2008 Woodie Awards
New horror flick 'Ruins' appetites
Krystel Pakitsos
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: After Hours
Many people have seen movie trailers for "The Ruins," another horror flick about young vacationers and their trip turned nightmare. But no movie trailer could prepare me for the raunchy scenes that made this film less of a horror and more of a gore-or.
The movie, based on the novel by Scott Smith, begins with two couples carelessly sipping margaritas poolside in Mexico when a German tourist offers them a chance to see real ancient ruins. The next day, they are venturing deep into the jungle, following a map that would lead them to an "ancient Mayan temple off the beaten path."
When they reach their destination, a group of violent natives barricade the travelers onto the ancient slab of land where flesh-eating vines and shrieking flowers dwell. The terrified group faces threats from the evil within the ruins and the barricade outside the ruins, knowing that either could ultimately be the death of them.
For the rest of the movie, the young couples and their new friend are struggling to survive and waiting desperately to be found. During this time, the audience gets a close-up view of possessed plants flopping around underneath human skin and the slicing that must be done to remove them.
This movie's story line is fresh. I mean, aside from "Little Shop of Horrors," how many movies have been made about man-eating plants? However, had the gore and blood not played such a key role, I don't think there would have been much of a scare factor left.
Although I expected more from this film, as I always do from horror movies, it was worth the money and time spent watching it. Many times throughout the film I found myself cowering, peeking through the cracks of my fingers, which is always a sure sign of horror-film enjoyment. But if you have a weak stomach or a fear of uncontrollable vines, this movie isn't for you.
The movie, based on the novel by Scott Smith, begins with two couples carelessly sipping margaritas poolside in Mexico when a German tourist offers them a chance to see real ancient ruins. The next day, they are venturing deep into the jungle, following a map that would lead them to an "ancient Mayan temple off the beaten path."
When they reach their destination, a group of violent natives barricade the travelers onto the ancient slab of land where flesh-eating vines and shrieking flowers dwell. The terrified group faces threats from the evil within the ruins and the barricade outside the ruins, knowing that either could ultimately be the death of them.
For the rest of the movie, the young couples and their new friend are struggling to survive and waiting desperately to be found. During this time, the audience gets a close-up view of possessed plants flopping around underneath human skin and the slicing that must be done to remove them.
This movie's story line is fresh. I mean, aside from "Little Shop of Horrors," how many movies have been made about man-eating plants? However, had the gore and blood not played such a key role, I don't think there would have been much of a scare factor left.
Although I expected more from this film, as I always do from horror movies, it was worth the money and time spent watching it. Many times throughout the film I found myself cowering, peeking through the cracks of my fingers, which is always a sure sign of horror-film enjoyment. But if you have a weak stomach or a fear of uncontrollable vines, this movie isn't for you.
Be the first to comment on this story