Tourist Trap

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.

I have no idea where Tourist Trap even came from or how someone even dreamnt this strange movie up. On paper, it sounds like your average Texas Chainsaw Massacre rip off following a handful of young adults who break down during a road trip and find themselves stuck at a creepy, nearly abandoned wax museum and tormented by a deranged psychopath.

Tourist Trap takes this already well-worn formula and injects it with a pleasant amount of surrealism and nightmarish imagery. Chuck Connors stars as Mr. Slausen, the proprietor of said wax museum who seems concerned that his brother, Davy (who lives in the house down the hill from the museum), won't take too kindly to intruders. It's an unexpected and fun performance from him and he really gets into it.

Future Charlie's Angel Tanya Roberts offers up some eye candy in a halter top as one of the victims, but it's Jocelyn Jones as the prudish Molly who steals the show and creates a very genuine nervous breakdown as the horror builds.

There are elements of House of Wax, Carrie, and a few others thrown in, but Tourist Trap really isn't like anything else from that time (or any time). It's a unique and creepy entry in the 70's horror cannon.

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.

In the excellent making of extra included on the "uncut" (har har, due to a mistake on Full Moon's part) Blu-ray (really just an interview with the director), Schmoeller states he felt the movie deserved an R-rating on the disturbing factor alone. The MPAA gave it a PG (because there is no reading those clowns). YET he's got a skinny dipping scene with three fetching young ladies (Tanya Roberts is uber foxy in this), a 6'6" hillbilly with a shotgun shows up and kicks them out, and... there is ZERO skin! Get on the ball, David. There's your R-rating.

I have to point this out with every Full Moon Blu-ray I see. Always a big stink about being "remastered in hi-def from the original 35mm negative," and consistently THE worst Blu-ray video quality I see. I'm sure there's worse out there, but you've got to put in the effort to back up claims like these.

On an isolated stretch of Southern California road, a group of five friends find themselves stalled when some car trouble leads one of their group to set off and find a service station. After some time the others soon follow which leads the others to travel in the other car to look for him which leads them to Slausen's Lost Oasis, a tourist trap that has since closed with the construction of the main highway. While the closed attraction's eccentric proprietor Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors) claims not to have seen their friend, something about the uncharacteristic creepy mannequins decorating the attraction leaves them in a state of unease.

Tourist Trap is a 1979 horror film written by David Schmoeller and J. Larry Carroll, the former of whom also directs. Inspired by the stylistic approaches of surrealist filmmakers like Alejandro Jodorowsky and the mannequins of department stores, the film was initially intended as a possible vehicle for John Carpenter to direct but due to Caroll's dissatisfaction with the financial agreements opted instead for Schmoeller to direct. While supposedly a smaller scale horror film in its day (though successful enough Schmoeller would collaborate with Band on several follow-up projects including the first Puppet Master), the film has gone on to find retrospective appreciation. Tourist Trap is strange little movie that even if logically I'm not sure all the pieces fit, there's an undeniable sense of atmosphere to the proceedings.

While the film follows a seemingly similar setup of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre only with the backwoods areas of Texas replaced with isolated backroads left behind by the establishment of freeways and highways, the movie features a tonally different approach with the music in particular slightly more playful while also holding a slightly demented air to it. While the five main characters we follow aren't the deepest characters, they are likable enough and never annoying so you're invested in whether they survive. Chuck Connors steals the scene as the tourist trap owner Mr. Slausen, and he has this jovial and yet slightly threatening air about him that makes him perfect for this kind of role. Despite being a PG rated film and possessing only some blood and implied nudity, Tourist Trap doesn't skimp on the scares that start out of the gate from a memorable opening sequence involving a gas station. In many ways Tourist Trap feels like a modern update on those old William Castle films only with a post Texas Chainsaw Massacre coat of paint, and I mean that in the best way possible. While the actual revelations as to the "what" and "why" behind what's going on feel very strange and almost like there were two different ideas at play for what to do, it's such a surreal experience that I was inclined to give it some leeway.

Tourist Trap is a very strange little horror film whose seemingly simple setup and story leads to some outlandish and memorable scenes. While I can't say it's scary throughout especially regarding some of the plot points incorporated, it's an undeniably memorable film with a scene stealing turn by Chuck Connors as Slausen.