Customer Reviews

The Tripper

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

From the opening quote by Ronald Reagan to the intensely sadistic violence in the first few minutes of the film, you know The Tripper will be loaded with sex, drugs, and rock `n roll - as well as extreme political jabs and hippie killing. So what's not to love? Well, as Reagan himself once said, "You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by the way he eats jellybeans." No, I don't get it either.

A group of hippie fodder trek to a small town in the middle of a forest to participate in the Free Love Festival and indulge in massive quantities of narcotics. However, they soon discover they're not exactly welcome when they are assailed by paintball gun toting rednecks, the local police, and an axe-wielding serial killer who fancies Ronald Reagan.

The Tripper's strongest point of originality (not that there have been other hippie serial killer movies) lies within its psychopathic murderer who dons a suit, a tie, and a President Reagan mask as he metes out his vicious carnage. With an origin as brutally twisted as Freddy or Jason, Ronnie seems destined to make his mark as a deranged killer worth rooting for. And we do, but not because he's so compelling a villain, but rather because his prey is so uninterestingly bland - which is a shame when the protagonists contain six young stars and one of them is Jason Mewes, who should have been right at home with the offbeat comedy and drug humor. Jaime King adequately embodies the screaming primary victim, and while her character gets more interesting as the film progresses, there's still relatively little motivation to continue supporting her survival. The majority of entertaining characters are the supporting ones - those who give quick one-liners and quirky mannerisms and get out before their presence begins to bore. Of the main cast, Tom Jane provides the only praiseworthy performance as he takes the role just seriously enough without outstaying his welcome skepticism.

Deceptive trailer aside, at its core The Tripper is a horror movie. And while it does a decent job of bringing blood and scares to the table, the main course seems tainted with a bit too much social and political parody and an abundance of psychedelic contamination and cocky humor. The film doesn't take itself seriously and makes no attempt at persuading the audience to do otherwise. This wouldn't be a problem if The Tripper focused on comedy, but at every turn we're faced with another seriously demented killing and only mild spurts of dark humor. The less you know about the Reagan administration the less likely you'll appreciate the political commentary and jokes that pepper the script. At times the horror elements work surprisingly well, and with a uniquely terrifying antagonist, The Tripper starts to look wholly original. However it's not long before that illusion wears off and the film falls into a damaging amount of clichés for a film not parodying thrillers.

In this medley of blood, hippies, and Ronald Reagan, psychedelic creativity reigns supreme, but those not accustomed to Arquette's bizarre humor and unconventional antics (or who don't despise the fortieth president quite as much) may find this trip easier to swallow with real drugs.

- Joel Massie

i love horror movies and if its an odd horror movie even better!!! I thought this movie was original and had a great ending. Any true fan of horror will appreciate this movie. Good work Arquette i want more!!!

Maureen

What happens when a backwoods living, Ronald Reagan obsessed madman who hates hippies goes on a killing spree? You get The Tripper, a deliriously funny, and gory, slasher revolving around a group of modern day hippies (among them are Jaime King, Lukas Haas, and Jason Mewes) going to a big music festival in the woods, and get hacked to pieces by said maniac who wears a Reagan mask and has a dog named Nancy. What makes The Tripper so entertaining is that it doesn't take itself too seriously, and the gore effects and shocks are actually pretty imaginitive. Where The Tripper falls flat are the occasions of modern-day political commentary that pop up throughout the film, and when this happens in the film it feels kind of out of place. That aside, there's plenty to enjoy with The Tripper, particularly The Punisher's Thomas Jane as the straight laced sheriff (sporting a 70's 'stache) and a foul mouthed Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens as the music festival's promoter. All in all, The Tripper is a surprising blast from David Arquette, and is more than worth checking out for slasher/horror afficiondos.

This film is appalling. Not in the way 'so bad it's good', but so bad it's very bad. It has nothing to offer, apart from wasting an hour and a half of your life. I got this film for free, and I still feel conned. It's not scary, or gripping, or gory, or interesting. It's badly directed by a bad actor. You will be hard pushed to get past 15 minutes of this fodder without wanting to turn it off, but you keep watching thinking it has to get better, which it doesn't.
Even if you're a fan of old skool stalk 'n slash, or low budget zombie flicks, or 80s video nasties, or any genre of movie, you will not like this crap.

**1/2

In "The Tripper," a slasher movie with a political conscience, a serial killer wearing a Ronald Reagan mask stalks a group of anachronistic hippies (so anachronistic they have cell phones along with their tie dye t-shirts and psychedelic van) who have come to the forests of Northern California to celebrate free love and partake in unlimited drug use at a Woodstock-type outdoor event.

The Red State/Blue State divide is never far from the filmmakers' minds as a bunch of gun-toting rednecks go up against a group of Flower Power love children who suddenly descend on the area. The saving grace, if indeed there is one, of this gory, but not particularly disturbing, splatter-fest is the tongue-in-cheek humor it manages to display from time to time. Otherwise, this odd little mixture of horror movie cliches and outdated political satire (does anybody really care about the Reagan administration any more?) falls strangely flat.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had watching this movie. In his directorial debut, David Arquette chose to do a homage/parody of the famous "themed" slasher films of the seventies and eighties. Instead of a hockey mask and campers or a "holiday" theme, our killer wears a Ronald Reagan mask and kills hippies. Our protagonists, sort of, are a group of pill-popping hippies on their way to a kind of "Burning Man" or "Woodstock" in the woods type concert.

On the way to the concert our lovable, soon to be messily killed, hippies have to deal with paintball shooting/bottle throwing rednecks, old hippies left over from the sixties, several irritating flashbacks, and the occasional nudist (and if you watch the extras, you will discover that the scariest thing in this movie is the "left over from the sixties hippie nudist . . .).

Although never in any danger of being confused with John Ford or Michael Curtiz, Arquette does a good job with the material and genre in which he's chosen to work. Don't misunderstand, it is both a b-movie and a parody - so it won't be everyone's cup of tea; but if your tastes run to parodies, b-movies and slasher films . . . or if you've ever thought it would be fun to watch animal rights activists getting mauled or tree huggers finding themselves on the wrong side of a chainsaw, this is the movie for you.

The Tripper, David Arquette's directorial debut, shows a promising future for him as a feature director. A little short on genuine laughs, but not on psychadelia. Seems subversive, but at the same time seems to put down not only right-wingers, but also hippies, police, well, just about everybody. Standout for me was Lucas Haas singing his own material, and being the single likable character in the film.

I am exactly 8 minutes and 50 seconds into this movie and I love it. I don't care if the rest of the movie sucks, the first part of the movie sold me on it. Any movie that starts with a kid shoving a chainsaw through some hippie's neck is OK by me!

Had I not read the reviews here and had an idea of what to expect from this movie, I probably would have hated it. Since I kind of knew what I was getting into, I was able to sit back, relax and see where this would go. I'm usually not a fan of David Arquette, but I do like Courtney Cox a lot. I have to hand it to Arquette though, this was pretty funny, but it also had some good scares in it. I am not sure that is political message comes across very clearly, none of the groups come across very sympathetically. Not the tree-hugging hippies nor the modern dope loving hippies. However, I found it interesting that at a time where people are rewriting history to make Regan seem like the greatest president ever known, there are still people out there who remember the damaging policies he put into place. A real solid effort from Arquette. I would definitely be interested to see what else he comes up with in the future.

Intended as kind of a mild salute to the exploitation horror of the 70's, The Tripper (2006), David Arquette's directorial debut, is a slasher flavored with elements of comedy that while not always on solid ground, does have some scary moments, and some heavy-duty mayhem at the finish. Arquette co-wrote the script, and also has a small role in the film, which is very much a family affair. His wife Courtney Cox is a producer, and also has a bit part as a middle aged hippie type. The director's brother Richmond Arquette also appears as a deputy, and Thomas Jane who at the time was married to his sister Patricia Arquette, plays Officer Buzz Hall.

The main focus of the story is a group of six friends travelling in a van headed for the Free Love Festival, an event being held in the forest, with a retro 60's hippie theme. Just out of a bad relationship, Samantha (Jaime King) is along with new boyfriend Ivan (Lucas Haas). Although her friend Linda (Marsha Thompson) tries to reassure her, Sam fears that her ex may be following her. The group arrives at the festival site, where Officer Hall is trying to make sure that things go smoothly for the event.

Matters take a turn, when a nudist type gets caught in a trap, and winds up hanging upside down with his gut split open. While out in the woods, some of Samantha's friends have the misfortune to run into a guy dressed in a suit, wearing a Ronald Reagan mask, and swinging an axe. When a decapitated body is discovered hanging from a tree, Chief Hall announces that the festival is cancelled, and tells the people to clear out.

With hundreds of people looking to party, and the festival's promoter Frank Baker (Paul Rubens) is determined that his event proceeds, Hall is basically ignored. While the party rages on, Hall follows up a report that leads him to Ronnie's base of operations. Budget cuts during the Reagan administration resulted in mental patients being released, including one with homicidal proclivities who holds Reagan responsible, and now there will be hell to pay. Dodging some vicious dogs, Chief Hall heads into the woods and eventually runs into Ronnie, who is doing his best to slice Samantha in half. The final fight is dramatic, and Ronnie is unmasked, but he's a hard man to keep down for long.

Although there is a lack of realism and attention to detail, in terms of execution, David Arquette does a competent enough job in his directorial debut. The action scenes are done fairly well, although the violence is overdone to the point of being humorous in places. Using a horror movie as a vehicle for making a political statement against Ronald Reagan and Republicans in general, may have been misguided, as whatever message is intended, does not translate very well. The film does however, clearly portray drug use as a cool thing.