Trench 11
A Canadian horror thriller set in a WWI German bunker.
Trench 11 is a 2017 Canadian horror thriller film directed by Leo Scherman. The story takes place near the end of the First World War, where a group of Allied soldiers are sent to examine a hidden German bunker and uncover the terrifying experiments conducted below.
In 1918, Canadian tunneller Lieutenant Berton is buried underground for twelve days after a rescue mission goes wrong. Months later, British Intelligence officers Major Jennings and Dr. Priest brief Colonel Ashcroft about a deep German bunker called Trench 11, located eleven miles behind the lines in the Argonne Forest. The complex is run by a German officer known as "The Prophet," a specialist in chemical and biological weapons. The Allies believe the Germans failed to destroy the bunker during their retreat and that it remains active. Berton, forced to cut short a leave with his French lover Veronique, joins the mission with Captain Cooper, Sergeant Pronger, and Private Kelly. They find dead German soldiers in the trenches, killed by their own army.
Meanwhile, German Captain Mueller is ordered to escort Reiner to the bunker and destroy all evidence of the "Wotan Complex." Inside, the Allied team discovers signs of infighting and a sealed door. A hysterical German soldier begs them not to open it, but they ignore him. Deeper in, they are attacked by crazed men. Dr. Priest dissects one body and finds parasitic worms engineered to cause violent insanity. The worms were originally meant to kill livestock but jumped to humans, and Reiner deliberately bred deadlier strains.
Mueller, having lost his own tunneller, tries to recruit the prisoners to help set demolition charges. Kelly becomes infected and kills Cooper before Berton shoots her. Mueller and Berton learn Reiner never rigged the explosives. After torturing Dr. Priest to death, Reiner seals the lower levels and floods them with poison gas. Mueller and Berton attempt to set a timed detonation, but an infected soldier destroys the clock. Mueller stays behind to manually detonate, giving Berton time to arm upper-level explosives. As Berton climbs to escape, Reiner shoots him in the leg. Berton distracts Reiner and his guard long enough for Mueller to trigger the blast. In the chaos, Berton kills the guard, and Reiner is impaled in the eye by a parasite vial before the tunnel collapses on him. Berton escapes to the surface and limps away, seei
- Release year
- 2017
- Country
- Canada
- Director
- Leo Scherman
- Genre
- Horror thriller
- Setting
- Western Front, France, 1918
Lore & Background
The film's development began in 2011 by producer Tyler Levine and his production company Carousel Pictures. Filming began in late 2016 in Winnipeg, Canada. The cast includes Rossif Sutherland, Robert Stadlober, Charlie Carrick, Shaun Benson, Ted Atherton, Luke Humphrey, Jeff Strome, Adam Hurtig, and Karine Vanasse. The plot follows Lieutenant Berton, a Canadian tunneller, who is sent to investigate a deep underground German bunker called 'Trench 11' hidden in the Argonne Forest. The bunker is commanded by a German officer named Reiner, known as 'The Prophet,' who specializes in chemical and biological weapons. The Allied team discovers that Reiner has engineered parasitic worms that infect humans, causing violent insanity. The film culminates in a struggle to prevent the parasites from escaping the bunker.
Reader's Guide
Trench 11 is significant as a Canadian horror thriller that combines historical war setting with biological horror. The film premiered at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival on October 15, 2017, and later screened at Mórbido Fest in Mexico and the Dead by Dawn Horror Film Festival in the UK. It received a limited release in Canada on August 31, 2018, and was released in the US through the internet on September 11, 2018. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 12 reviews. It won several awards from the Toronto After Dark Film Festival in 2017 and was nominated for a CSC Award for Theatrical Feature Cinematography in 2018. The film's production was supported by Telefilm Canada, The Harold Greenburg Fund, Manitoba Film and Music, and the Cogeco Fund. Director Leo Scherman noted that the biggest challenge was the limited budget for Canadian films compared to those produced elsewhere.
Did You Know?
- The film was shot in Winnipeg, Canada, beginning in late 2016.
- The film's development began in 2011 by producer Tyler Levine and Carousel Pictures.
- The film premiered at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival on October 15, 2017.
- On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 92% approval rating based on 12 reviews.
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