Hell Trip (2018)

Seven friends go on safari, including the requisite girl who packs a rolling suitcase even though they’re only going for a few days. This turns out to be a worse decision than it seems when the van breaks down in the middle of nowhere and they decide to hike eight miles to the lodge. 

When they finally arrive, the lodge is silent.  There are no guests to be seen and plates of half eaten food are found in the dining room, as if something urgent pulled everyone away. At the front desk, they find a note saying here are your room keys, help yourself to food and drink, and we’ll be back later. Our tired travelers approve, rather than feeling anxious about the possibility that something bad has occurred.  

When they go to their cabins to freshen up, the killings start. One person is late to the barbecue, but they assume she’s just taking a  long time to get ready, but she’s dead.  Then another disappears in the woods. Then they find a body they assume is their guide since it’s near the barn where he was heading. 

The characters in this movie make one bad decision after another. Every time you think you’ve seen the worst of their stupidity, they up the ante.  Hiding under a porch because a killer is searching for you? Yes, let’s talk and then assume he’s gone because we don’t hear any noise. It’s an effort in frustration as the kills mount. And then there is a discovery in a cabin which you’d think would make them more cautious, but no, their brain stems refuse to function.