Spirit Trap (2005) User Reviews

Not a complete waste of time.

[shinypebble · 4/10 · 10 August 2005]

Having been given free tickets to see this film, I decided to go and see it.

Granted, it wasn't the worst film I've ever seen however I felt that the plot was weak. The setting of a creepy old house was fantastic and having that mysterious locked door really did seem to feed on the audience's fear. The dream sequences were nicely done, as were the flashback scenes. Superb performances from Emma Catherwood.

Billie Piper was far better in Doctor Who and although there is nothing directly bad about her acting there is also nothing particularly great either. I'm no prude by all means but I thought this film would be more suited to an 18 certificate...

I would say this film is worth seeing once but not twice.

Better than expected

[TodayIsTuesdayToo · 5/10 · 30 April 2014]

Okay, this movie wasn't THAT BAD. I've seen horror movies that were way worse. (The Black Dahlia Haunting, for instance. I have no idea how it managed a higher rating than this movie. If you ever have to choose between the two, choose this one.) There were a few "Wtf is going on?" moments, but nothing too bad. However, I personally wouldn't pay to watch it. It's just something entertaining to watch if you have nothing better to do. The reason I watched it was because it has Billie Piper in it. The acting was pretty good, which I was not expecting, due to the low rating here on IMDb. If you're a fan of Billie, you may as well watch it.

Pretty weak and boring.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 5/10 · 22 May 2007]

Sweet-natured Jenny can hardly believe her luck when her new student accommodation turns out to be a sprawling,fully furnished mansion.Her housemates include a coke-snorting drug dealer,his girlfriend and a mysterious beauty.But Jenny starts to question her good fortune when a dusty grandfather clock suddenly whirs into action,summoning the ghosts of the house's former occupants and preventing its new ones from escaping to the outside world.Surprisingly dull teen horror flick that offers zero scares and very limited amount of gore.The acting is nothing to write about and the plot is predictable.5 out of 10 and I am being generous.

Good grief, what DO we have here...?

[itsbaylis · 2/10 · 2 May 2007]

Yet another craptastic movie I got to see for free at my SU bar here at university. Boy, am I glad it was free.

Firstly, this film is really, really confusing. I'm not saying I didn't understand what was going on, rather that I didn't understand peoples reactions and/or WHY things were happening. For example, in one scene which I shall dub the "confession" scene, two characters reveal flaws they have. This makes them randy, apparently, and they begin a relationship right there. Now, I don't know about anyone reading this, but I wouldn't really be in the mood if I had just confessed something about myself to my potential partner, and had them do the same back, but hey, I'm not stuck in the house that quality movie-making forgot.

Another problem with the film is, I have to say, the performances. The only actors in this I recognised were Sam Troughton (mainly because I know his connection to Patrick) and Billie Piper. They were the best actors in this by a long shot, but then, scarlet fever is better than cancer, so lets not be too hasty in giving out the applause.

On a brighter note, the clock in the hallway looked cool.

Terrible, terrible film

[hohbein · 1/10 · 15 August 2005]

After seeing the advert for 'Spirit Trap' in my local Cinema, I already had low hopes for the film. And it certainly did not disappoint. Its almost as if the director sat down and said to himself "How should i not make a film?" and then proceeded to film everything he thought of.

The center point of the film, the haunted house, looks like a set used in amateur theatre with over exaggerated lighting effects and tacky looking decor. The editing was appalling, cutting from scene to scene every few seconds, and lets just not mention the acting.

Overall, the film feels fake, bland, lacks a decent storyline and generally feels like something a 10 year old could think up with no problem.

That's an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back

[kellyfacebook1 · 1/10 · 1 May 2008]

To say this movie is awful would actually be complimentary. This movie is so Godawful you want to pull out your own fingernails just for a distraction. Luckily I saw this on TV so no money was wasted on cinema tickets (otherwise I'd have been REALLY mad). Initially it looked quite good; bunch of students stay in a Gothic mansion where where all kinds of spooky mischief occurs. Unfortunately my initial hopes were quickly dashed. The acting was pretty lame, the dialogue was clunky and, at points, downright ludicrous:

"Hey, lets play strip poker". "What's strip poker?"

WHAT'S. STRIP. POKER???? You cannot be bloody serious! Don't bother with this film, even if you get the chance to watch it for free as you'll end up paying in fingernails.

Dull and slow haunted house film

[slayrrr666 · 4/10 · 30 November 2008]

"Spirit Trap" is a thoroughly boring and hardly-worthwhile ghost effort.

**SPOILERS**

Needing a home for rent, students Jenny, (Billie Piper) Tom, (Luke Mably) Adele, (Emma Catherwood) Nick, (Sam Troughton) and Tina, (Alsou) move into a huge London flat and meet up with each other, settling into their rooms. Going through the belongings left behind after getting acquainted, they find an old Quija Board and decide to give it a shot, which starts to upset some of them. As the night goes on, they all suddenly experience a series of strange events that are initially blamed on each other, but they soon realize that something may be inside the house with them, and after knowing there's a ghost involved in the proceedings, try to solve the mystery involving them and get out alive.

The Good News: There was very little that actually had anything worthwhile to it. The ending to the film is actually enjoyable, as there's the full revelation of the ghostly mystery with some nice action and the full explanation of everything comes off rather well and has some rather fun scenes to it. From the scenes of the psycho stalking them around the cavernous, impressive-looking and suitably creepy house, the race to fulfill the requirements for stopping the events from transpiring, these are all quite fun. As the different reactions of the past are inter-weaved with the regular action being rather fun as well. Overall, these scenes come off good and fun. The only other thing to work is that some of the different dream sequences are pretty creepy visually. Rather than simply trying to do a repeat of the action in the house, they're the only real indication something is wrong and it plays them for all it's worth, leading to some decent moments in the middle of the film. These issues are all the film has going for it.

The Bad News: This is a severely flawed effort. One of the biggest problems is that the film is just too dull and boring. This one has such a long amount of time where nothing at all happens, lasting nearly an hour before anything remotely close to producing chills is even used, making for a viewing that lasts forever and ever before finally getting to the ghost action. That's not nearly bad enough, but the way it goes about filling up the useless time is where it makes sure to be boring, as the film decides that using up the time by doing absolutely nothing and have them walk around the house yelling at each other for their different methods, from their drug habits to past relationships to the demons plaguing them coming into the house, and this is exactly the opposite of what's needed to make these scenes feel exciting. None of them are all that interesting or exciting or even enjoyable, making the film a real chore to get through during these later segments when they come into the fore, making it seem like the ghost action in here almost an afterthought and barely in the film about it to begin with as it takes a back-seat to the rest of the film's subplots, which is a bad move all around. The other flaw to this is that the film has an incredibly convoluted plot that doesn't make much sense at all. The use of the clock has very little connection other than providing the resting spot for the clue to which it helps solve the mystery and the focus on it is a little hard to understand, the flashbacks to the past are so unnecessary they could've been dropped and nothing would've been missed and it has a huge flaw dealing around the finale, which is entirely too big to ruin here, but there is a rather big one along with the other flaws on display, leaving this one to be entirely disappointing.

The Final Verdict: Dull, boring and uneventful sum up this one quite nicely, leaving little room for the few good spots to emerge. Really only see this if you prefer you're horror meshed with a side of drama, though those looking for some generally more adrenaline-soaked fare or aren't fans of those kinds should ignore altogether.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Violence, drug use, Brief Nudity and a mild sex scene

Not as bad as people say

[jason_13 · 5/10 · 15 January 2007]

Spirit Trap is a typical, contemporary ghost story where everything is a result of something horrible, that has happened in the past and most of the film's runtime is used to unlock the secret. Usually most ghost stories resemble the classic horror movies about a haunted mansion, surrounded by darkness and mystery. Spirit Trap is a modern version of The Hauting. At least the first 20-25 minutes will be very familiar and probably boring for Haunting fans.

Four students receive a phone call and are offered lodging in an old, creepy house. Of course, they are all different and problems occurs immediately after the house's newest inhabitants learn about the presence of a drug dealer as their co-tenant. Later on, one of the teens fixes a spirit clock and now he is able to witness the events that has taken part many years ago. The characters are now convinced that the house is haunted by ghosts.

To be honest, I watched the movie out of desperation. I didn't have the time to pick up another horror movie and Spirit Trap was the only possibility. The movie is not bad. It ain't good either. Decent horror flick for time killing. One thing that managed to surprise me was the acting. Better than I asked for. Completely unknown actors give everything to recreate realism.

We should also take notice on the fact that the movie is British. In my opinion, most good horror flicks come from Britain these days. Yes, Spirit Trap is not among the good lists of great horror movies, but it could have been much worse if it looked like most American ghost stories.

I applaud the idea of putting more depth into a rather dull story, but the plot loses its potential soon after the creators create sub-plots concerning the characters's past. The main girl has killed her mother, the drug dealer's wife doesn't love him and stuff like that. Cheap tries of dry, needless drama that has absolutely nothing to do with what we cheer for when it comes to ghost flicks.

I won't recommend Spirit Trap to anyone, but calling it bad is a big mistake. It tries something new and even though it fails in provoking the viewer, it includes scenes that worth a look.

A Killer for a Killer

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 30 November 2006]

In London, four students have a call from the student accommodation office of the local university offering lodging in an old house. The psychic Jenny (Billie Piper), the graph design student Nick (Sam Troughton), and the couple of lovers and drug dealers Tom (Luke Mably) and Adele (Emma Catherwood) are welcomed by the weird Tina (Alsou). Nick fixes a spirit clock, and sooner Jenny sees the crimes that happened in the house in the past, when two lovers died. Along the two next days, Jenny, Nick, Tom and Adele disclose that each one of them had killed a person on the past and also that they are trapped in the house, since a ghost is claiming a killer for a killer to release the soul of Edmund Joseph.

The storyline of "Spirit Trap" is very interesting and quite original, but the screenplay is not so good since presents this idea in a confused way. I liked the concept that a soul could be exchanged by another in hell provided the basic rule of "a killer for a killer" is accomplished. I liked also the performance of the unknown cast. In my opinion, there are some unfair and some exaggerated reviews in IMDb, since this movie is neither a crap nor a masterpiece, only another reasonable and entertaining haunted house horror film .My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Armadilha dos Espíritos" ("The Trap of the Spirits")

Another nail in the coffin for British horror movies

[p-morgan73-1 · 1/10 · 20 January 2008]

Everything that's wrong with this pic has been covered already. I was reserving judgement until about eight seconds into the dire opening theme music & credits and it all went progressively downhill from there.I started to notice little things like....their suitcases/packs were carried about in the opening scenes like they were empty or in the packs case stuffed with bubblewrap. I know it's a minor thing but if they can't get that right what chance the rest of the film?. The set, as mentioned, looked as if it had soaked up most of the budget but still looked like it was designed and built by Dan Dan the Am Dram Man. The script was dire, the acting was passable in places but nothing special and the plot flaws and general credibility of some of the scenes lacked commonsense. Now I know students aren't the tidiest of creatures and I was one once but a badly flooded bathroom is a pretty serious issue in terms of damage to electrics and rooms below as well as general mopping up - not in this film. How some people rated this with more than two stars is beyond me. What would they give a really excellent exceptional movie?. As for Billie Piper...if this was a springboard into serious acting then I'd seriously revive the 'pop' career.

A Very Good Film

[Darthad · 8/10 · 30 March 2006]

I thought Spirit Trap would be rubbish, as other British horror films were. However Spirit Trap was packed full of anticipation, suspense and action.

The acting was rather good for low key actors. Known actors such as Luke Mably's acting was a bit dodge compared to his performance in Dream Team. Sam Troughton's acting was better than this acting in Alien V Predator. Unknown actors such as Emma Catherwood and Russian singer/actor Alsou performances were rather good in the roles. However Billie Piper's acting was not as good as it was in Dr Who, but she managed to pull off the lead role in this movie.

The storyline and script were both excellent and really made this film, however there was a bit too much crammed into this film for the time allotted. The location and scenery were rather good as well and the make up and costumes.

This movie for me was a cross between House On Haunted Hill and Long Time Dead with all the added wow and suspense factor. I also enjoyed the twist in the movie and it will keep you on the edge of you seat. I watched this movie with my sister and she also thought It would be completely rubbish and she really enjoyed it (but she don't want to admit it).

As a keen horror movie fan I have seen crap ( Ghost Watcher ) and excellent ( Freddy V Jason ) horrors and I would recommend people to give this film a chance because I will change your life. I hope to see these actors in leading roles in the future.

What's so bad?

[it001k0306 · 7/10 · 17 November 2007]

Nice to see more and more British fantasy films appearing and this one is not so bad. Certainly as good as most American B-Movies of similar ilk and most definitely better than many reviews on this site suggest. Story is perhaps a touch clichéd and generic but, hell, isn't that part and parcel of genre. Haunted House stories do tend to contain haunted houses, and they tend to be haunted by spirits, and these movies appeal to teens and younger adults so they tend to feature teens and younger adults as main characters. It's also a no-brainer to realise that these characters need to make some mistakes in order to activate the BAD THINGS that happen, hence that is what happens. Call it generic or call it derivative, so what? That's the genre. Admitedly, tension isn't built up so well, not much in the way of scares and only a light smattering of atmosphere, but it looks okay and the acting is undoubtedly better than most of the posters on this site are suggesting. Could I possibly ask that reviewers from places other than a film's country of origin don't immediately dismiss UK actors as unknowns just because they are not Keira Knightly, Daniel Craig or Hugh Grant? Billie Piper was certainly less known prior to Doctor Who but it's been a good decade since she was unknown. Sam Troughton and some of the others have also built up a reasonable body of work. Piper is decent in this - some suggest not as good as in Doctor Who - I would point out that most people should shine in Doctor Who because it's so well directed, written, constructed, etc. Piper doesn't shine in this because 'Spirit Trap' just isn't in the same league but it doesn't mean she isn't good. Also liked Troughton. Is this film a waste of time? No! It ain't a classic but it's not so bad. Give it a go, it won't kill you.

Pretty Bad but...

[newday98074 · 3/10 · 12 April 2007]

I did watch all the way through. A loose remake of the original "House on Haunted Hill" with scenes added that were stolen from other films, "Reservoir Dogs", "The Omen", "The Exorcist", "Basic Instinct", "An American Werewolf in London" and every movie where teenagers play with a ouija board. However don't get the idea this mess approaches any of those, even Basic Instinct. Very very poor direction. Scenes were shot with no idea how to raise tension and action sequences (for example people hopping up into an attic from a low stepladder like they were bouncing off a trampoline) were in general deplorable. Two of the actresses, Piper and Alsou, simply can't act. Alsou is particularly amateurish and destroys every scene where she opens her mouth. The idea of the movie is actually interesting, but a poor script, direction and acting result in a nearly complete dud.

could do better....a lot better

[andrewjones888 · 2/10 · 17 October 2011]

I had never heard of this film when i watched it last night on sky..now i wish it had stayed that way.

Any film director or writers wanting to venture into the "old dark house with a past" subject has to make it so good it will blow your socks off not leave you feeling like you have stepped in a cowpat

Boring bland characters (talking off which, i love the way the drug dealer bloke turns up and tells complete strangers all about himself being a drug peddler...you know it makes sense)

The director thought it would be a good idea to have a hall and stair case straight out of a theatre stage which was way to big compared to the outside of the house. Also if you like old clocks don't bother finding the antique roadshow just watch this film because it is padded endlessly with shots of a clock face.

Sloppy editing,pointless scenes and the first hour of complete boredom are all in the mix here.....enjoy!

Spirit Trapped

[joeyloran · 2/10 · 1 February 2023]

I would have preferred a spoof on "The Parent Trap" with the twins as restless spirits playing pranks... I haven't fully flushed out the idea but I can say anything would be better than this film. The slow pace traps you for 90 minutes and fills you with the spirit of boredom. Tom has a mean right hook. *DV TW.

I watched this film on FAWESOME and in the description it mentioned the script was based on a video game? Couldn't find anything on Google about it, so if anyone knows what game they could be referring to, please let me know.

I wanted to like this movie but it left me feeling angry. Mostly angry at myself for not getting up and turning it off but the dog fell asleep on my legs and I didn't want to get up.

Lame and stupid..

[a-n-g-e-l-1 · 1/10 · 23 November 2005]

this movie is really a waste of time. the plot(if you wanna call it that) is ludicrous at best and at times painfully stupid.

there are elements that could easily make a really enjoyable movie(old house, locked doors, doomed lovers) but everything original or interesting is either soon discarded or just not explained at all. also i couldn't help but feeling i already saw the same storyline in a number of movies, maybe thats just because the ending was so terribly predictable.

the acting is laughable, and involuntarily funny... i haven't seen any of the actors in any other movie, but they can only be better than this stinker.

how anyone would invest money to produce movies like this one is beyond me...

the only thing good was the song during the end credits...

therefore my rating: 1

stick to the singing Billie

[jadflack · 1/10 · 15 January 2008]

Tedious, pointless, amateurish British made mess of a movie that has nothing going for it, and that includes it's so called "star" Billie Piper.The former pop star turned actress here appearing " pre Dr Who"where she did find some success as Dr Who's sidekick, but in " spirit trap" given her first starring role or more tellingly her only cinema "starring role" she certainly does not light up the screen in anyway.She in fact, is easily overshadowed in sexiness by Emma Catherwood anyway and since this film she has gone to mostly TV work,which i do not wish to pass judgement on as i have not seen any of it.I can however pass judgement on "spirit trap" and the verdict is awful.

Lacklustre script

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 4 February 2019]

SPIRIT TRAP is another low budget British horror B-movie and one that reminded me of THE HOLE, albeit with a more explicitly supernatural premise. A bunch of young characters hole up in an old house which turns out to have some paranormal apparatus inside; before long they're menaced by the supernatural. The usual gamut of character twists, dodgy effects and psycho thrills plays out with routine familiarity, while a cast headed by Billie Piper fails to make much headway with the lacklustre script.

Im a spirit get me out of here

[alistairc_2000 · 7/10 · 9 October 2011]

Five students get a call telling them that their accommodation has been booked as their is no room at the student inn. They do not know who the other members of their ensemble are. Throughout the movie we see more of them as they begin to grow as characters. It is a nice touch but not a deft one. So they turn up to this house which is grand to say the least. Meet each other and get the film moving. A bit of exploring is done, there is a door which is padlocked. What is behind this door?

The nice guy walks into Billy's room and notices a circular net, he asks billy what it is and she replies it is a spirit trap... I knew that as I had seen Dreamcatcher. Then they go downstairs and there is an old clock which one of them gets working, Billy pipes up (groan) that it is a spirit clock. Then they find a quiji board type thingy and it is off to the people having a séance type of thing, is there anybody there... which sets the movie up for the ghostly goings on.... Watch the movie and find out the rest of the plot.. The characters So it quickly becomes noticeable that the women are drop dead gorgeous and the guys are not. The characters are split into the nasty bloke and the nice bloke. The mysterious woman, the beautiful airhead and the homely babe (Billy Piper). For the most part the acting is of a high standard. Some of the dialogue is clichéd and lets the side down somewhat. Summing up This movie is quite good not a classic but well worth watching. Go and see it if you can as it is always good when a British horror movie comes out. The effects are good. The music is excellent throughout. It has a great title sequence and does not just launch into the movie. There are some good gore effects and on the whole the movie works well. Good if you like Lighthouse

Well...

[Lathe_of_Heaven · 4/10 · 11 March 2007]

Usually I agree with Claudio's taste (one reason why I even watched this film) but this time in my lowly opinion I think he was just a BIT too generous : ) Great idea; caught me right away when I was researching this film to see if I was gonna rent it. I love Horror stories with some kind of 'mechanism' (like the similar clocklike thing in 'THE EIGHTEENTH ANGEL') But, sadly, although briefly referred to several times throughout the film, this really didn't play much of a part in the ongoing 'plot' to use the term loosely. I don't know... Bottom line: Excellent idea but rather poor execution. Billie was absolutely gorgeous though; I kind wish SHE was the one to lose a few of her clothes instead of the typical skankie one..., but alas..., no go..

I would say that the director and the script is where the real flaws were; the visuals could easily have been done to FAR better effect and in a MUCH more stylized way. And they coulda built the story FAR better too. It was SORT of slightly reminiscent of 'SKELETON KEY' which also could have EASILY gotten screwed up a million different ways; but in THAT film the atmosphere and moody touches were right on the money. Here, it's kinda like they threw the script and story in a blender and we saw pretty much what came out.

So, no, with as many other films there are to see, unless like me, you feel that Billie is SO damn gorgeous that you don't mind just sitting there and looking at her the whole time, I'd really recommend you find another film that would be MUCH more entertaining and MUCH better executed...

___________________L@the

Pretty good movie and I am surprised by this.

[Xex-Arachnid · 8/10 · 7 March 2007]

By my horrible experiences with movies at the rental places, I feel that I have enough experience to judge a crappy movie and with a the name of this movie and the cover, I figure that such would definitely go in my crappy collection. It was collecting dust until I was haggled to watch it last night and I'm glad I did. This movie has no special effects what so ever that I remember, well, nothing CGI or extreme and it still kicked ass. It has an original story, good acting (for the scope of this film) and it was thoroughly executed with a different approach on the subject of spirituality. I can honestly say that I didn't get bored or annoyed or got up to do something else while it was playing. I liked it.

Above average movie

[dlmyst-29813 · 6/10 · 9 July 2020]

It's nice seeing a movie done from another country. It's not the typical American horror film type. So that's always nice and refreshing in a horror movie. Though this movie spent 1 hour introducing the characters and their back story. in reality the movie could of been a 30 minute short. It kept me somewhat entertained hence the 6 star review. There's very little special affects in the movie. The blood looked fake but in a way it worked in the scene near the end. Lastly, the actors did a pretty good job to convey the story.

Boring

[africe · 3/10 · 20 September 2019]

This movie is boring. Yhe only reason it got a 3 was I like Billie Piper. She needs better material to work with. This could have been good but it needed much more content and context

Hopelessly bland and tired

[I_Ailurophile · 1/10 · 23 September 2022]

"It's just a load of rubbish for sad, gullible people."

Was there actually any earnest intent behind this movie? For the sake of everyone involved, I certainly hope there wasn't. Dialogue is rotten and unbelievable, and the scene writing at large isn't far behind - nor characterizations. The screenplay seems to have been cobbled together from a checklist of genre tropes without any further care having been applied beyond ensuring they were included. The same goes for the fundamental arrangement of shots and scenes, and the use of sound and music cues. Suspension of disbelief is outright shattered in no time at all, and thereafter, every small scrap of literally anything the movie stirs in, every passing moment, becomes a source of deep aggravation.

I've seen a lot of awful movies, some I would unquestionably and sincerely name as being among the worst ever made. 'Spirit trap' is one of them.

The only cast member I'm familiar with in any way is Billie Piper, but I can safely say this is beneath her and else everyone involved. I don't think their performances are bad - I think they're terribly empty, as devoid of believable feeling as the writing. It's like every scene is being acted out per the instructions of a teacher in an acting class, and no matter how capable the actors are, there's no substance to any of it. And it's certainly not their fault; no could do much of anything with material so sorely lacking. There's little real rhyme or reason to the plot, and it all comes across as desperately contrived.

One or two ideas herein, and absolutely no more, could feasibly be shaped into something worthwhile in another picture. Not here. This is exhausting and bland from the start, and never truly improves. Let's not mince words: you don't need to watch 'Spirit trap.' No one does.

Really Could Have Been So Much Better.....

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 3/10 · 19 June 2020]

Okay!!!! Here we go with some English Haunted House movie.....

Okay so...some idiots go to a House for some reason.... I missed it. The reason.

Of course they find a planchette and start playing with it because...well why wouldn't you??

-1 Star For Dude asking where Babe is going when she says she's tired. Like he couldn't put 2 and 2 together that she's going to bed? Dumb writing.

The ending was pretty lame and the story really wasn't that great.

-1 Star for the Ending and bad story....

3/10