Trapped (1982)

Very well executed

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I remember this movie vividly as it was somehow playing in a large multiplex bowling/arcade/fitness/cinema (only in the '80s) complex in Peoria Illinois, where I grew up, circa 1982 or 1983.It stayed in my head because it was so unlike anything I had seen playing at the time. It was the first time I really experienced an "independent" film (this was not a town that played Art Movies) and I literally wandered out of the theater with a "did that just happen to me?" disposition.The best way to sum up "Baker County" (or "Baker Country" as the group of Vietnamese refugees we were then tutoring, kept enthusiastically chanting after the screening) is that it's a precursor to the torture-porn freak movie --- a miscarriage that occurred in the space between visceral roughhouse '70s gems like "Last House on the Left" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the more polished current-day renditions like the "Saw" and "Hostel" movies.There is absolutely no character development, the acting is amateurish (with the possible exception of Henry Silva's deranged evil-incarnate hillbilly) and the story is beyond simplistic: passive college kids witness Silva murdering a man and are then hunted and tortured for his pleasure before they get their standard, expected eye-for-an-eye revenge.Even at 18 I was aware I was being blatantly manipulated and in such an obvious way that it was annoying and condescending. Yes, I expect to be manipulated by a horror film but this does it with such little style and creativity that it's merely insulting.I was shocked to find that today this movie is considered a "cult classic" --- HA! --- and even more shocked to find it was made for $2 MILLION??? Well, it was obviously more expensive to rent film equipment in those days as that cost is nowhere to be seen on film.The only thing I will say to recommend it is that it really is a true "Grindhouse"-type film. Even in the theater I remember the print being incredibly effed-up. It's exploitation taken to the extreme and if that's what you're after, as an artifact anyway, it fills the bill.

In the mountains of Tennessee, a small backwoods village is lorded over by the maniacal Henry Chatwill. He has his own demented form of justice, and after he catches a stranger in bed with his bored sexpot of a wife, some college kids (one of whom is a pacifist) have the misfortune to stumble upon him enforcing it. Now he has to shut them up before they can notify the authorities.Canadian filmmaker William Fruet directed this film, somewhat in the vein of "Deliverance". Usually known as "Trapped", one of the film's alternate titles is "Chatwill's Verdict", a far superior title to say the least. Why they didn't just stick with that one is beyond me, especially when you realize just how many films there are that share the "Trapped" title. While not original, it has a lot going for it, the most notable being Henry Silva's unhinged performance as Chatwill. It's also unpredictable in regards to which characters live and die. Of course, the college students could've avoided the whole mess if they weren't so stupid as to go looking for the body rather than leaving.This is a quality film. Coming from me, that's saying something since I'm not the biggest fan of the backwoods/hillbilly sub-genre.

Trapped was actually released in the late eighties, although it's every bit the seventies exploitation classic! While not as great as some of the more popular films of the genre - stuff like The Last House on the Left and House on the Edge of the Park, Trapped is still an enjoyable slice of violent entertainment from the director of the surprisingly good 'House by the Lake' and the Psycho-inspired Funeral Home. The film focuses on the idea of people in the deep south of America taking the law very much into their own hands. The main culprit is Henry Chatwill; a man who is spotted murdering someone by a bunch of college students. He quickly decides to put his cronies to use in tracking down the college students; one of which, a kid called Roger Michaels, just happens to completely against violence in all forms. The first half hour or so is fairly torrid, as it can be difficult to tell exactly what's going on since it's not pieced together very well. However, things really pick up in the final two thirds; and it all builds to a fantastically entertaining ending, which features a couple of rather original death scenes! Naturally, Trapped isn't particularly well acted or directed - although William Fruet's work behind the camera isn't too bad considering the obvious budget limitations. Once you get past the first half hour, there's a lot of fun to be had with Trapped, and it comes recommended to trash fans everywhere!

In 1982 in South Africa we purchased the distribution rights for the above mentioned movie...on...video. A racy, fast moving thriller advanced for its time and great entertainment.This movie in South Africa on video was a smash hits and still continues to be requested by movie viewers here. A hill billy plot with an ending that leaves the viewers breathless is and was great entertainment. The picture did go down very well with the South African movie public,notwithstanding that we had extremely harsh censorship laws governing us. A lot of thanks to Henry Silver and Nicholas Campble. I would certainly like to be able to market this movie once again in South Africa.