Terror Films presents “Trace,” a supernatural thriller that follows a group of friends experimenting with a specific type of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). After trying to make contact with a sprite at a party, the friends get a lot more than they bargained for… Soon the friends realize that they have opened a door to a realm that the living were never meant to see. Now, they are in a race against time to destroy the transmission in order to save themselves and prevent a demon from entering our world.
‘Trace” stars Nick Fink, August Roads, Jesse Pepe, Samantha Lee, Maddie McGuire, Jerod Meagher, Jeremiah Benjamin, Mike Capozzi and Herion Mustafaraj, and the cast is great! From the first time we see the large group of friends, we instantly get a sense of who these characters are simply by their “look” and attitude.
With that said, the main cast is so large, it was sometimes confusing at times to concentrate on all the characters or keep track of who was who.
I have read a few reviews online about modern horror films and their camera movements being “ too distracting.” While most of “Trace” was filmed with a moving or handheld camera, rarely does this movement take you out of the films environment.
For me, “Traces” highlight was its cinematography. From the very first opening shot, we see a camera panning over a deserted facility and into the hallways of said facility, and as the camera pushes deeper, you are given facts about previous experiences involving EVPs. While the camera continues to move, you are pulled into the story.
In a strange way, the camera itself becomes another character, another friend amongst the already large group, who is also witnessing what is going on. This is done with some simple handheld camera techniques and making the viewer feel like you are there with the friends watching what is happening.
The colors help send this message and play an important role in the film. The tones continuously bounce back and forth between a dark, cool blue, to a nice complimentary hue of orange. The viewer can easily follow along with our characters and understand their fear, or if they are in danger, based on this slight change of color.
The films soundtrack offers a thrilling set of tones that keeps you on the edge of your seat. “Trace” has a few great scares and jumps that audience members have come to expect in horror films and the score helps play a part in cementing those scares.
If I had one critique, it would be the lack of gore… I realize that paranormal films very rarely show a large amount of gore, however this film does have a few scenes where some more blood could have been used. I am not saying a ridiculous amount needed to be used, but an audience does expect a certain amount from a horror film.
Make sure when you watch this, you watch it in a dark room with your audio up to its highest level so you can hear every EVP you are were to hear!
This is director Ryan Brookhart’s first feature film, CLICK HERE to hear about his thoughts on “Trace.”
The film is available via Redbox as of October 27th 2015…
It is also currently available on VOD as well as iTunes
