Trapped Ashes (2006)

36% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
20% of users liked it
(657 ratings)

The traditional horror anthology makes a triumphant comeback in this collection of four frightfully horrific tales from directors Monte Hellman, Ken Russell, Sean S. Cunningham, John Gaeta, and Joe Dante. When seven strangers accept a mysterious invitation to tour a Hollywood studio lot, they become… More The traditional horror anthology makes a triumphant comeback in this collection of four frightfully horrific tales from directors Monte Hellman, Ken Russell, Sean S. Cunningham, John Gaeta, and Joe Dante. When seven strangers accept a mysterious invitation to tour a Hollywood studio lot, they become trapped in a room and discover that their only hope for escape is to reveal the most terrifying tale they know. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Sean S. Cunningham, John Gaeta
Genres: Horror

On DVD: Jul 15, 2008

Critic Reviews

Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times
Dennis Bartok writes this lackluster anthology of four juvenile horror stories dripping with sexual dread and goofball gore.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Gross-out comedy about male discomfort with female sexuality dominates this horror anthology scripted by Dennis Bartok.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
With its gore-comix sensibility and self-conscious flashes of nudity, Trapped Ashes clunks along, and (to be completely petty) never really overcomes its clunky title.
Dennis Harvey, Variety
Pairing cult directors with macabre omnibus material is always a tasty proposition, but the results disappoint in Trapped Ashes, a quartet of mildly sexed-up, unscary horror tales with a unifying wraparound story.
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
Only fitfully entertaining.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
It's great to see the return of Hellman, even if this film's pathetic theatrical release and dismal reception make it unlikely we'll see much more of him anytime soon.
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
As is usually the case with these things, Trapped Ashes is a mixed bag - but worth a look for genre fans.
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter
Any film that let's Ken Russell direct an episode about killer breasts deserves some kind of credit, almost regardless of the results.
Sean Axmaker, MSN.com
... it's not the most original setup, but then it's not the most original anthology horror...
Lucius Gore, ESplatter
Ultimately, I'd recommend this film for fans of anthology horror films, but it's far from a classic.
Peter Sobczynski, eFilmCritic.com
An enormously disappointing waste of time and talent that even the most forgiving of genre buffs will find almost impossible to sit through without squirming in their seats out of sheer boredom.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Curtis L

Woa. Talk about some twisted crap. A handful of interesting ideas, but also several scenes which had me wanting to puke (an uncommon thing for me). I guess some people enjoy movies with vampire breasts and molesting tape worms...but not this guy.
Jacob P

Boring, Bad Acting, Poorly Filmed, this film just isn't that great. There's not one thing that caught my attention, not one. I didn't really like this film, and thought some parts were just..too..."fake." Skip it!
Leo L

Quite good! Here is one that is definitely worth seeing. Interesting cast.
Christopher B

Ho hum anthology film where some great directors are given sub par material to work with. The script brings this stuff down to below amateur level.