Plot: A group of friends are headed to the countryside for the weekend, with hopes of fun, relaxation, and decompression. After all, being outside the urban sprawl and rat race is a great chance to recharge and spend real time with each other, so the friends couldn’t be more excited. But the serene weekend is shattered when the group runs into a strange, unstable man and his son, which leads to a burst of violence. The small town locals don’t seem too concerned with the violence, but the friends decide to take action and make sure the attackers are given some justice. But in an isolated locale as the only outsiders, can the friends somehow extract some payback on the men who assaulted them or will things take an even darker turn?

Entertainment Value: A lot of movies have claimed to be extreme or shocking in nature, but Trauma is one that lives up to the promises, as this is a dark, brutal experience that shatters most boundaries. The movie opens with a blood soaked, sexually violent episode that makes sure you know Trauma means business, but things don’t turn into roses and rainbows after that. The narrative has some political undertones of sorts and the film claims the events are based on real life, but I can’t confirm that and I certainly hope it isn’t the truth. The atmosphere is tense and oppressive, with a bleak texture and as the story remains rooted in believable events, the horrors are all the more potent, since this isn’t some mystical turn of events. No, the villains here are normal men who happen to seek out horrific acts to inflict upon the women, who feel helpless in a strange place with no one to turn to for help. This one can be tough to watch and is almost certain to offend and haunt more sensitive viewers, as there is brutal violence of a sexual nature, shown in nearly full detail. The survival driven story is sprinkled with some political threads, so this is more than just shock and awe, but the more horrific elements are likely the ones that audiences will remember. So if you’re a fan of extreme horror and have an open mind, give Trauma a look.

This one has frequent, vivid nudity and not just brief glimpses, so the sleaze factor is quite high here. This includes a lot of topless scenes, bare asses, and graphic, lingering full frontal nakedness. The movie’s sex scenes includes a lesbian encounter and several intense rape sequences, with the opening sequence as perhaps the most striking and unsettling of the lot. The rape scenes aren’t super graphic, but are brutal and come off as realistic. In short, Trauma has a good deal of sexual violence on showcase and it is shown in vivid detail. While most of the violence is sexual in nature, there is also some gore driven mayhem and the effects are solid, delivering some splashy and eye popping bloodshed. A few impressive set pieces unfold, including a wild face destruction, as well as general and brutal violence. The dialogue is nasty and disturbing in most scenes, but not a lot of memorable or quotable lines. The serious tone and unsettling nature of the material means that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The craziness factor leans more toward dark and brutal, so while it is unsettling and shocking, I wouldn’t classify as wild or over the top. But the violence and sexual slant is so unflinching, you have to score some points in this area for Trauma.

Nudity: 8/10

Blood: 6/10

Dialogue: 1/10

Overall Insanity: 6/10

The Disc: The film’s Blu-ray release from Artsploitation Films boasts a remarkable visual treatment, as the movie looks razor sharp and quite impressive. The detail is stunning and looks so polished here, which makes some scenes that much harder to watch, given how clear all the horrific sights are. The colors are well handled, with natural hues for the part and contrast is dead on, so no detail is obscured. In other words, Trauma looks excellent in high definition. The disc also includes the film’s trailer.

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