Trap, The (California Star) Review

Distributor: California Star Productions Edition Details: Standard Streaming Movie Specs: Genres: Classic, Feature Film, Bondage Run Time: 56 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1985 Director: Barbara Behr Written by: uncredited Cast: Michelle Bauer, Julia Parton, Jennifer Brooks Release Specs: Audio: English Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: Streaming Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): N/A Number of discs: N/A

The Trap is a feature bondage film from prolific early bondage director Barbara Behr. The Trap consistently stays on the safer side of bondage, despite a story that could have easily gone far harder and rougher. Fans of bondage roughies put out by companies like Avon will probably find The Trap to be too tame for their tastes whereas the more general adult film viewer will more likely find The Trap to their liking.

In The Trap, a burglar (Jennifer Brooks) goes and sees Jody's (Julia Parton) house that is up for sale to case it during a showing. The burglar returns that night, after Jody has fallen asleep, and she takes Jody hostage while she loots the house. She then has her way with Jody. After the burglar has left and Jody frees herself then she and her friend Dianah (Michelle Bauer) come up with a trap to catch the burglar.

As is, sadly, way too typical with bondage features, the plot presented within The Trap is paper thin. However, unlike many typical bondage feature films, the plot manages to work well for The Trap. The story is enjoyable and works well with the bondage being presented in the film. There are some leaps of faith contained within the plot of the film, however, they don't ruin the film nor really effect the viewing experience as long as you don't think of the logistics of what is going on too much.

As far as the bondage goes, largely it is typical of what one would expect to find in a genre film. Fans of bondage should enjoy the bondage scenes presented within the film. However, anyone looking for anything truly unique will be let down. As is typical with bondage genre films, there is no penetrative sex that occurs within the film. Part of what elevates The Trap above other genre bondage films is the presence of B-movie scream queen Michelle Bauer and B-movie teen sex movie actress Julia Parton. Both bring a breath of life to their characters in the film.

At first glance, The Trap would appear to be your standard run-of-the-mill bondage feature film. However, due to the presentation and the performances by the cast, The Trap manages to elevate itself above the standard bondage genre film and is well worth watching by fans of the genre.

The edition screened of The Trap is the VOD release from California Star available at HotMovies. The Trap is also available in a DVD-MOD release from California Star. To the best of my knowledge, the VOD release and the DVD-MOD release utilize the same exact master.

California Star has done a poor job with their release of The Trap. The Trap was shot on film and is presented in the academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in what appears to be 250i. This release was mastered from a video master, not a film master, which is likely a VHS tape judging from the condition and the image quality. The image contains glitches in the video, grain, artifacts, and a band across the bottom of the screen. The colors aren't horrible. The image quality offered here is subpar.

The Trap is presented with an English monaural audio track. There is a distinct hiss present throughout the film. The dialog is clear and can be heard and understood at all times.

Despite being a low-budget venture, The Trap works with what is available and is an entertaining bondage feature film. The plot is enjoyable and, while there are some major holes in the plot, the story doesn't feel forced like is too often the case with this genre of film. California Star has done a poor job with their release of The Trap with low-quality audio and video.

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