Tourist Trap

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

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.

"Tourist Trap", is a very unique and forgotten movie. Its definitely a weird one, its not for everybody. However, its pretty creepy and disturbing. Though some of the acting is poor, and its just flat out strange, it's original and creepy enough to keep you entertained.

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.

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.