- Director: Lee Moon-young
- Writer: Lee Moon-young
- Stars: Kim Dong-ho, Byeol Kang, Park Yeon-woo, Song Young-gyu, Kang Byul, Kang Seung-hyun
REVIEW
The tread on the tyres of camping-based slasher films have definitely disappeared and at this stage, we’re riding almost on the rims. Korean shocker The Human Trap (The Trap) does try some new tricks, but does it overcome the trope?
Ki-Young (Song Young-gyu) and Ji-ae (Kang Byul) are exchanging pleasantries over coffee when Ji-ae makes a sudden and welcome suggestion ‘let’s fuck’. Making their way quickly to Ki-Young’s car, things start happening quickly until Ki-Young for some inexplicable reason pauses the car shenanigans and answers a call from his friend who encourages him to go camping in the woods. Ji-ae overhears the conversation and suggests that if she can come camping with him, then they’ll finish what they started. He naturally agrees.
The day of the camping trip arrives and Ji-ae meets Ki-Young’s friends Jeong-Ho (Park Yeon-woo) and girlfriend Chae-Rim (Kang Seung-hyun). The foursome first run into some car trouble and then run into the slightly weird Dr Ma. From here we cut back and forth between our characters and a seemingly random man who seems to be hiding near the camp site.
As you can probably see with the setup, the film takes a while to get moving. All the pieces are placed on the board, and you are impatiently waiting for the masked killer to come out of the bushes and start swinging. However, that it doesn’t come and instead we get a story with a few interesting wrinkles. Everyone has a reason to be at the campsite, some seemingly innocent whilst others are of a more sinister nature. Whilst this twist (if you want to call it that) has been done before, I think it worked pretty well in this setting.
The acting is decent enough, Byul and Seung-hyun are the best of the lot here, with Byul playing her character in an understated manor, whilst Seung-hyun gets to play the archetype Korean girlfriend before being able to branch out in the final act.
Director Lee Moon-young, uses the landscape well and the outdoor shots look great, using the snowy camp area well and the night shots are lit really well. The writing is solid, but the film will likely rise or fall on how you accept the crazy third act. The violence is sparse but impactful, with plenty of blood when it is necessary.
The Human Trap tries to do something different with a very familiar setup and it mostly succeeds.
The Human Trap is available now. Check out the Just Watch link below.
Ryan Morrissey-Smith
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