If following an insufferable group of characters as they galavant from one party to the next sounds like your idea of a good time, boy have I got the movie for you! More slow indie drama than edgy horror film, Death Trip suffers from a distinct lack of vision from behind the camera. Not every horror film needs to be scary to be riveting, but there wasn’t a single moment watching this movie where I felt the slightest bit of connection. Every time there’s a flicker of promise, it’s immediately snuffed out by a change of scenery. One second will be a dread-soaked moment of building suspense, and the next we just move on like nothing has happened. Character depth and motivation is nearly non-existent, rendering Death Trip as a film with excessive dialogue that lacks purpose or a cohesive feel.
Four Canadians who take a vacation in the middle of winter find much more than they bargained for. The locals, who are anything but friendly, become increasingly strange during their stay. After one of the friends winds up mutilated (well over an hour into this film, I must add), they regroup and try to figure out who might be responsible for the awful deed.
A big contributor to the disjointed feel of Death Trip is the jarring editing. The constant jumping around makes the film confusing to follow at times, and leaves you pondering the seemingly random visions and sounds. At least a good 20-minute chunk of this could be excised, maybe even more, as the length really starts to highlight the cracks. There are a few positives, like some solid sound design, especially in the final showdown on the ice. The climax is the only portion of the film where I found any excitement or engagement. All I can say for sure, is that this Trip is one best left cancelled. Death Trip is out now on VOD.
