A taut psychological thriller with a droll sense of humor, “Flytrap” works on several levels. Shot in the claustrophobic confines of a nondescript house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, it’s a stifling chamber drama that’s part haunted house movie with the trapped innocent gradually realizing there’s no way out and part sci-fi thriller. The robotic beings from another dimension that nest in the house are human, albeit off-kilter, enough to prove the film’s balance of tension and satire/black humor, well delivered by a solid cast. Writer/director Stephen David Brooks keeps the action confined to a few rooms and ominous hallways, all under murky lighting, with enough surprises to hold the audience in his grip without sacrificing his strange, playful tone.
The set-up has British astronomer James Pond (Jeremy Crutchley) driving across the US to start a new job at UCLA. He leaves a message for his colleagues that he’s close to arriving at the campus. But then his electric car dies on a residential neighborhood and Pond rings the wrong doorbell. It’s answered by Mary Ann (Ina-Alice Kopp), in one of the movie’s running jokes, named for the perky castaway on “Gilligan’s Island.” There’s something clearly off about this woman in a red dress who speaks in a Stepford-like monotone and immediately aims to seduce this craggy-faced, likable stranger who simply wants to use the telephone. Soon, Pond is ensnared in the trap. Another resident, the creepy Gilligan (Jonah Blechman), turns up and outfits Pond with a collar that emits high voltage shocks if he tries to exit.
Within this claustrophobic setting, “Flytrap” spins a tender, odd relationship between Pond and Mary Ann. He starts out trying to persuade her to help him escape; gradually, he realizes she, too, has been trapped into servitude and wants to free her. Without pretension or flashy effects, “Flytrap” manages to bring something fresh and creative to the sci-fi/horror genre.