Hell's Trap (Trampa infernal) – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Mexico, 1989
Director: Pedro Galindo III
Writers: Pedro Galindo III, Santiago Galindo
Cast: Pedro Fernández, Edith González, Toño Mauri, Charly Valentino, Marisol Santacruz, Adriana Vega, Alfredo Gutiérrez, Alberto Mejía Barón, Armando Galván

Release Date: August 20th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 76 Minutes 25 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $44.98

"Nacho and Mauricio are friends, but their competitive nature has them at each other's throats. After an embarrassing defeat, Mauricio comes up with one last bet to settle the score. When a number of gory bear attacks are reported in the paper, the boys decide whoever can kill the deadly beast will be declared the macho-est man of them all. With girlfriends and sidekicks in tow they venture out for the ultimate hunt, but when they start getting attacked and mutilated they realize they’ve gone from being the hunters to the hunted! And the bear they thought they’d catch may be something more sinister than they could have ever dreamed…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from 35mm archival positives".

Hell's Trap (Trampa infernal) comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23 GB

Feature: 19.1 GB

The source looks great; any imperfections that remain are minor. Colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range is very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with producer Eduardo Galindo titled The Making of Hell’s Trap (7 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with special effects artist Jorge Farfán titled Mexican Special Effects (5 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Marisol Santacruz titled From Super Blonde to Movie Villain (12 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, and a spot gloss and embossed slipcover (limited to 5,000 units).

Summary:

Two teenagers go into the woods to hunt down a bear. Their friends join them for the excursion. What starts off as a competition turns deadly when a psychopath in a mask stalks and kills them.

Though Hell's Trap (Trampa infernal) opens with a well-executed deceptive opening that does a great job setting the tone for what follows, unfortunately, after a strong opening, the narrative then devolves into nothing more than a by-the-numbers body count film. When it comes to the stylish visuals, this is one area where Hell's Trap (Trampa infernal) is surprisingly strong. At least when it comes to the gory kills, this is an area where Hell's Trap (Trampa infernal) will not disappoint. The masked killer has an arsenal of weapons that includes a Freddy Krueger-like glove.

The performances are less than impressive, and all the actors and actresses appear older than teenagers. Fortunately, at just under 77 minutes in length, Hell's Trap (Trampa infernal) is a film that does not feel overlong. That said, pacing is actually very good, as there are no moments that bring everything to a halt. Genre films made after Mexican cinema's Golden Age have more misses than hits, and a film like Hell's Trap (Trampa infernal) fails to restore anyone's faith in Mexican genre cinema.

Vinegar Syndrome gives Hell's Trap (Trampa infernal) a first-rate release.

Written by Michael Den Boer