's the difference?".


• Leszek Burzynski: The Early Years (1080p; 9:41) features the writer and director reminiscing about the start of his career. If you've ever wanted to watch the camptastic old singer-performer Tiny Tim give a "dramatic" performance, here's your chance.


• Image Gallery (1080p) is authored for manual advancing only.


• Audio Commentaries

  Audio Commentary with Director Leszek Burzynski

  
  

  Audio Commentary with Hank Carlson and Josh Hadley

  
  

  Audio Commentary with The Hysteria Continues

Trapped Alive Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have been joking for a couple of decades (plus) now that Wisconsin is evidently the center of the universe, something I discovered after I married my wife, who is not so coincidentally from that state. In another piece of synchronicity, my wife's parents own a (rare four season) cabin in northern Wisconsin just a few miles from Eagle River, a beautiful secluded refuge where we have vacationed regularly, especially when our sons were little. For trivia lovers, there's another film, albeit a documentary, that briefly features this literal neck of the woods. At around the one hour mark in Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Joan is being driven down a long rural road. When I was first watching this film with my wife, I turned to her and said, "That is the road from Minocqua out to Lac du Flambeau," and my assessment was immediately pooh-poohed. Hilariously, the very next edit showed Joan's car pulling up to the Lake of the Torches tribal casino in Lac du Flambeau (take that, pooh-poohing spouse), where she then performs (it's a scene that actually attracted some attention at the time of the doc's release, since she took a heckler to task when he accosted her for supposedly making fun of people with disabilities). For those who want a "subterranean" view of this particular region, Trapped Alive provides some goofy fun, if also some undeniably lower fi elements. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplementary package quite enjoyable, for those considering a purchase.