The ratings are blown way out here. The film is junk. Consider the 10k budget before wasting your time and money
17 Reviews
Really?
scott-846536 December 2019
Do not watch this movie.
amrmriad7 December 2019
What the..?!!
mansourkl11 July 2020
The WORST movie I've seen
andreyheart20 March 2020
Do not believe positive reviews. I did
And I found myself playing on my phone for the whole time this movie is on. The "twist" in the end I was waiting for was a joke and not worth wasting 1,5 hours on the Bad acting, Bad directing and Bad script.
This was an OK film
fluffchop22 December 2021
I didn't really enjoy it, nor care what happened but it's an OK film. I think it's worth 1/10 just for the fact that someone made it. I turned it off after 40 minutes when he went into the diner. It was obvious the movie was going to go nowhere and I'd completely lost interest in it. The key to a good movie isn't the budget, it's the writing. If the story isn't there it's not that interesting. This was half interesting at the beginning which is why I kept watching to see what would happen. Then it moved into something stupid I thought. I just didn't care what happened next so I turned it off.
An ok film
caroldobson3 January 2020
WTF
Filmaniac1239 December 2019
A Trunk Full of Suspense
TheAll-SeeingI8 December 2019
As director and screenwriter Marc Hampson proves with his wonderfully queasy suspense-horror hybrid "The Man In The Trunk," a load of great filmmaking can be achieved with a vast, cold forest, a wistfully eerie musical score, and the increasing ascension of a film director plainly conversant in blurring the lines between blockbuster and indie.
Young lawyer Andrew Tucker (played with terrific aplomb by Ace Marrero) and wife Sara (Vanessa Reynolds) are upstairs making a baby when they're visited by Andrew's former college roommate turned cop Erik (Steven Winter). Erik smells bad and looks stricken from head to toe, as if he's just had drinks with the devil himself. He needs Andrew's help, which will require a night drive to destinations unknown. Andrew apparently owns a collegiate history of pulling Erik out of jams, and is clearly still afflicted with that enabler's empathy. So out into the black night they go, where the disturbed Erik reveals that he's got some junk in the trunk of the very human variety. Shovels are procured, and soon we're in the stark and consuming woods, digging a man-sized grave -- just Andrew, Erik, and the man in the trunk.
Without giving away all the candy in the store, there's an evolving supernatural element to "The Man In The Trunk" as it builds into an elite and unsettling hostage horror film, continually ratcheted by Hampson's own psychologically disruptive, piano-twinkled score. Arguably few scenarios are as disquieting to the viewer psyche as the abduction plot, and Hampson sweetens that pot with every time-tested ingredient an upper-echelon suspense film requires. In the sum of its parts, "The Man In The Trunk" proves gloriously uncomfortable and claustrophobic as it delivers its compelling squeamishness in droves. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)
Young lawyer Andrew Tucker (played with terrific aplomb by Ace Marrero) and wife Sara (Vanessa Reynolds) are upstairs making a baby when they're visited by Andrew's former college roommate turned cop Erik (Steven Winter). Erik smells bad and looks stricken from head to toe, as if he's just had drinks with the devil himself. He needs Andrew's help, which will require a night drive to destinations unknown. Andrew apparently owns a collegiate history of pulling Erik out of jams, and is clearly still afflicted with that enabler's empathy. So out into the black night they go, where the disturbed Erik reveals that he's got some junk in the trunk of the very human variety. Shovels are procured, and soon we're in the stark and consuming woods, digging a man-sized grave -- just Andrew, Erik, and the man in the trunk.
Without giving away all the candy in the store, there's an evolving supernatural element to "The Man In The Trunk" as it builds into an elite and unsettling hostage horror film, continually ratcheted by Hampson's own psychologically disruptive, piano-twinkled score. Arguably few scenarios are as disquieting to the viewer psyche as the abduction plot, and Hampson sweetens that pot with every time-tested ingredient an upper-echelon suspense film requires. In the sum of its parts, "The Man In The Trunk" proves gloriously uncomfortable and claustrophobic as it delivers its compelling squeamishness in droves. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)
Man in a trunk
bigdeb48-77-2741409 March 2020
Just watchable but pretty good story though
safsurfer6 December 2019
I rated this film a 6 which on my scale a 5 is a barely watchable movie, so a 6 is just a bump up. For a low budget film the overall production wasn't all that bad and the acting was ok too. It's just that the picture and production value on a whole was just fair, like down in the 6 range. The story on the otherhand was up in the 8 range, like a good movie, but the acting and special effects, etc.....dropped it down. The script also had a few implausable scenes that really didn't make sense. Too bad someone didn't buy this script and throw some serious money at it, might have got a much higher score. Something to consider.....a terrible bad guy that hurts people needs to not only look like one, which he did, but he needs to sound like one...which he didn't. So casting was not accurately portrayed in my opinion. I think a guy with a shovel trumps an injured guy with a crowbar??? Keep going though because I think you got it, just need to convince the ones who are paying the bills. This was a very clean simple fairly well written script that had all the earmarks of a tight suspensful thriller drama, yes a fairly well written script, good character arcs, etc....but casting, a few cheesy scenes, and some directing and camera flaws brought it down a bit.
Highly recommended
marchampson3 December 2019
Straight up - I wrote and directed this movie. Here are some short production notes that went out with the film that I'll use as my review.
This movie began as a short film written to take place in the Southern California desert under the heat of the sun. It ended up being a feature length film shot in Northwest Arkansas in the dead of Winter reaching temperatures nearing zero degrees on the production's coldest nights causing havoc on both crew and equipment. Scenes designed for open spaces, rocks, and hills were are now dead trees, rugged mountain scapes, and falling snow. When the discussion first began to move production into the dark cold woods, it felt like a betrayal to the story's core concept but in the rear view mirror I can't even imagine the film being done any other way.
In the final days of December 2014, a very small crew piled into a truck pulling a trailer with our equipment and hauled it halfway across the country to meet up with the few talent who graciously flew in interrupting their holiday plans and local crew whom we had come to know over the years and we set out to make a thriller over the next nine days with less than $10k and the gracious support of the local community both in Fayetteville/Winslow, Arkansas and the folks back home.
What never changed from idea to production to years of "labor of love" post-production was the heart of the story which asks the question - How far would you go for an old friend? What would you do when a hard question is put in front of you that is going change your life? Do you look the other way, or do you get in front of it?
The thing I'm most excited about is seeing how audiences interpret that question being asked in the film.
This movie began as a short film written to take place in the Southern California desert under the heat of the sun. It ended up being a feature length film shot in Northwest Arkansas in the dead of Winter reaching temperatures nearing zero degrees on the production's coldest nights causing havoc on both crew and equipment. Scenes designed for open spaces, rocks, and hills were are now dead trees, rugged mountain scapes, and falling snow. When the discussion first began to move production into the dark cold woods, it felt like a betrayal to the story's core concept but in the rear view mirror I can't even imagine the film being done any other way.
In the final days of December 2014, a very small crew piled into a truck pulling a trailer with our equipment and hauled it halfway across the country to meet up with the few talent who graciously flew in interrupting their holiday plans and local crew whom we had come to know over the years and we set out to make a thriller over the next nine days with less than $10k and the gracious support of the local community both in Fayetteville/Winslow, Arkansas and the folks back home.
What never changed from idea to production to years of "labor of love" post-production was the heart of the story which asks the question - How far would you go for an old friend? What would you do when a hard question is put in front of you that is going change your life? Do you look the other way, or do you get in front of it?
The thing I'm most excited about is seeing how audiences interpret that question being asked in the film.
Smart and Twisty
jww44528 December 2019
This movie had my attention from beginning to end. I love this kind of flick, where you have to figure out what's going on. It had some great twists that I didn't see coming. The acting was great. Very impressive for such a low budget!
Ends with a twist
darleen195321 December 2019
Pleasantly Surprised
laceyhampson11 January 2020
I caught this mystery thriller at its limited theater release in Los Angles. I was kept on the edge of my seat through the whole movie and was surprised by the unexpected twist at the end.
It's apparent that this movie didn't have a big Hollywood budget, but the production quality is far above what I expected from a super micro-budget independent film.
The score was great at setting the tone of the movie, which was consistent throughout. The Villain was quietly evil, which was super creepy.
Give it a watch, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
It's apparent that this movie didn't have a big Hollywood budget, but the production quality is far above what I expected from a super micro-budget independent film.
The score was great at setting the tone of the movie, which was consistent throughout. The Villain was quietly evil, which was super creepy.
Give it a watch, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I really liked this film!
craigahrens7 December 2019
An easy "9 Stars" from me! I really enjoyed this movie a lot! I enjoyed the story, the acting and the way it was shot. Director Marc Hampson does a good job in telling the story while keeping the pace going at a nice clip. A big thumbs up from me on this one!
Great Movie!
cmuetzel6 December 2019
I recently got to watch The Man in the Trunk at its Los Angeles premiere. It wasted no time getting right to the action and it was packed with suspense right up to the end. Ryan Schwartzman was a terrifying antagonist. Great music, beautiful scenery, and I will never look at candy canes the same way again after watching this film!
Really loved this film noir
billhampson6 December 2019
I was blown away by this fantastic, where is this going, I didn't expect that, story line. I got caught up in the fear and the danger the characters were facing. SO MANY unexpected twists and turns, and the slowly dawning on you unexpected ending is perfect. Great acting. Ryan Schwartzman is especially good at being mean. This is a great up to date Humphrey Bogart style film noir. I couldn't even tear myself away to go to the bathroom.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
