Fuck “Backrooms” (2026). See “Pitfall” (2025), an old-fashioned slasher horror movie in the vein of an old-school Stephen King story with more surprises than meets the eye. When people camp in the Washington state forest, they discover that they are not the only ones trying to get over trauma and fix the mistakes of the past. Mistakenly believing they are a threat, a hunter (Randy Couture) keeps stalking, taunting and killing these campers. Who will get out alive? Director James Kondelik, who also conceived of the story, and writer Victor Rose know exactly how to deliver what they promise, raise the stakes then give more than expected. It is a perfect blend of savvy, cynical marketing without sacrificing quality. Spectacular!
“Pitfall” introduces archetypical characters who seem easy to throw in a slot, and Kondelik and Rose never let a moment go by without someone dying, being in danger or freaked out as if they were about to get murdered, and all of that happens before the five campers congregate. Scott (Marshall Williams) and Ashley (Alexandra Essoe), nicknamed Ash, are estranged siblings who stopped communicating five years ago and have not visited the region since then. They both bring partners along for the ride. Gwen (Jordan Claire Robbins) is a therapist, but she does not confuse her profession with her personal life and is more interested in getting to know the family. Charlie (Matt Hamilton) is a big ol’ golden retriever of a man psyched to go camping and keeps forgetting that Ash is not his girlfriend though he is desperately trying to get that slot.
When you meet these four characters, you would be forgiven for assuming that they should just put on red shirts and get mowed down one by one while not doing anything too interesting. After all, with all due respect to Williams and Hamilton, their first impression screams himboes with limited acting chops and getting stuck with them as leads feels like a real dead-on arrival situation in terms of story and acting quality. Well, you would be wrong because while not everyone defies these negative expectations, most do. Also, wait, there is more. The press kit reflects each actors’ Instagram followers as if it corresponds to talent, which is a bad sign, but while watching “Pitfall,” a light goes off. There are more characters, and it is going to be okay.
They buried the lead in their promotions. Richard (motherfucking) Harmon from “The 100” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines” (2025), a regular scream king and action/sci-fi staple, plays the siblings’ childhood friend, Lars, and it is a good sign. A very good sign. He usually plays magnificent bastards with a heart of gold, and he does not disappoint here. He instantly elevates the material and everyone’s performances as the one guy who is half their size, is not afraid to express his fears and misgivings and talks plenty of well-deserved shit. Lars is a relatable joy and delight who hates camping, only came to support his friends who never learned to use their words or express their feelings, and actually knows when danger arises. Kondelik may have imagined Lars as an onscreen surrogate for himself since Lars brings a camera and is a film student. While the found footage element does not always land, the camera holds a brilliant twist that amplifies the tension.
There are also more campers in the area that the Hunter has been preying on long before these five arrived. So they are unwilling participants in an embedded sidequel. While most of the members of this group are unnamed, there are two that standout: Monica (Brenna Llewellyn) and Katherine (Shanelle Connell). The latter exists so Monica can save her, and in another movie, Monica would be the final girl. When people start dying, she uses it as an opportunity to gain advantage and keeps her cool instead of screaming uselessly and ditching her friend. She is an unwitting foil to the himboes, who are not as cool under pressure and cannot perform as advertised, but it gives an opportunity for Scott to reflect on his perceived shortcomings.
Without spoiling anything, Scott and Ash are opaque about their feelings and have the wrong impression on how the other feels. Gwen and Lars work overtime to correct their erroneous conclusions while Charlie is just kind of existing, well-intentioned but needs to borrow a line from “Heart Eyes” (2025), “These muscles are for the gym, not fighting.” In another movie, his antics would work, but it is not this one. Each surviving character gets a moment to be in the spotlight and do something impressive, but again, “Pitfall” defies expectations because fighting back hard, doing the right thing or seeming prepared does not guarantee survival. The best part of the story is just when a moviegoer believes that they understand the threats, but they do not, and the situation escalates. For instance, Scott spends most of his time impaled on a pointy stick in a deep pit. Sounds bad. It gets worse. A lot worse. In multiple ways. Here is one hint: would you like a centipede to crawl inside of your open wound? Yup. The hits keep coming thanks to the Hunter always looping around and exacerbating the situation.
“Pitfall” pulls off the impossible. They make a villain that you can empathize with while absolutely rooting for him to die because he is off the hook dangerous and unreasonable. Kondelik may leave his audience confused in the way that he edits and lays out the narrative, especially if they watch it in the theater, which they should, and do not have the benefit of a rewind button, but thanks to the magic of editing, the story makes sense if you do not doubt your eyes, and the explanation depicted. Imagine if Jason Voorhees was not deformed, looked like a wrestler, could talk, did not need a mask, enjoyed fighting and bragging then found clever, long term MacGyver ways to fuck with people. Remember that Jason is hard to kill. Wrestlers generally make great actors, so it is not a surprise that Couture knocks this performance out of the park. The Hunter is a great, unreasonable, deluded villain, and while a sequel seems unnecessary, he made a memorable character in a well worn genre when he could have phoned it in more and gotten a decent result.
I’m so irritated that “Pitfall” is not playing in Massachusetts theaters during opening weekend, so I cannot talk about it on NBC-10 and will likely have to choose a horror film like “Backrooms” (2026) that is more original but cannot sustain itself under the unique, liminal premise. I would prefer a film that gets better and defies expectations over one that just disappoints them. It was so nice to enjoy an entire movie instead of picking through the mess to savor the good points.
