Pitfall (2025)

Pitfall (2025)

It’s okay… but nothing special!

This film is neither brilliant nor a complete flop. As far as I’m concerned, it falls right in the middle.

So, it’s obvious that this film has nothing to do with Pitfall (1948), which is a crime drama.

I thought this was going to be a survival film… but it’s also a slasher! So… it’s far less like 127 Hours (2010) than it is like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend, and so on. This film is also reminiscent of torture-porn films like Saw, yet again! Interestingly, the actor some people remember best from the Saw films is Tobin Bell! And he stars alongside Randy Couture in another horror film called Clown Motel (2023).

Randy Couture is known for his roles in action films. We’ve regularly seen him as a hero, but here, he’s definitely playing the villain. A villain with highly questionable convictions and motives for killing, but any trauma can create a monster. This film is, in fact, packed with characters brimming with trauma.

Randy Couture is one of the most loyal members of The Expendables, having appeared in all four films from 2010 to 2023!

Don’t waste your time if you don’t like this sort of film! It’s violent, with no subtlety to its brutality. It’s full of inconsistencies, but also of noble values dripped over to the point of nausea. It’s too long and the ending is rushed, just like the killer’s motives, as I mentioned earlier. The farewell to the mother before she dies drags on forever and isn’t believable. Nor are those dizzying falls believable, even though they leave some victims alive. The special effects aren’t great and the falls are rather poorly executed.

I could say that this B-movie isn’t half bad, though, for fans of the genres I’ve mentioned. The actors are fairly convincing, even if the story isn’t great. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a rehash, but it holds together and there are a few moments that might even remind some people of the Wrong Turn films!

I appreciate Richard Harmon’s charisma, although he’s irritating in this film – yet he’s still got a big heart. He’s the maverick of the group.

Alexandra Essoe is infuriating in the best possible way, but at times, that actually shows a certain talent. Admittedly, it’s not always easy to make yourself hated in a film. Here, she plays her character to perfection – the sort you’d like to slap for over an hour.

Marshall Williams (II) plays the American hero with all the perfection that entails: he tries to patch things up with his sister, settles arguments, manages to stay calm whilst severely injured, and comes to the rescue, despite being in a terrible state.

Matt Hamilton plays the alpha male, who’s not there to mess about, but is as kind as can be towards his wife.

And Jordan Claire Robbins is probably the female character with the most charisma in this film.

Here are three very negative, short reviews I found:

1. “The ultimate flop! It’s unbelievable that in 2026 we’re still being served up films like this. Zero context for the action in the forest, gory scenes so poorly executed that they’re more ridiculous than ‘gore’, and to top it all off, a (bad) ending that, we hope, won’t herald a Pitfall 2!”

Yes, and that’s solely because there’s still the traditional ridiculous jump scare in the final scene. As rubbish as ever!

2. “A second-rate survival film that quickly reveals its limitations, with unnecessary drags. Two stars.”
3. “To the question, ‘Is a hole in the ground enough for a plot?’, one quickly realises that it isn’t. A simple metaphor for the abysmal void of the direction and the script’s utter lack of substance…”

Pitfall is unlikely to leave a lasting impression or become a cult film. Some people might discover it late in life and regret not having seen it sooner, but that won’t be the case for most people. And thank goodness for that!