Trench 11 (2017) User Reviews

The Bunker meets The Strain with a WWI twist.......

[s3276169 · 6/10 · 17 September 2018]

Trench 11 borrows from films like The Bunker and mixes in elements of the TV series The Strain, in a WWI setting.

The best thing you can say about this upper end of the budgetary spectrum B grade film its is competently done. The sets are good, the special effects good and the acting is, well, good.

Sadly there is nothing that makes this film "great" or even a little special. Don't be surprised therefore, if a month or so from now you can't remember the title or much more than the general outline of the story. A watchable but forgettable rating of 6/10 from me.

Decent Horror/SciFi

[sandginner · 5/10 · 5 September 2018]

I enjoyed watching this movie. I thought the acting was good, and the cinematography and direction. It kept my interest until the end. However I think the topic is a tired old one with this movie just being one more variation on an age-old plot. Would definitely rent and watch this one for around a dollar or watch it on Netflix or cable

Please make more ! I'm NOT tired of these movies.

[shanenote · 6/10 · 29 December 2019]

To any and all directors out there, please keep making these kind of movies . We love the nazi/ monster/ experiment thing. This , along with the zombie genre, is one we never get tired of. Please just put heart and soul into it...and at least a little money. While we are at it....will someone please pick up the resident evil franchise and keep that going?

Not too bad

[disent1929 · 5/10 · 7 September 2018]

Yes another bunker style war horror with the Germans doing experiments again. I guess this is a prelude to the upcoming big budget WWII horror-Overlord. Now remember the Germans are not Nazi's. This is WWI, not II.

worth a watch

[petepiano · 7/10 · 7 September 2018]

This film is well worth a watch, obviously low budget but well made..some reviewers take themselves too serious for me, lots more more films out there worst than this..give it a go..

Liked the setting and the atmosphere, still overall lukrwarm

[KoolCatReviews · 5/10 · 17 January 2021]

The setting and premise for this film was very good. It takes a few factual liberties and the anti German approach. One such approach is that the Germans used gas and allies didn't. This is a complete lie, the allies used even more gas attacks against the German army. (moan over) The action is pretty decent with the effects being alittle under par. My biggest problem with the film is it very plot contrived. Action only happens to seemingly benefit the plot it just doesn't feel fluid. Overall its not a bad movie but just holds its self back from being alittle action packed gem.

Enjoyable WWI horror movie

[globalalmanac · 7/10 · 10 November 2018]

Solid, low-budget Canadian movie set in the closing days of WWI. The Germans have a mysterious, abandoned tunnel complex in the Ardennes forest. British military intelligence wants to know what's in it. But the Americans control the Ardennes and the British lack an experienced 'tunneler.'

Ah, but a Canadian tunneler from Winnipeg is available nearby in France! So, backed by four US infantry, the two British MI officers and the tunneler head off for what will surely will be an easy, carefree mission! Well, no.

The writing is solid throughout, and the direction manages some nice, tense moments of claustrophobic horror. Rossif Sutherland has a nice, offbeat charm as our heroic tunneler. It's a Canadian movie, so don't be surprised if the tunneler comes across better than his British and American counterparts!

The movie is as much or more about the horrors human beings are capable of, so be aware that this isn't THE THING IN A TRENCH. There are non-natural horror elements and scenes of graphic violence, but they work within a broader view of the horrors of humanity and its wars.

Branch (11)

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 27 November 2017]

Another Bunker style movie. And while I do have a heart for them, there is one major ingredient missing here, that would make it really good. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's bad, I'd say it is decent, but without any real charisma from our main characters, the connection between the viewer and the "heroes" is missing.

There are a couple of stabs at giving at least one of them a bit of a backstory (it's the "expert" in underground tunneling), but it's not enough to make us care too much. We know that something is seriously wrong with a bunker like that. Especially when Nazis are involved. So while the period/time piece does work, and the effects are good for a low budget movie, there could have been a better result in other departments. If you just watch it to pass time and/or are a fan of close spaced horror/action, than you could do worse

WHAT LIES BENEATH

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 7/10 · 14 September 2018]

War films almost always revolve around WWII or Vietnam. But there were many other wars and one in particular that became rather vicious. WWI offered some of the first uses of chemical warfare with mustard gas. It also presented the blood filled soil of trench warfare where soldiers literally climbed from the trenches only to be gunned down. So when a new movie came out involving this war I wondered how it would turn out.

The Germans have realized that their loss is inevitable. They also know that if certain atrocities are discovered the tribunals will treat them harshly. One such location is a series of tunnels in which experiments were being conducted. The intended demolition of these tunnels failed and they are now sending back a detachment along with the crazed scientists in charge of the facility to finish the job.

At the same time the allies are aware of the tunnels as well, just not what was taking place inside of them. Led by a British officer a group of US Army men accompany him to find the tunnels and take back the discoveries they find there. As part of their group they've taken on Lt. Benson, an expert on the tunnels the Germans have left behind. Benson has just recently survived every tunneler's nightmare: the last tunnel he was in buried him and those he was with alive and he was forced to dig himself out.

Things move along as good as can be expected with the allies making their way to the tunnels before the Germans arrive. As they begin to explore they are attacked by a crazed German soldier still remaining in the tunnels. He's not normal though and they wonder just what they've stumble upon. Searching they find maps of the tunnels showing that these were far more extensive than they expected. A confrontation among the men takes place as they argue whether to go deeper or return to the surface, the leader wanting to gather all intelligence he can.

The point becomes moot when the Germans arrive and take them prisoner. The leader of the group intends to do nothing more than blow up the tunnels. But the scientist/officer takes his time questioning one officer after the main one is shot. His plans involve taking the information with him before they leave, ignoring orders to destroy it all.

The question remains though, what exactly is down here in the tunnels? What experiments were they doing? And why are there zombie like German soldiers still roaming the tunnels attacking any and everyone who comes down? Will the tunnels be destroyed or will those within escape to wreak havoc on the world?

The film is fairly low budget but for a budget this small they still accomplish quite a bit. No doubt the sets were turned and shot from different angles to make them appear as if they were never ending. But the concept of being in the dark in a tunnel with little more than a small flashlight or lantern to provide light while a marauding menace could be just around the corner is a bit unnerving.

The acting here isn't the best but it isn't the worst I've seen either. It falls somewhere in between with some actors doing better than others. None will stand out in the end or likely list this film on their resume as one to write home about. And yet they pull off enough of a performance to make it believable.

The effects money here was spent more on explosions than makeup of gore effects. That being said a few of the gore sequences will whet the appetite of the horror fans who expect it.

In the end the movie isn't all that bad. I've seen some truly rip the film to shreds and after having sat through some tremendously bad movies that were actually painful to watch this movie was heads above those. A decent story, some acceptable effects and a few good performances make this one an easy one to watch. Will I watch it a second time? Not likely. But if you're looking for something different in the horror genre then this one might do the trick for an afternoon.

Shoot me, bitte.

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 5 October 2018]

The film opens with Berton (Rossif Sutherland) a Canadian tunneler, so we know he is "the final girl." In 1918 as the Germans retreated, they left behind a vast underground Wotan Compound. Berton, who likes his drink too much, joins a group of Allies to "observe and report" what is down there. The Germans decide they need to shore things up and come back.

We all expected zombies but that is not exactly what we get. The film had its moments. Personally, if I was sent back to blow up the entrances, I would have done so from the surface.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Give this film a try before watching J J Abrams Overlord.

[Fella_shibby · 8/10 · 10 September 2018]

Got enticed into seeing this film after watching the trailer n found it to b a decent one time watch. Fans of Outpost, Blood creek, Deathwatch, may like this low budget film. As a fan of horror films set during the world war, especially dealing with the nazi occult n nazi experiments, i enjoyed this film. Much better than ur regular zombie/virus film. Considering the budget, the movie has only a few zombie n gun shot violence scenes but brutal. There is tension and a sense of dread throughout. The actors acted well n the best part is the music.

Man is the worst thing

[globalalmanac · 7/10 · 29 November 2018]

Enjoyable low-budget Canadian horror movie filmed in Manitoba and Ontario. Rossif Sutherland is an appealing Everyman as a Canadian 'tunneler' in WWI. He's supposed to be on leave as the war enters its last days. But British Military Intelligence needs him to help a small group investigate a mysterious underground German complex in the Ardennes.

Well, and we all know how respectful British intelligence officers are of human life, allied or otherwise. Because the Ardennes are under American control, the squad consists of four American infantry, two British officers, and our Canadian tunneler.

It's no surprise to discover that the Germans were developing a new weapon before something happened and they sealed the complex, badly. Once the squad enters the complex, things rapidly go sideways.

Trench 11 becomes something of a surprise at this point, focusing on humanity's capacity for monstrosity rather than on some pitched battle against super-zombies. The film-makers do a nice job of conveying the claustrophobia and confusion going on far below the surface of the Earth. It's a terse and effective film.

needs better execution

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 18 November 2018]

It's the last days of WWI. A suspicious German underground base is located far behind enemy lines. A small group of Allied soldiers are sent to investigate. The Germans have sealed it for some unknown reasons. They enter and find something horrific.

The premise has the promise of something creepy. The execution and the limited budget leave it wanting more. The underground tunnels could have been claustrophobic but the filming doesn't project that. It could have been if the ceiling is lowered. In fact, the hallways start looking the same. There is some good gross out stuff but it's murky how the worms survive and get transmitted. Blowing up the complex seems like a bad solution. Wouldn't it just spread the worms around? A flamethrower should be a better solution or some sort of gas. They do end up releasing gas at one point. Overall, the idea is workable but the execution is not there.

Didn't get me hooked

[kuarinofu · 5/10 · 27 February 2019]

I can see the effort behind this movie, and it kind of looks ok for a low budget project.

But as it goes on it just fails at everything (with an exception being probably some of the acting and some of the practical effects, which are good for a low budget movie).

There are so many things that could've been improved without buffing the budget. The bunker itself doesn't project any claustrophobia, it's very wide and clean; even though the uniforms represent the time period everyone looks like an actor, a model, instead of a soldier of the Great War ending. There is no suspense, the mystery dies off very fast, some of the scenes are shot incompetently.

I mean, isn't the art of moviemaking after all like squeezing the most out of your opportunities? I can go and re-watch the original Terminator and still enjoy it, and Cameron had no budget to back that up as well.

This is a good example of a movie that felt great in the director's mind and on paper, but crumbled when they started bringing it to life.

I hope the director will grow on this and his future projects will improve (and I wish him a bigger budget to back that up).

A gem of the genre

[kevinmccaul-68763 · 7/10 · 18 March 2023]

I only write reviews for movies that I think have been unfairly treated on the reviews here, this is a much better movie than jj abrams overlord which is a similar genre, the casting is great, script is believable, plot is superb, the mid point of the story is abit rushed, but overall I really enjoyed this movie, the German and Canadian lead characters really connect in the latter part of the movie, some reviews talk of budget limitations but I got no sense of that, there is no way this is a 5.5 movie as is its rating on imdb, the story is believable and so well acted, I hope many more horror fans see this movie.

Claustrophobic and grim.

[elmoslively · 5/10 · 26 January 2019]

Some strong acting and decent special makeup effects are the only true highlights of this otherwise confusing and convoluted mixture of war film and horror film. The direction is weak as is the editing and the production design is nothing more than the heavy use of 60's basement wood paneling splattered with stage blood. I did, however, like some of the music.

Wow...pretty good!

[AndyVanScoyoc · 7/10 · 25 February 2019]

Tired, overdone subject...Germans experimenting on people.

BUT...I've been searching for a decent war/horror/German experimentation film and this one was a pleasant surprise.

Dark in some places...but, in a tunnel there wouldn't be light, so in keeping with a realistic tone, the lighting had to be understandably minimal.

Honestly, that was really all I found wrong with it.

A NICE casting ensemble...seemingly well put together, so I applaud that. Many films like this I've seen, the cast is clumsy and seemingly not comfortable with one another, making it obvious they're together just to make a movie.

This cast, you could almost believe they'd been really working/serving together.

Definitely worth a watch. I won't be adding it to my collection, but watch it and enjoy it because, believe me...this film is a rarity.

only one glaring mistake.....

[trevorandrewmillar-70769 · 5/10 · 26 December 2020]

There was one glaring mistake in this movie; Lt Berton is shown being brought back from leave (forcibly) by two soldiers with red covers on their caps, presumably British Army Royal Military Police, known as "Redcaps"; except that the RMP wasn't founded until 1943, along with their distinctive red caps. Apart from that, the period detail was excellent.

A work of love and a decent movie!

[markovd111 · 7/10 · 23 June 2019]

1. thing - I din't research and read much about WWI, I don't know if the equipment, uniforms and stuff like that are like they should be. 2. thing - This is not some big budget movie, this is a low budget love effort and if you are not ready for a movie that isn't perfect, don't waste your time. That being said, let's get on with the review. Movie does a lot of the things good. First half an hour is good if not great. Acting is decent enough, setting is good and atmosphere is phenomenal. You really feel like you are with the characters, entering the dark and dangerous German bunker holding secrets better left forgotten. It almost feels like it's REC series, only not found footage style. Sadly, things start falling apart from there. Very stupid decisions are made ( I know that's the part of the horror, but these ones are plain stupid and coming from smart people), captain of the squad handles the shotgun like he reported for duty yesterday, effect of grenade explosion are pretty bad ( I am not complaining because the budget is low, I am complaining for trying to show something you can't show properly, but I guess you really can't blame them for trying) etc. It redeems itself by the end, but the horror factor is lost very soon, it's just tense after that. The movie itself is, indeed, made with a lot of love and care put into it and is fast. Music is very greatly combined with some scenes and a whole thing has a god anti-war message. Do I recommend it? If you can get past those 2 things from the start, I do. If not, don't lower the score for this movie. I wanted to give it 6.8/10, but I thought to myself:" Eh... Why not round it up?", so 7/10 from me it is. Enjoy! :D ;)

Death Trench

[Stevieboy666 · 5/10 · 21 March 2022]

There are plenty of war time horror movies that feature Germans creating zombies etc but the vast majority are set in World War 2, Death Trench however is set during World War 1 and predates the Nazi era. My TV guide described this as a zombie movie but it is not, what we get is a nasty parasite that was intended to kill Allied livestock but has now infected humans, turning them into crazed zombie like creatures. Gore highlights include a man having his brains blown out, another gets his nose bitten off and a corpse is cut open, only for lots of yellow worms to come out. The special effects are good and are probably the most memorable thing. Acting is OK but most of the film is set underground, this became a little claustrophobic for me and the ending was nothing special. A one time watch for me.

Surprised by low IMD rating

[marqstacy · 8/10 · 25 February 2021]

I've watched some truly awful horror movies with the same IMD rating as this one. I'm baffled by the IMD rating for this film. Obviously it's not going to be a blockbuster high budget movie, but ? ... The atmosphere was great, story was simple but good, characters believable and well acted (surprisingly so), loved the setting of WWI, well paced, good tension, nice set and period details. Felt wonderfully claustrophobic at times, some nice scares, a love-to-hate him bad guy. Not a cliched 'evil Germans' movie. Just, well, an enjoyable movie. I actually cared about the characters and how the story turned out, which is often not the case with many horror/sci fi movies for me - and it felt oddly fresh for a somewhat generic sounding horror movie... maybe because it felt honest, and no jump scares or annoying characters, and those sort of cliches.

A little disappointed.

[midnightmosesuk · 6/10 · 27 September 2019]

I'm not saying this film was bad, it's not, it's just I was expecting a bit more really. Rather than a bunker overrun with diseased German soldiers I just got the impression of a bunker lightly occupied by just a few rather angry looking Teutonic types. They just didn't give off the same sense of menace as in, say, Dead Snow or Outpost.

Enjoyable enough for what it is.

Scheisse!

[neilhoyle-08464 · 5/10 · 11 November 2023]

This movie was pretty alright in my opinion.

Not somethin' I'd go and watch again but, perfect for late at night when you're getting ready for bed and just need something decent to watch. Felt like they could've done more with this but then again I wasn't expecting much, so it was a pleasant surprise to find that this was favorable.

The ending was a tad bit underwhelming only because I was hoping "the prophet" would at least have turned into some giant monster having that vial stabbed in his eye... you know... like a final boss battle sort of thing. Some of these reviews are a little harsh, if you're just lookin' for somethin' cool to pass the time I say give it a watch. It's really not that bad.

Not as good as the nominations seem

[moonlight_shadows · 2/10 · 4 September 2018]

Not badly put together however, acting was not that good and it did not feel anywhere close to a real "horror" movie. Just the typical "infected human" syndrome which has been done so many times before and rarely pulled off.

'These squirming tendrils of terror shall wickedly worm their way deep into your soul!'

[Weirdling_Wolf · 7/10 · 10 May 2022]

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.