‘Traumatika’ Puts a Gruesome Spin on the Idea of Facing Your Demons
The new indie horror film Traumatika opens with a title card informing us of the “five forms of childhood trauma,” unsubtly announcing what’s about to happen over the next 80 minutes. Then we’re in the Egyptian desert, circa 1910, watching an anguished man bury a sinister-looking figurine in the sand. Only then do we arrive in the 21st century, where terrible things are very much afoot. The flashback adds a little bit of context, but it feels unnecessary; a cursed object is a not-uncommon horro