The official trailer for Pitfall is here, and if you’ve been following us, you already know we’re excited about this one. We caught an early screener back during Screamfest LA and came away impressed (and a little queasy, in the best way).
For those just hearing about it: Pitfall is a survival horror slasher directed by James Kondelik. A group of five friends head into isolated woods for a three-day hike. One of them, Scott (Marshall Williams), falls into a spike-lined pit and gets impaled through the leg. That’s bad enough. Then he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident. Someone set the trap, and that someone is still out there hunting the rest of the group.
Think 127 Hours meets backwoods slasher with a splash of Rambo-style killer intensity. That’s how Kondelik pitched it to us directly, and honestly, it tracks.
The cast is stacked for an indie horror film. Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (a Mike Flanagan regular), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), Matt Hamilton, and UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture as the killer. The man is 62 and still throwing down in the mud and rain like it’s nothing. He is basically a licensed chiropractor, so he was literally helping out cast members lumber up between takes. You can’t make this stuff up.
The practical effects come from the same team behind Final Destination: Bloodlines, and it shows. The kills are creative, brutal, and spaced out perfectly. No cheap CGI here.
Pitfall was produced by Pandapix Pictures and Dragon Bear Pictures out of Vancouver, with Voltage Pictures handling distribution.
The film releases on May 29th. Check out our full review and interview with Kondelik and producer Wai Sun Cheng for a deeper look behind the scenes.