Customer Reviews

Trapped Ashes

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Contains Spoilers;

'Trapped Ashes' is a 'horror' anthology with each episode cut by a different director. There's an awful lot of sex on show, but not much original, inventive horror, and the main reason for this is a limp and gawky script by the otherwise fabulously named Dennis Bartok.

You know Ken Russell's segment isn't going to be out and out gore, but a glance at his back-catalogue reveals the guy's no stranger to extreme imagery, and as you'd expect, his piece is the most successful.
'The Girl With The Gold Breasts' makes the most of a weak conceit, and it's to Russell's great credit that he turns such an uneventful story into something so watch-able;
A wannabe Hollywood actress, undergoing a routine cosmetic procedure, receives vampire breasts. When she complains, we get to see Russell and two other old guys, dressed in very disturbing drag, eventually revealing they have splendid vampire breasts as well!
That's it. It's funny, quite bizarre, and you're left scratching your head a bit afterwards.
'TGWTGB' shows Russell's imagination is as warped and impish as ever, and an interview on the 'special features' reveals him to be cheerfully demented.

The other three films are no-where near as solid. Sean S. Cunningham's is a kind of live-action/Manga hybrid set around a Buddhist temple with plenty of sex as you'd expect, but not much chills.
Monte Hellman's piece seems to be a thesis on why Kubrick left for Europe in the 60's; his girlfriend was a witch apparently.
The final story by John Gaeta, an fx man, about a goth's relationship with the tape-worm she was forced to share her mother's belly with, has at least the embryo (apologgys droogies) of a good idea, but the climax is so obvious it falls straight off the screen.

Joe Dante does the linking story, and apart from a customary cameo by Dick Miller, it goes absolutely nowhere.
The 'twist' is the kind of post-modern nonsense that gets contributed to druggie art-school rag-mags. I'm all for wracking my brain if there's payola at the crunch, but it just doesn't happen. It's no help that the acting is so sluggish and one-dimensional either, you don't care if anyone dies or not.

Unfortunately, apart from Russell, it's all a bit of a slider. Needs a much more subversive and troubled writer to get the best out of these guys.
3 stars for Lionsgate giving Ken Russell work and putting the British Film Industry to shame, but it's a generous 3.

Like an ash, really. This movie, for me, was very unbearable to watch. The stories were contrived and didn't make much sense. The only thing about the whole package that i liked was the sound track music, which reminded me of a far more interesting anthology film After Midnight Watch it instead if you can

I took a chance and rented this one. I figured that with 4 individual short films in this thing, at least 1 or 2 of them would be scary. Was I wrong! 4 short films and nothing scary about any of them. I should have known. After all, when was the last time you saw anything good with John Saxon or Henry Gibson in it? Well, don't expect much from this one either. At least not as far as good scary horror moments go.

However, if you're looking for lots of nudity, this is definitely worth a look. I think there were topless women in just about every one of the short stories. The puzzler though is: when did directors start thinking that topless women make for a good scary movie? Entertaining to watch, maybe. But scary? I don't think so.

Save your time. Save your money. Check out something else instead of this lemon. I'm sorry I wasted MY time, that's for sure!

If you're a fan of cinematic horror anthologies in the spirit of "Cat's Eye," "Trilogy of Terror" and "Asylum," to name a few of the better crafted examples of this subgenre, you won't be disappointed by "Trapped Ashes."

To start, the title of the film itself evokes haunting memories of "Burnt Offerings," so - gentle viewer - it should come as no spoiler to you that the four "guests" (including couples) compelled to tell the stories of their "WORST TRUE LIFE NIGTMARE" in order to escape from a Hollywood set-piece haunted house, as "hosted" by the always quirky but oddly avuncular "tour leader" Henry Gibson (best remembered for his memorable performance in Robert Altman's "Nashville"), well ... suffice to say that they are NOT going to be able to successfully "sing for their salvation" under ANY circumstances. They're doomed from the moment they set foot in the old Norman-Bates-like "hotel." In fact, they were doomed BEFORE they entered. But why? Clue: There is a karmic, cyclical element inherent in their collective damnation. But! No spoilers here, fans. Just watch! Carefully.

Each of the guests, to put it mildly, gives "bizarre" a whole new semantic, as evidenced by their "believe it or not" tales of ultra-steamy demonic sex, parasitic mammary implants, embryonic, alienated [and "twisted"] twin sisters, and true friendship sabotaged by nothing less than a modern-day succubus. What fun!

I was delighted to see directorial efforts from the always-over-the-top likes of veteran genius Ken Russell; steady-state solid work from the indelibly dependable horror maven Joe Dante; and most surprisingly of all (at least for this reviewer), I found director Sean Cunningham's exploration (and exploitation) of "unconventional Oriental eroticism" to be the MOST fascinating and original of all five of the vignettes (the "wrap around" story included), a story so unique and so stimulating (in more ways than one), that you've never seen it before but you will WANT to see MORE of this "labor-of-love (and lust)" style of late-nite tale telling. "Jibaku" (which is Japanese for [loosely translated], "I sacrifice my own mortal life for you so that you will have to sacrifice, in turn, YOUR mortal life for me [with the implication being: Because it's the ONLY way we're going to be able to be together until the end of time!]") is - at worst - a selfish love story with a horrific twist; at best, it's a poignant tale of two terminally lonely people who "come together" (under extremely tenebrous circumstances), a respectably attractive American lady on vacation (with her less than sexually-fulfilling husband) and a handsome young Japanese "monk" tormented by the insanity-inducing life of a monastery, where eroticism of ANY kind is strictly verboten. I actually cried when I watched this particular vignette from the immensely talented Cunningham (a revelation considering he came from "Friday the 13th" roots), such was its overpowering haunting effects upon me. Kudos all around then, but especially to Sean Cunningham for his amazingly, global-minded exploration of "the inhuman condition," no matter where in the world one happens to find themselves.

Without dragging this review out beyond the attention span of ANY potential viewer, just RENT (or buy) "Trapped Ashes" for a stormy night's satisfying fulfillment of lust, bent love, greed, terror, suspence, a bit of the old "gross out," but principally - five excellent pieces of macabre fiction suited for those who just can't get enough of this kind of anthologized mesmerism. Catch "Trapped Ashes" if you can. It won't give you nightmares fortunately (nobody wants those), but it will make you smile ... crookedly, and leave you guessing as to the fate (and its raison d'etre) of the ill-fated "tour go(n)ers."

Kudos to Henry Gibson as well, for acting as the "little bit too innocent looking" old man, leading the guests through a a house and a night they'll never forget, nor ever seem to remember either, as they repeat it over and over and over again. But wait! Have I said too much already?

Stop me now before *I* become the next victim of a 6th vignette, and the FIFTH guest gory-story weaver in "Trapped Ashes." Just See It, dear fans! Enough said.

One of the saddest things in the world to witness for a film buff is when a hero in the business spirals down. When you see a famous director take on a project that turns out to be abysmal at best. When you see someone who once was the belle of the ball turn out to be the bag lady. Such is the case with TRAPPED ASHES.

The movie tells the story of a lowly tour guide (Henry Gibson) for an old movie studio that doesn't seem to produce much of anything these days. Several visitors who have received free passes board the bus and their on their way. They stop to look at a spooky old house on the hill, once used in the productions of a horror film director. Of course the group wants to get out and take a look around even when advised against it by the guide.

While walking around the building, they all end up trapped in a dining area. It is there that Gibson remarks that their predicament is much like that of the director's most notorious film where he had dinner guests trapped until each of them told their scariest personal experience. Thinking that perhaps this might work, each offers their tales.

The first story is "The Girl With The Golden Breasts" and is told by aspiring actress Phoebe (Rachel Veltn). With little success in her career, Phoebe opted for that one item that makes an actress a success: big boobs! But these aren't normal boobs. No, these are special implants using a new technique of implanting the tissue of dead person's breasts. Later on it turns out that *SPOILER* these breasts form mouths and draw nourishment from Phoebe's lovers. Next!

"Jibaku" is an animated tale from Japan. It tells the story of a couple that moves to Japan when the husband lands a job there. His wife is enchanted by a picture she sees in a gallery that leads to her dream seduction by and evil creature. She is drawn into his netherworld and saved only by the love of her husband. Next!

"Stanley's Girlfriend" tells the tale of Leo (John Saxon) a screenwriter in his youth who meets and befriends another interesting and intelligent young man. The two of them become best buds and it is only with the introduction of Nina that there time together becomes limited. When Stanley leaves for a while, Leo is seduced by Nina. It is only later that he discovers her true nature.

FINALLY we have "My Twin - The Worm" wherein we hear of how a young woman's mother had a tape worm at the same time she was pregnant with our young lass. Referring to the worm as her "twin" we see just how big and destructive a tape worm can be.

The film ends with *SPOILER* the revelation that each of these people are now dead and sitting out their time telling tales before moving on, a plot device used in the classic TALES FROM THE CRYPT film from 1972. It works as a plot device but the rest of the film reeks.

Most amazing is the results from the talent involved. The wraparound segments are directed by Joe Dante (GREMLINS, THE HOWLING) and are probably the best of the bunch. The first segment is directed by Ken Russell, the same man who brought us THE DEVILS, TOMMY and ALTERED STATES. Yes! THAT Ken Russell! Who now appears in drag in this film!

The second segment was directed by Sean Cunningham who gave us the first FRIDAY THE 13TH and DEEP STAR SIX. Okay so he's not made the best stuff in the world but for someone who started the legend of Jason he does this?

The third segment is directed by Monte Hellman who did TWO LANE BLACKTOP and THE SHOOTING. While critically acclaimed and possessed of a cult following, this movie does nothing to advance his career.

Lastly we have John Gaeta in his directorial debut for the last segment. It looks good but that better be the case as Mr. Gaeta has done special effects for films like ERASER, THE MATRIX (all three) and most recently SPEED RACER. Let's hope he chooses a better project next time.

Of the actors involved here, John Saxon is the only one who comes off unscathed. Saxon has been a fantastic actor in some high brow films like THE APPALOSA and JOE KIDD as well as in cult classics like NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and ENTER THE DRAGON. His performances have always been steady and believable. He does well in doing the same for this film.

For some reason Hollywood seems to believe that if you take a group of talented directors and put them together you will come up with a masterpiece. This was the idea behind the series MASTERS OF HORROR and that show proved that it's not always the directors of horror films past that make the best new ones. This movie is proof of that.

You'd be better off watching nearly anything from the MASTERS series than this one. It's truly terrible. I don't get it. I've been writing reviews for some time now and it seems that the past three I've written about have been ones advising people to distance themselves from these titles. All I can say is that when a bad movie comes along, it's always going to be a bad movie. Let's just hope that we get the opportunity to watch better ones and that they are being made.

Okay, you might cut it off, but there are some catchy segments in this horror movie/almost cliche'/anthology. I really enjoyed the first segment by Ken Russell. Funny, gory, sexy all rolled into one, or two. The second segment by Sean Cunningham is pretty eerie, if not exactly terrifying and has an eye-catching bit of morphing art/manga/animation. It was interesting. Monte Hellman's, Stanley's Girlfriend did nothing for me. waaa-wa. The last segment, by John Gaeta, was a nifty twist on twin-ship, which I liked. The framing story done by Joe Dante was cliched and silly but it did provide bookends for the anthology.

Overall, the comic qualities of the first story and the art of the second one make this a multi-watch keeper. This movie also has enough sex and gore to keep one on his or her toes during a lonely winter's night.

Trapped Ashes is one of those films tht could've been great, but ended up a total dud. The one bright light in the whole film is Gibson, who, while a bit hammy, comes off an genuinely creepy. The rest of the 4 tales are a predictable mish-mash of pseudo horror, light gore, and gratuitous nudity and sex. All the directors involved more or less seemed to be phoning n their work, and even Saxon, the only other credible actor in the cast (the rest seemed like they were in a high-school play), pretty much sleepwalked his lines. Interesting that something like Tales From The Crypt, done -- what? -- 30 years earlier, was far superior. Save your money; look for it on cable some late night.

If you're looking for yet another by-the-numbers "torture porn" exercise, then stay away. But if you're looking for a really smart tour of the twisted minds of five very different directors with very different signatures, then definitely check out TRAPPED ASHES.

It takes the horror anthology film structure, and the notion of different storytellers, to tell some very insanely creepy stories. The difference in styles/tones is perfect and refreshing because each ghastly tale is told by someone different: different sexes, different ages. I really loved Monte Hellman's realistic 1950's jazz take on Dennis Bartok's tale, fusing a legendery sexy vampire with the lore of Stanley Kubrick. Ken Russell's entire history is on display in his wacky, wierd, and perverse opener. And for those who find it a plus -- there's nudity. I was also very impressed with FX master John Gaeta's tale of a tapeworm festering not only inside a little girl, but inside her family. Really memorable, eerie images in this one. And the whole film is nicely bracketed by a unique "studio tour" wraparound.

Check out TRAPPED ASHES and use it not only to witness a truly unique horror film, but also as a primer to then explore the feature-length careers of cult cinema giants Hellman, Russell, Cunningham, Dante and the impressive new kids on the block -- Gaeta, and writer Bartok.

TRAPPED ASHES is a wild and weird throwback to the deliciously delirious days of horror anthologies, the kind Amicus Productions specialized in with titles like TORTURE GARDEN and TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

Written and co-produced by Dennis Bartok, former film programmer for Hollywood's acclaimed American Cinematheque, TRAPPED ASHES features five true horror masters. The movie gleefully acknowledges its Amicusian roots while boldly going down horror and black comedy roads the old anthologies feared to tread.

The set up and wrap-around directed by Joe Dante is simplicity itself: a group of strangers are doing a VIP tour of a studio back lot hosted by the lovingly creepy Henry Gibson. They find themselves trapped in a much too real movie set where the only way out (or is it?) is by telling scary stories; but these are tales with a terrible twist: they have to be real.

Genre bending master Ken Russell is at his - um, [...] - in a tale about monstrous mammary enhancement called "The Girl with the Golden [...]". Watch for a horrifying cameo by Ken himself in a bad wig and badder lipstick.

Sean S. Cunningham directs "Jibaku", a bit of demented Japanese horror concerned with gory sex and eternal damnation.

The great Jon Saxon stars in "Stanley's Girlfriend" directed by Monte Hellman about a filmmaker named "Stanley" who looks an awful lot like the guy who made FEAR AND DESIRE. It's a very classy segment about being careful what you wish for, peppered with a bit of witchcraft.

First time director John Gaeta, who did the FX for films like THE MATRIX, helms "My Twin, the Worm" about a mother-to-be and an unhuman baby that literally drives her mad.

A bottle of full-bodied extras holds deleted scenes, filmmakers and cast commentary tracks, director's cuts of Hellman's and Russell's segments, and fun "making of" featurettes of all the episodes with the talent and the directors.

TRAPPED ASHES is a cool and scary ride well worth the ticket price.

Two amputated thumbs way up.

"Trapped Ashes" is a colorful stew of consciously retro horror scripted by Dennis Bartok and each segment is directed by some well-known names: Ken Russell, Monte Hillman, Joe Dante, Sean Cunningham, and John Gaeta. Russell's rendition of "The Girl with the Golden Breasts" best captures (and lampoons) the phallic-female imagery that runs through the stories in its most over-the-top form: his own appearance makes this segment positively Fellini-esque. "Stanley's Girlfriend" and "Jibaku" are stories with interesting, original premises, carefully drawn characters, and rich atmospheres that all get a bit lost in grindhouse climaxes as two distinct horror styles--mood and gore--butt heads. The wraparound is in a third mode altogether, making this anthology a truly postmodern, unusual experience. Check it out, and don't miss the haunting original score by Kenji Kawai.