This delightfully lurid, creepily claustrophobic WW1 body horror finds a special squad of allied soldiers on a special detail at the tail end of the war to locate and destroy a secret subterranean laboratory wherein monstrous mengele-like experiments have been perpetrated. 'Death Trench' is a well-acted, eerily atmospheric, frequently gory, stomach-churningly visceral period horror film which certainly gleans a little of its sinspiration from the likes of 'Dead Snow', 'Death Watch' and the equally doom-laden 'Outpost' but very soon engenders its very own singularly twisted personality, since the director adroitly proves himself to be a remarkably competent craftsman, ominously constructing an engrossing, tripwire taut, trench-set shocker.
It is not long after breaching this malevolent underground labyrinth, when laconic expert tunneller Lt. Berton (Rossif Sutherland) and his querulous crew disturbingly unearth the terrible truth that they are not quite alone!!! As sadistic, moustache-twirlingly evil German scientist Reiner's hideously hyped-up human test subjects are chaotically roaming this dank, darkly foreboding, nightmare-steeped underworld hungry for their blood! With its stiflingly grim location, escalating menace, eye-poppingly grisly practical effects, neat-o synth score, and a marvellously sympathetic hero in the effortlessly chummy guise of boozy, titanically tall tunneller Lt. Berton, 'Death Trench' is a nigh-on flawlessly executed Canadian fright flick! Fast paced and consistently thrilling, Leo Scherman's oppressive, jeopardy-laced WW1 horror gem is surely destined to become widely regarded as one of the more essential contemporary terror classics!
'Not since 80s splatter sickie 'Slugs' has a skeevey horror critter got so unpleasantly under my skin!' - TerrorTarot / BuxomBloodfiends.
It is not long after breaching this malevolent underground labyrinth, when laconic expert tunneller Lt. Berton (Rossif Sutherland) and his querulous crew disturbingly unearth the terrible truth that they are not quite alone!!! As sadistic, moustache-twirlingly evil German scientist Reiner's hideously hyped-up human test subjects are chaotically roaming this dank, darkly foreboding, nightmare-steeped underworld hungry for their blood! With its stiflingly grim location, escalating menace, eye-poppingly grisly practical effects, neat-o synth score, and a marvellously sympathetic hero in the effortlessly chummy guise of boozy, titanically tall tunneller Lt. Berton, 'Death Trench' is a nigh-on flawlessly executed Canadian fright flick! Fast paced and consistently thrilling, Leo Scherman's oppressive, jeopardy-laced WW1 horror gem is surely destined to become widely regarded as one of the more essential contemporary terror classics!
'Not since 80s splatter sickie 'Slugs' has a skeevey horror critter got so unpleasantly under my skin!' - TerrorTarot / BuxomBloodfiends.