Macabre…ish Horror Review: Don’t Trip

Don’t Trip, 2025/ 97 min.

A struggling screenwriter, Dev Ryan (Matthew Sato), has just been fired from his job as an assistant but he has a plan to get his script into someone’s hands, who might get it seen. There’s this guy named Scott Lefkowitz (Fred Melamed), who he heard can get any script made and if he can just connect with him, maybe there’s a chance.

But his girlfriend, Monica (Olivia Rouyre), isn’t so sure about this and in an attempt to be supportive she tries to convince him to make a movie with the resources he already has. But Dev is so defensive, he soundly rejects all of it.

The next day, Dev is up bright and early searching for Scott and pitching his his script to all the contacts from the job he just got fired from. It takes him all day and a threat from his old boss to delete all contacts/correspondence related to his old job but Dev gets a lead, Scott Levkowitz has a son, Trip (Will Sennet). Dev finds out Trip is gonna be at a party nearby and Dev is going to be there. It’s part of Dev’s plan to be more aggressive in getting his script sold.

And Trip is exactly what you think, when you think of a nepo baby. Hard party-ing, hard living, neo-philosophical and aggressively hedonistic rich kid. If you hang out with him, it’ll last days, not hours and everything goes just up to the line of crimes but rarely over, when you’re with him.

Dev searches the party high and low for Trip and accidentally finds him in the restroom with drugs and is immediately cussed out. Dev leaves and Trip follows and it’s kinda weird because Trip is weird. And thus begins a burgeoning friendship based on a weird lie, Trip thinks Dev is also in recovery and Dev lets him. Trip invites Dev to an N.A. meeting, that minute and with just enough truly bizarre manipulation, Trip convinces Dev to go to a 10 pm meeting in Venice.

And that’s how Dev becomes Trip’s friend and all it costs him is everything. It starts off with the neglect of Monica and the rest of his life. Trip actually gives Dev money so he can pay rent because Dev can’t work if he’s friends with Trip. And Dev is gonna find out that Trip is not just a harmless but troubled rich kid with moments of terrifying mania…he is actually dangerous and the cost of his friendship is gonna be way too high.

Anyways, I’m not gonna give away this whole movie, as of this post, Don’t Trip is on Tubi and you should stream it. If there’s ever a physical release, buy it, because one day they may not exist.

This comedy horror was directed by Alex Kugelman and it’s a different kind of intense,  scary and sad. Will Sennet’s embodiment of Trip was outstanding. This movie will keep you on the edge up until the end and it’s not a gore fest full of kills, it’s an anxiety cranking joy ride that feels a little too possible. Stay safe out there. And as always support indie film!