‘Trapped Inn’ Review: An Inexplicably Bad Film That Would Make Tommy Wiseau Proud
I try to be a supportive critic. I go into each movie hoping it will be effective and looking for something to like or appreciate about it. Writer/director Leah Sturgis’ new film Trapped Inn didn’t make that easy for me. The script is a mess, the dialogue is stilted, and the acting is excruciatingly bad. Plus the film is at least 20 minutes too long. I think Trapped Inn might appeal to camp enthusiasts looking for a film to riff on with a group of pals and a cooler full of beer. But anyone else can safely steer clear.
The setup for Trapped In goes like this:
The film follows an American cycling team as they train for the Tour de France. The cyclists arrive at the titular inn (which is actually a single-family home) where they are greeted by some sexually generous women who have no bearing on the plot but are still happy to parade around in wet T-shirts and do sexy stuff. The team parties with said women and the ladies eventually seduce the coach because he scared them with a spooky story. The ménage à trois is apparently some kind of sexy payback scheme.
Not long after the revenge three-way, the innkeepers start acting creepy, only to vanish from the narrative entirely. Then, a news broadcast tells us that local police are concerned about the growing number of corpses found in the area and suspect a serial killer must be on the loose. Yikes. More time passes and we learn from another broadcast that it’s not actually a serial killer, it’s an airborne virus. Stay inside! But wait, it’s not that, either. Yet another news segment ultimately reveals that the world is under attack by an entirely different threat. Ack!
Best-laid plans quickly go awry.
You may have guessed from the haphazard nature of the setup that Trapped Inn is rife with issues. Many stem from a screenplay that plays fast and loose with the three-act structure. The film technically has a setup, confrontation, and resolution. But the confrontation takes way too long to present. And the resolution magically materializes in the film’s final five minutes without any real character growth. So, we have about 75 minutes of filler that could have been cut from the narrative without impacting the outcome.
There are also narrative developments that require a lot more than the suspension of disbelief. Case in point: Team captain, Greg (Robert Palmer Watkins), falls off his bike and skins his knee. It looks like a surface wound. But everyone acts like it’s a medical emergency and the mishap quickly puts Greg in grave danger. So much so that no one is sure if he will even survive. But, it’s clear to the viewer that it’s just a little road rash. The acting is really rough, so the key players do little to sell what can only be described as a series of improbable scenarios.
The messaging has some issues.
Eventually, the film delivers a ham-fisted message that amounts to there’s no point to anything (especially life) if you aren’t enjoying it. To state the obvious, that’s not a well-thought-out message. Life isn’t just about having a good time. It’s about personal growth, sacrifice, and the human connection. It’s not a picnic and isn’t meant to be. Much of life isn’t fun. But most things worth doing aren’t.
The film also has some serious technical issues. For instance, the logo for the local news station is partially outside the film’s aspect ratio parameters when the camera is zoomed in on the broadcast. Why is that? God only knows.
Additionally, there’s an interior scene where the sun is visible and shining through the windows. It looks to be about noon from inside the titular inn (still actually a single-family home). But when several characters venture outside, it’s pitch-black and the moon is full. In fact, it’s so dark that they need flashlights to see. A few moments later, the brave explorers break into a neighbor’s home and the sun is again visible through the windows. Whoops.
The final verdict on Trapped Inn:
I was really hoping Trapped Inn would be a serviceable self-contained thriller with a few good scares. It is a self-contained thriller, but nothing about the film is serviceable. And there’s not a scare to be found. The central threat doesn’t make any sense, nor does it look or feel threatening.
If you seek a campy horror picture starring gorgeous people who seem new to acting, you may find some merit in Trapped Inn. If you are looking for any more than that, you won’t find it here. The film is available now on Digital.
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‘Trapped Inn'
Summary
‘Trapped Inn’ starts bad and quickly gets worse.
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