Tourist Trap (1979) Reviews

• Watch it with the lights out if you dare!

  Vancity_Film_Fanatic2004-11-09

  Although widely under appreciated, "Tourist Trap" is still a notable and worthwhile entry into the horror genre. The first film directed by David Schmoeller (of Puppet Master fame). Pino Donaggio's score is nothing short of amazing; elevating the film to a whole other level in terms of both tension and atmosphere. Connors delivers a deliciously over the top performance as Mr. Slausen; the other actors are all competent considering that this is a low budget flick. For being close to 26 years old, the film has stood up extremely well - a creepy back woods setting, decent effects, and few hidden surprises in the script; it's worthwhile viewing for any horror enthusiast. A definite cult classic! My grade 8/10.

• continuing Paramount's streak of atmospheric gems!

  aerosmithandwesson2004-10-26

  During the late seventies and early eighties, Paramount Pictures began a streak of quality horror films paralleled only by the Universal Films of the thirties and forties. Exemplified by the Friday the 13th series, My Bloody Valentine, Silver Bullet, April Fools Day, Tourist Trap, and many others, these films, though headed by diverse directors, presented a singular atmospheric moodiness, attained through a mandated set of production techniques. As a result Paramount was able to consistently release films that seemed vaguely familiar in a comforting way, yet dealt with a wide variety of unique subject matters within the expansive slasher genre. Tourist Trap evokes the carnival imagery of Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse, yet brings it within the guidelines of the Paramount Films from this era. The dark settings and unsettling mannequins and masks lend a scary non-human atmosphere to the film that belies it PG rating. The acting is consistently solid as can expected from Paramount films from this era. The characters are even likable, making their deaths all the more tragic and shocking when they inevitably occur, a rarity in the films of competing studios such as New World or Vestron during the same era, where deaths are treated as a comic or joyful event. Under-appreciated in its day, and nearly forgotten now, this film has truly withstood the test of time and has become a classic in the eyes of those who are lucky enough to revisit it. Do yourself a favor and pay a visit to this incredible "Tourist Trap".

• see this as a child, and be scarred (and scared) for life...

  Jonny_Numb2005-03-29

  There was a time, back before USA became the home of Emmy-award winning programming, when you could turn on the TV on a Saturday night and be treated to such highbrow programming as "Slugs," "Shock Waves," and the pervasively atmospheric creepfest, "Tourist Trap." Out of all the horror films I remember from my childhood, TT arguably left the most visible mark. As my family would gather around the TV and behold the spooky wonder of a house full of mannequins (my father was a fan of Chuck Connors as "The Rifleman"), I would go to my room and cower under the bed when things got too scary. For as much as this film (and others) frightened me, I was simultaneously drawn to the discomfort they produced. Scenes of a woman's face being turned into a plaster mask, a man impaled by a flying pipe, and a knife to the back of the skull left haunting marks on my neuroses that periodically popped up in the years that followed (during which, unfortunately, TT was near impossible to find on VHS). Having 'grown up' considerably since that time, and recently revisiting the 'ol "Trap" on DVD, I must say it has lost only a smidgen of its ability to shock. As a child, I didn't pay as much attention to pacing (especially with commercial breaks inserted every 10 minutes) or acting quality, because the horrific events were amplified ten-fold in my eyes and mind. Now, a lot of the acting seems over-the-top and amateurish (Connors, however, maintains a professional veneer throughout), and some scenes drag to the point where the subtitle "Just killing time" should be superimposed at the bottom of the screen. Granted, these are just minor quibbles from a fan/critic who has seen much worse instances of both these traits. Though TT still maintains a sense of terror that builds as the film progresses, my downgraded impression of it has come from being exposed to "Carrie," "Halloween," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Psycho" and others that TT writer/director David Schmoeller liberally borrows from. However, he incorporates the killer-with-psychic-powers angle with great skill, careful not to overextend his homage to the point of parody, creating something genuinely offbeat as a result. As is properly cited on the DVD, the film branches off into different levels of insanity, to the point where kindly Mr. Slausen's (Connors) mannequins begin to resemble real live people... Not a masterpiece but far from a waste of time, "Tourist Trap" is a montage of elaborate face-masks, creepy vocal distortion, atmospheric nights, and desperate, panicked emotion. One of the more notable sleepers in the annals of horror, for those with adventurous tastes.

• Creep City!

  george.schmidt2004-01-09

  TOURIST TRAP (1979) *** 1/2 Lurid and spooky low-budget horror quickie of some cult quality about a group of young friends on a road trip that are detoured into a nightmare when their Jeep breaks down in the middle-of-nowhere discovering a broken-down wax museum run by a deranged caretaker (Chuck Connors channeling Vincent Price and affectively off-beat to boot) with a madman brother named 'Davey' whose telekinesis leads to murderous activities. Creepy and often joltingly scary thanks in large part of the film's singular stroke of genius in using the disturbing imagery of the mannequins that seemingly come to life with screaming, gaping eye-less maws that get under one's skin and has a long-lasting effect long after viewing this arguably guilty-pleasure cheese-fest (Connors has some loony moments including a riotously black humor soaked 'soup sequence' and playing with dolls) that provides some unsettling choice edits of shock and disbelief of what is unspooling. Pre-'Charlie's Angels' sexpot Tanya Roberts is one of the doomed guests providing a few moments of genuine terror at the proceedings at hand. Kudos to filmmaker David Schmoeller (who co-wrote the screenplay with J. Larry Carroll) in treading the sublime with the ridiculous to the utterly horrific. A blend of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' by way of 'Carrie' and 'Psycho' yet original none-the-less as a precursor to the genre yet to come: madman-slasher-on-the-loose. Best bits: the first victim's genuinely scary demise (those laughing dummies scared the hell out of me!); the attic sequences with 'Davey' and the film's freeze-frame ending that will haunt you for days! One of the few films that truly unnerved me when I saw it as a kid and recently viewing it on DVD gave me pause to watch in the dark ….alone! Screams for a remake! Best line: 'See my friend!'

• Weird and memorable

  TonyDood2004-06-03

  This is an old movie and probably doesn't hold up well for younger audiences, but it still deserves credit for it's weird atmosphere/ideas, especially on such a low budget. Scares in the best way, by tapping into dark psychological fears. Anyone can throw something at you on a screen to make you jump or show a decapitation in all it's grue in close-up, but this one takes it's time and works its way under your skin, trying to push you into the same state of madness as all the characters in it are taken to. And unlike horror movies of today, the lead characters are vulnerable and human, not smart-assed and invincible. Along the way you get one of Pino Donaggio's best scores ever, an over-wrought swirl of strings and sighing women that perfectly compliments his other scores of the era (Carrie, Pirannah, Dressed To Kill, The Howling and Body Double). There are, of course, mannequins, Tanja Roberts with dark hair in a tube top with big boobs, Chuck Conners wearing masks and talking like Harvey Fierstein(he did such a good job I didn't believe it wasn't two people!), an almost unwatchable suffocation scene and enough warped moments to give you nightmares for awhile. The DVD is a surprisingly stunning transfer with an OK commentary track by the director, who's other films didn't impress me much. This is a one of a kind flick. "My brother doesn't want her to see meee...do you know why?...do YOU know why? (singing) He's afraid she'll beee attracted to meee...heh heh hehhhh..."