Director – James L. Edwards (Brimstone Incorporated, Her Name Was Christa)
Starring – James L. Edwards, Sasha Graham (Screamwalkers, Side Effects May Vary), and Drew Fortier (Frames of Fear 3, Back Again)
Release Date – 2024
Rating – 4/5
I don’t know if I’m becoming more and more open to shitty movies or the last few years has seen a rise in fantastic genre titles. I remember back at the beginning of my career where it seemed like I was writing more negative reviews than I was positive. However, it seems like it’s the opposite. Either I’ve become less critical at my old age or genre films are getting better and better because 2024 has been one hell of a year for horror.
I’ve been seriously impressed by the films I’ve reviewed and this one is no exception. A few days back director and actor James L. Edwards reached out to me to review his newest film Trivial. His career is legendary so it was a no brainer that I would check it out. I want to take a moment to thank James for sending this one over for review.
**Spoiler alert** The film follows a female game show host who abducts men to participate on her show Trivial where they answer questions and if you get three incorrect you are murdered for views. At first it seems she is picking men with questionable pasts and no moral restraint but after each contestant is revealed we slowly learn her real motives. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into Trivial knowing the basic idea behind it but I was not expecting the story to be as intricate as it was. I watch a lot of the older game shows on Buzzr at night. I honestly don’t care for the shows but I love when they include the retro commercials. While I’m watching these as I drift off to sleep I often wonder why we don’t have more gameshow centered horror titles. I know we have a few but the possibilities for game show horror flicks is almost endless. There is a lot of passion and creativity that went into Trivial and it shows.
The acting in this one is very well done. The characters are all very lively with a lot of personality that the cast does a fantastic job at bringing to life. With that being said, the star of the show is Sasha Graham who makes the film so damn enjoyable. She’s a stunning actress who has some serious skill in front of the camera. The film would not be as entertaining if someone else took over this role.
The story for this one is so fucking simple yet the way it was done was absolutely brilliant. The film makes you believe that each “contestant” is chosen at random but during the final act you realize why each one was apart of the show. It’s not predictable at all and the pay off is well worth it. The film has fantastic pacing as well so the viewer never loses patience.
Finally, the film has so much blood and some great looking make-up effects. It’s not that gory but it’s nice seeing a film embrace blood like this one does. On the other side of the same coin, we do get some pretty bad visual effects that did not feel the look of the film. Overall, Trivial is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you don’t have a stick up or ass or a horror hipster then you may enjoy yourself if you are open to it. I highly recommend checking this one out. It’s a lot of fun.
