The Tripper (2006)

A Ronald Reagan-obsessed serial killer targets a bunch of hippies who are heading to a weekend-long concert.

Director:

David Arquette

Writers:

David Arquette, Joe Harris

Stars:

Jaime King, Thomas Jane, Lukas Haas

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Arquette	...	Muff
Richmond Arquette	...	Cooper
Courteney Cox	...	Dog Lover Hippie (as Courteney Cox Arquette)
China Crawford	...	Paramedic (as China Raven Crawford)
Paz de la Huerta	...	Jade / Summer (as Paz De La Huerta)
Alan Draven	...	Kid #1
Norwood Fisher	...	Band (as John Norwood Fisher)
Ben Gardiner	...	Wilson
Rocky George	...	Band
Balthazar Getty	...	Jimmy
DeAndre Gipson	...	Band
Redmond Gleeson	...	Dylan / Father
Richard Gross	...	Cop
Lukas Haas	...	Ivan
Josh Hammond	...	Tyler

Storyline

In the 80's, after seeing his father and lumberjack foreman being hit by a protestor against the deforesting and arrested by the police, the boy Gus kills the protestor with a chainsaw. In the present days, Samantha, who is traumatized after being abused by her former boyfriend Jimmy, travels with her pothead friends in a van to the American Free Love Festival, a rock-and-roll concert in the woods. Near the location, they are assaulted by three local hillbillies, but they succeed to arrive in the festival. Meanwhile, Mayor Hal Burton and Deputy Buzz Hall try to give a minimum of organization to the event. However, a deranged psychopath serial-killer wearing a mask of Ronald Reagan uses an ax to kill the pacific stoned hippies.

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Plot Keywords:

ronald reagan mask | slasher | stoner comedy | sexy | festival | 

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Taglines:

Move Over Jason, Look Out Freddie. HEEERE'S RONNIE!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, drug content, language and some sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

President Evil

Filming Locations:

Big Basin Redwoods State Park - 21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,840, 22 April 2007

Gross USA:

$20,840

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coquette Productions, NaVinci Films, Raw Entertainment

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Its title in Germany is "President Evil".

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Goofs

When the old man gets his head chopped off in the tunnel he clearly screams long after his head has been detached.

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Quotes

Joey: Welcome to Free Love Festival, where America's best and brightest come to celebrate...
Jade: Freedom?
Joey: Yes! Freedom to do drugs - lots of fucking drugs!

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Crazy Credits

No hippies or republicans were harmed in this film

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Connections

References First Blood (1982)

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Soundtracks

Nothin' No
Written by David Vandervelde and Jay Bennett
Performed by David Vandervelde
Dude Camp Music (ASCAP) and You Want A Piece Of This Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Secretly Canadian Records ©2007

User Reviews

Annoying... I guess you have to be baked.

Well you have to at least give "The Tripper" an "A" for originality...

A strange little tale of the hippie culture being massacred by a Ronald Reagan-Masked killer during a music festival in the country. Very odd and at times quite annoying, but there are a few moments of grandeur... Written and directed by David Arquette "The Tripper" sells the scenario short with silly child-like humor and over the top performances by it's A-List walk on cameos. The main characters are unlikable, which leaves the viewer not caring about their well being at all. Jason Mewes acts even more ridiculous then his "Jay" character (if you can believe that), to the point where you just can't wait to see him killed, just to shut him up... I'm not sure if the film was aiming to, but it makes the hippie culture look even dumber and less human then the woodland creatures they try to protect. Pee Wee does a great job as the foul-mouthed concert promoter, but Thomas Jane looks stupid as the sheriff. The inconsistencies in character development makes this confusing movie even that much harder to watch, and by the end of the film you feel more baked then the idiots on screen...But alas, there are some decent gore scenes and the cinematography looks fantastic. If you are in the mood for mindless comedy / horror dribble, then this might work for you. If you are looking for a good hallucinogenic horror film, try renting "Shrooms" (the movie) instead...