Trapped Ashes (2006)

Directors:

Sean S. Cunningham
Joe Dante

Writer (WGA):

Dennis Bartok (written by)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Seven strangers on a Hollywood movie studio tour are trapped inside an infamous House of Horror and forced to tell their most terrifying stories to get out alive. |

Plot Keywords:

Sex Scene | Cave | Doctor | Wraparound Story | Vampire

Cast

Jayce Bartok	...	Andy
Henry Gibson	...	Tour Guide
Lara Harris	...	Julia
Scott Lowell	...	Henry
Dick Miller	...	Max
Michèle-Barbara Pelletier	...	Nathalie / Martine (segment "My Twin - The Worm")
John Saxon	...	Leo
Rachel Veltri	...	Phoebe
Richard Ian Cox	...	Doug (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")
Glynis Davies	...	Nurse (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")
Scott Heindl	...	Zack (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")
Rob deLeeuw	...	Ben (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")
Mina E. Mina	...	Dr. Judith (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")
Winston Rekert	...	Dr. Larry (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")
Ken Russell	...	Dr. Lucy (segment "The Girl with Golden Breasts")

Also Known As:

Death Room (Japan: English title) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, nudity, violence, disturbing images and language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA | Japan | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

11:11 Mediaworks

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the first sequence, where the girl is about to have surgery, they hold the gas mask several inches from her face and never place it against her face.

Movie Connections:

References La maschera del demonio (1960)

A decent horror anthology with some fine moments.

It's too bad, really, that the horror anthology is not more common or popular these days. Amicus Productions came up with some mighty fine ones in the 1960's and 1970's, and the form continued into the 1980's with such entertaining fright flicks as "Creepshow", "Cat's Eye", and "The Offspring". However, studios still don't have as much enthusiasm for these kinds of movies as fans such as I would like.

Dennis Bartok, screenwriter and longtime programmer at the American Cinematheques' Egyptian Theatre, came up with this reasonably enjoyable horror anthology that unites an intriguing (to say the least) assortment of directors. It was this single facet that drew me to the picture, and each director gets to do a different story in a different style.

Basically, we have an aged tour guide (the wonderful veteran Henry Gibson) leading some tourists to a run-down former movie set where a diabolical director filmed his most notorious film. The disparate group becomes trapped in the set and learns that they will each have to tell their own very personal horror stories in order to get through their situation. This wrap-around segment is directed by Joe Dante of "Piranha", "The Howling", and "Gremlins" fame. It features a non-speaking cameo by one of his longtime regulars, actor Dick Miller (too bad he didn't get to do more).

The first story, "The Girl with Golden Breasts", comes courtesy of actress Phoebe (Rachel Veltri), who relates the story of a breast enhancement surgery with truly horrific complications. Far and away the silliest story in the movie, it does however deliver sex, nudity, and gore in an enjoyably campy way. It's directed by Ken Russell, who's known for flamboyance in his films such as "Tommy", "Altered States", and "Crimes of Passion". Look for the director in a cameo as "Dr. Lucy"(!).

Next, in "Jibaku", married couple Henry (Scott Lowell) and Julia (Lara Harris) have their Japanese vacation (literally, a vacation in hell) exposed. Combining animation and other horrific special effects imagery, it's highly unlike anything that director Sean S. Cunningham ("Friday the 13th") has done before. Seeing his name on this, I found it engaging that he was lured back to a directors' chair, and he comes up with a surreal, creepy, and intense shocker.

Screenwriter Leo (John Saxon) next gets to tell his story in "Stanley's Girlfriend". Based on director Stanley Kubricks' early years in Hollywood, it stands apart from the other entries in this anthology. Directed by Monte Hellman ("Two-Lane Blacktop", "The Shooting", "Ride in the Whirlwind", and "Cockfighter"), it's a low-key mood piece with good acting and a nice Old Hollywood feeling.

Finally, Nathalie (Michele-Barbara Pelletier) unfolds the tale of "My Twin - The Worm", in which she reveals that her mother had a parasite - a tapeworm - in her body at the same time that she was pregnant. Instead of being repulsed by such knowledge, Nathalie more than anything feels something of a bond with her unlikely "twin". This tale is as creepy as the second and marks some good work by special effects expert John Gaeta ("The Matrix") in a sound directing debut.

The denouement for this film is, unfortunately, too similar to other "twist" endings that I've seen, diminishing the overall effect a little.

But it's still an interesting and ambitious effort, with a generous array of talent in front of and behind the camera. Reportedly inspired by stories that were strange but true (!), the tales that Bartok came up with are pretty entertaining. The combination of sex, gore, shocks, and general all-around nastiness makes for a good little horror film.

7/10