Directed by Fred Olen Ray [Other horror films: The Brain Leeches (1978), The Alien Dead (1980), Scalps (1983), Biohazard (1985), Sleazemania! (1985), Sleazemania Strikes Back (1985), The Tomb (1986), Evil Spawn (1987), Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988), Deep Space (1988), The Phantom Empire (1988), Beverly Hills Vamp (1989), Haunting Fear (1990), Spirits (1990), Scream Queen Hot Tub Party (1991), Evil Toons (1992), Possessed by the Night (1994), Inner Sanctum II (1994), Witch Academy (1995), Night Shade (1996), Hybrid (1997), Sideshow (2000), Venomous (2001), Thirteen Erotic Ghosts (2002), Final Examination (2003), Haunting Desires (2004), Tomb of the Werewolf (2004), Ghost in a Teeny Bikini (2006), Voodoo Dollz (2008), Silent Venom (2009), Dire Wolf (2009), Bikini Frankenstein (2010), Twilight Vamps (2010), Super Shark (2011), The Twin (2017), Piranha Women (2022)]
While I admit that Glass Trap is not a traditionally good movie, it is a lot of fun. Admittedly, I have a soft spot for movies of the early-to-mid 2000’s, and I’ve seen this twice before, so the fact that I had fun with it again isn’t surprising, but Glass Trap, despite its flaws, is a movie that I tend to have a good time with.
The special effects are awful, though. I love giant ants as much as the next guy (as long as the next guy in question loves giant ants, that is), but the special effects here don’t really do the idea justice. That said, there is a certain charm in just how poorly rendered some of these ants are, and because this is the type of movie you’d expect to run into on the Sci-Fi channel circa 2006, I largely think the effects can be waved away.
Because really, when it comes to giant insect movies, it’s rarely the effects or the story that pulls us in. Sure, a story could be potentially interesting, but I don’t think that’s likely most of the time. Here, the plot – which has to do with radioactive trees, and the radioactivity caused some ants to grow in size – is pretty much what you’d expect from a movie like this. It’s not exceptionally poor, it just is what it is.
What really brings the movie together is the cast. There’s a lot of people crammed into this one, and though not all characters are of equal import (Chick Vennera), you can tell that they had a good time making this movie, and that reflects well on the actual viewing experience, too.
C. Thomas Howell (The Hitcher, Killer Bees, Mutant Vampire Zombies from the ‘Hood!) wasn’t the funnest character, but he made for a stable lead. I don’t really think Brent Huff (Final Examination) was used to the fullest of his extent, but he was decent for his scenes. Siri Baruc (Mega Snake, The Wisher), who was giving off Matilda-era Embeth Davidtz vibes throughout, was quite a bit of fun.
Andrew Prine (Nightmare Circus, Sutures, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, They’re Playing with Fire, The Evil) was a lot of fun, and played a character you could really root for. Tracy Brooks Swope didn’t have as much to do in the finale as I’d have thought, but again, she played a fun character. They got Martin Kove (The Karate Kid, Bring Me a Dream, Savage, Joker’s Wild, Blood Tide, Reality Terror Night) to pop up in the final 25 minutes, and his character’s pretty much what you’d expect.
Otherwise, while people like Peter Spellos (Thirteen Erotic Ghosts, Sorority House Massacre II), Chick Vennera (The Terror Within II), Whitney Sloan (Blue Demon), John Clement, and Stella Stevens (The Manitou) all had their individual moments, I don’t think that they stand out quite as well.
Even so, for a simple movie with terrible special effects of giant ants, that’s a lot of names that did make an impression on me. Like I said, it seems like they had a blast making the movie, and as I had a great time revisiting it, then it’s a good deal.
All of this said, I’m not deluded myself that Glass Trap is a movie that’ll please most people. You have to be in the right mindset to enjoy this one, and it definitely helps if you, like myself, wear rose-tinted glasses when it comes to movies released in the early-to-mid 2000’s. I was a kid back then (born 1993), so I feel comfortable with movies from this time.
Glass Trap won’t do it for everyone, or even most, but personally, I can dig it, even if it may drag and is very much a product of the time.
7/10
Jiggy's Horror Corner 