David Arquette’s “The Tripper”

Courtney Cox & David Arquette’s company “Coquette Productions” is no stranger to film. With the success of the TV show Dirt on FX Where Cox plays a very crass and open editor-in-chief of a sleazy tabloid, and the much less successful Talk Show Diaries - not to mention the combined filmography of both - I had to keep an open mind to any of their endeavors.

I have always been a fan of David Arquette. He usually plays the goofy guy role in comedies and comedic “horror” that I love. Needless to say when I stumbled across his directorial debut “The Tripper” at a local video rental store, I had to snatch it up.

You can tell 5 minutes into the movie that it is going to be your typical B-style horror. BONUS! Now if only it can deliver all the necessary criteria to make it a must see/must have without being too cheesy or campy (pay close attention for roles played by both Cox and Arquette.)

Cause & Effect

1967; a time of hippies and free love. When ganja is sweet and the sex is sweeter. The only problem is that the tree loving hippies picked on the wrong guy and nothing tastes sweeter than revenge.

Fast forward a few years when a group of lustful young hippie wannabes decide to join in on a nostalgic “free love” type weekend, the smell of blood gets lost in the hazy cloud of secondhand smoke……

Almost all of the required B criteria is offered tri-fold. You have nudity, both male and female; young people partying and engaging in sexual activities; drugs and profanity in overabundance; a chick who acts like virgin (even if she isn’t one); and a maniacal killer in a Ronald Reagan mask.

Result

Aptly cheesy, but not in excess. My only real gripe is the blood, which was offered in abundance but not realistically. It was poorly presented as what seemed to be cherry kool-aid versus something more syrup-y. If you take that out of the mix, you’ll find this movie to be actually entertaining - even thought it did break one of the main criteria of B film…..

…. There wasn’t a bathroom scene!

I know, I know. Sacrilegious. In the movies defense however, it did take place in the woods where showers and tubs are not readily available. Arquette did try to make up for it with plenty of boob shots and sex. Plus there was a really gross Port-o-Potty scene which I am trying really hard to forget.

Conclusion

I liked it. I can’t help it. I think my hubby might be a little saddened that he lost 2 hours of his life due to my making him suffer through this movie but then again, he does not share my passion for B.

Will you love it? I can’t say. But if you like gratuitous sex, lots of boob shots, and really bad blood scenes, this movie is a must see.The killer is portrayed much in the same context as Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees so the potential for a sequel is strong.

Some might say this movie is a copycat of sorts due to the use of a mask to hide the killers identity. Truth be told, it’s not so uncommon of a “plot.” Masks add to the suspense factor. Even David Arquette’s most notable character was in the Scream Trilogy where the killer wore what? Yup. A mask.

I would love a sequel to The Tripper. Of course numbers (as in $ signs) play a role in this happening, but who would have ever expected Evil Dead 2? Proof positive that anything is possible and we all know how that one turned out.

Watch this movie. And if you do watch it while smoking the sweeter stuff, be sure to let me know how the “trip” was…….

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