Tourist Trap

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".

This is a bizarre oddity, directed by the guy who edited "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Chuck Conners gives a hilariously over-the-top performance as the owner of a roadside "wax" museum which our doomed teenagers happen to break down near. The wax figures look "so real," one of the teen's points out. Heh, heh, heh...Not so much a slasher film as a weird mix of psychological horror and old fashioned "House of Wax"-style terror. I can think of many, many horror films that are worse than this one.

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.

Three girls & two guys break down in the hills north of Los Angeles and are helped by the genial owner of a defunct desert museum with a penchant for spooky masks & mannequins (Chuck Connors).

"Tourist Trap" (1979) combines elements of several previous horror flicks, like "Psycho" (1960), the desert museum opening of "Gargoyles" (1972), "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), the telekinesis of "Carrie" (1976) and the creepy mannequins of several 70's movies/shows, including Kolchak: The Night Stalker ("The Trevi Collection"). It was made by the creator of "Puppetmaster" (1989) and heavily influenced "House of Wax" (2005); it even had an impact on the imminent "Friday the 13th" flicks.

If you like those movies you'll like this one. It's not as good as the better ones, and is overrated in some circles, but it's solid for a late 70's horror flick in the rural slasher mode. The highlights are Connor's sympathetic portrayal, the rural locations, the sets/props and, especially, the female cast, featuring Robin Sherwood (Eileen), Tanya Roberts (Becky) and Jocelyn Jones (Molly).

The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area: Samma Ranch, Agua Dulce (near Vasquez Rocks) and Latigo Canyon, Malibu (the waterfall scene).

GRADE: B