From its intro sequence and the first minutes, Trapped Inn shows that it's a different kind of movie. Starring the multitalented Matt Rife, it immediately sets the stage for its main characters - a US cycling team training in Europe. After a grueling session, the team goes back to their lodging inn, an isolated place where things look better than they should, but also come with an underlying sense of menace.
The great thing about the setup of Trapped Inn is that it uses the entire cycling team as its main character, quickly establishing different personalities, relationships, and rivalries. All of that feels very familiar, but it has rarely been presented in films, especially ones like this. The director of the film, Leah Sturgis, uses the setup in a refined manner, being that the risk there would have been for the movie to slide into a regular sports drama early on. However, Trapped Inn builds up its mystery and a sense of growing unease and danger just as effectively.
Besides Rife and his main team rival Greg, played by Robert Palmer Watkins, Brian Gross as the team's coach manages to perform really well in this kind of odd setup of things not being what they seem. Along with them, the entire team does a great job in molding realistic characters who find themselves in an unexpected, emerging hellscape. As the disappearances and the bodies begin to pile up, the film kicks into a whole new gear with the threat of a mysterious infection and death.
Trapped Inn is shot and edited perfectly, using the best out of natural light and gorgeous locations, both indoors and outdoor. All of the subtle special effects manage to blend into that almost seamlessly. This also offers a great counterpoint to the plot once the danger becomes very immediate and real. That further enhances the tension that the character begins to experience as survival becomes a desperate plight with no good outcomes.
From beginning to end, Trapped Inn is a masterful combo of genres and setups. I'm sure that the presence of big acting names will attract the viewers and the fact that the entire cast performed great, but the actual appeal of the film lies in its ability to blend and sustain its unique approach to its storyline. As the world implodes inside of the characters and outside of them, Trapped Inn offers the audience a world-ending ride that they will never forget.
Learn more about Trapped Inn on its official website and see where you can watch it right now!
