The Tripper (2006)

Director:

David Arquette

Writers (WGA):

David Arquette (written by) &
Joe Harris (written by)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

On 4.20, Hippie Blood Will Trickle Down.

Plot:

A Ronald Reagan-obsessed serial killer targets a bunch of hippies who are heading to a weekend-long concert.

Plot Keywords:

Festival | Van | Lumberjack | Chainsaw | Mutilation

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Arquette	...	Muff
Richmond Arquette	...	Deputy Cooper
Courteney Cox	...	Cynthia (as Courteney Cox Arquette)
China Crawford	...	Paramedic (as China Raven Crawford)
Paz de la Huerta	...	Jade / Summer
Alan Draven	...	Kid #1
Norwood Fisher	...	Band (as John Norwood Fisher)
Ben Gardiner	...	Wilson
Rocky George	...	Band
Balthazar Getty	...	Jimmy
DeAndre Gipson	...	Band
Redmond Gleeson	...	Dylan / Father
Richard Gross	...	Cop
Lukas Haas	...	Ivan
Josh Hammond	...	Tyler

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, drug content, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:R | Germany:Not Rated (SPIO/JK) (cut) | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated | New Zealand:R18 | Ireland:18 | UK:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Big Basin Redwoods State Park - 21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, California, USA

Company:

Coquette Productions

Trivia:

Its title in Germany is "President Evil".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the old man gets his head chopped off in the tunnel he clearly screams long after his head has been detached.

Quotes:

Jimmy: [before being killed] But I'm a Republican!

Movie Connections:

References A Concert for Hurricane Relief (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Rise

Jelly Beans, Purple Sticky Punch, Chainsaws and Ronald Reagan. Excerpt from The Horror Review

How does one label David Arquette's directorial debut? Possibly awe inspiring? No, too vague. I've got it…This film is a brilliantly executed politically charged homicidal satire of our generation.

David has created a new breed of a horror film. I'd liken The Tripper to early works by cult fave, George Romero. This film knocked my socks off. Crisp dialogue, great characters and enough scares to send shivers down your spine. Seriously.

The story, from my perspective, is a throwback to classic 70's and 80's horror romps fused with the trickle down ideals that Reagan gave to us.

The Tripper opens with an obscure kid watching his father arguing with "save the redwoods" activists and results in a very bloody end that gives little Michael Myers a run for his money in the opening scene of Halloween. From here the narrative blooms like cannabis and follows a group of twenty-somethings as they travel to a love and peace concert, hosted by an aged Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) in the very woods that the opening tragedy occurred. The group is led by the breathtaking Jamie King, Stephen Heath, Lukas Haas, Jason Mewes sans his Silent Bob but still with his rapid-fire one-liners and the always beautiful Marsha Thomason (Las Vegas). Thomas Jane (The Punisher) plays the local sheriff and David Arquette, well, his character's name is Muff and I don't think I need to say anymore.

Before one can scream Jason Voorhees, a killer donning a Reagan mask descends upon the locals with a sharp political tool; an axe. Balthazar Getty has one of the best lines in the film as he screams "But I'm a Republican!" And the stunning Mrs. Cox-Arquette appears in one of the funniest moments of the film that left me howling.

Arquette has written a dark satire that, thanks to Trickle Down economics, transcended the political climate for the past 20 years. Even the killer's motive is revealed in a bold way by referencing Reagan's poor decision to open up mental institutions and let the patients roam the streets. One chased me to my car last night after seeing this film.

This is a unique film experience like Natural Born Killers was back in 1994. The characters are rich and their personalities are extremely layered. As far as the dialogue, my goodness, Arquette seems to have left no political ideal untouched.

I have no idea how they're going to market and promote this film but it's one to watch when released nationally in 2007. A note to Hollywood…let David stretch his creative legs in the future and when he asks for a bigger budget, do not hesitate. He has proved himself as one hell of a filmmaker to watch.