Creepy Indie Movie ‘Flytrap’ Will Keep You Guessing

Originally published here: https://addictedtohorrormovies.com/2016/08/31/creepy-indie-movie-flytrap-will-keep-you-guessing-review/

Directed/Written By: Stephen David Brooks

Starring: Jeremy Crutchley, Ina-Alice Kopp, Jonah Blechman

What a surprising little gem this turned out to be! 

I have always subscribed to the notion that one doesn’t need a huge budget and big-name stars in order to make a compelling movie, and Stephen David Brooks and co. have created a smart, scary, moving, and often times hilarious film with meager means. 

This film brings to mind a number of influences, not all of them cinema-related. Think After Hours as written by H.P. Lovecraft and directed by David Lynch. I don’t want to spoil too much of the story (because it is such a good one that you really should go in blind), but it involves a man that unwittingly encounters problem after problem. There are cosmic forces at work here, which we see hints of throughout the movie, but the real terror is in the mundane details of the “American Dream” lifestyle that Flytrap so deftly dismembers. 

That’s right, not only is this indie gem a thrilling ride, it also has some things to say. Throughout the film I detected subtle and not so subtle jabs at gender roles, the vapidness of Hollywood, and the nuclear family. There is more going on beneath the surface than first appears, and I cant wait to give Flytrap another watch. 

Flytrap works because of the tight script, the dedication of the actors to a strange and engrossing premise, and a synchronicity between the camera work and the score. You can tell that Brooks is a craftsman that takes a lot of care when composing each shot, and choosing where to place the creepy piano/string music. The movie also manages to tell a story using a single location as well as the original Saw did. 

The only reason I am deducting a point is due to a somewhat disappointing ending. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t just END (expecting you to “leave the rest to your imagination”, a lazy and hackneyed thing that too many directors like to do these days), but it does leave a few questions unanswered. It just makes me wish that there had been a slightly bigger budget, because I wanted to see more of this world! 

I highly recommend seeing Flytrap when it gets a general release, especially if you are a fan of my two favorite “L’s” – Lynch and Lovecraft.

4/5 Stars