“Pitfall” is a survival horror film that fully embraces its stark, brutal premise. Directed by James Kondelik, it immerses the audience in a relentless nightmare scenario, all while maintaining a strong sense of tension through its simple story.
When a group of friends head into the woods for a camping trip, things start to feel “off” before everything goes very wrong. The main focus of the story is Scott (Marshall Williams), who gets separated and ends up falling into a 10-foot-deep, spike-filled pit, impaled through the leg and completely stuck. It’s exactly as painful and stressful to watch as it sounds. Pretty quickly, it becomes clear this wasn’t some random accident. Someone planned this, and Scott is just the beginning.
What really works here is the sheer intensity of the situation. The idea of being trapped like that, injured, alone, and slowly realizing you’ve been targeted? It’s harrowing. The movie leans hard into both the physical horror (it’s quite bloody) and the psychological side, especially as Scott starts to break down. You really feel the panic, the helplessness, and the desperation.
The practical effects deserve a shout out too. They’re gnarly in a very old school way. If you’re into that gritty, 80s-style slasher vibe, there’s a lot here to like. Some of the images are seriously disturbing and stick with you, especially as things escalate toward a brutal, no-holds-barred ending.
After a strong and exciting opening, the pacing slows down a lot and gets talky, diving into character backstories, emotional trauma, and family issues from the past. Some of that adds depth, but the majority of it just feels like filler when you’re waiting for things to ramp back up. The killer’s presence is creepy, but the backstory behind the psychopath is a bit flimsy.
Regardless, once the tension kicks back in, it really kicks back in. The second half leans harder into the survival horror and slasher elements, which is where the film shines. It looks slicker than you’d expect from an indie, too, with its polished, big studio style feel.
Rough and intense, “Pitfall” delivers where it counts: tension, gore, and that awful “stuck in a nightmare you can’t escape” feeling. If you can handle some seriously disturbing moments and don’t mind a slower middle portion, it’s a solid, crowd-pleasing horror ride.
By: Louisa Moore
