Trampa para turistas

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

A group of young people breakdown in the middle of nowhere and set out in search of help. They find an old roadside museum filled with mannequins, run by an old guy named Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors). Very quickly, the group realizes all is not right when, one-by-one, the friends go missing.

I'm shocked to see all of the glowing, 10/10 reviews for Tourist Trap. I've probably seen the movie three or four times over the years and it's never really done much for me. It's got too many faults for me to rate it average or above. First, the movie is horribly predictable and the final twist is easy to guess about 20 minutes in. There are no surprises. For the most part, the acting is abysmal. Chuck Connors is the only real "actor" in the cast. The group of friends aren't the brightest bulbs - and that's by horror movie standards. Could they have made it any easier for the killer? They each take a turn wandering around aimlessly and alone in the dark. It's hard to feel anything for people this stupid. Finally, unlike most reviews I've read, I've never found Tourist Trap all that atmospheric. Yes, there are some creepy moments, but overall, the movie's never worked on that level for me.

I always try to include the good side of any movie I watch, so here it is for Tourist Trap. Chuck Connor is good. He is the creepy part I was referring to earlier. Other than a few instances, Pino Donaggio's score is quite good. Much of the film's music belongs in a better movie than Tourist Trap. Finally, one of the movie's real highlights is Tanya Roberts' tube top. It's the center of attention in most scenes.

I'm a bit late to the Tourist Trap party and I don't know what to wear. For years, I'd heard stories from my friends about how they'd seen this film when they were children on TV or at the video store (somehow, this nightmarish flick was rated PG!) and how much it had traumatized them. I'm in my 40's now, but I found myself equally as traumatized during portions of this movie.

The plot is simple enough. Think Texas Chainsaw Massacre mixed with House of Wax with a dollop of Carrie thrown in and you'll get the idea. This is a movie that builds and builds until you realize you're standing in the middle of someone else's nightmare. The atmosphere is filled with doom and gloom and escape seems impossible.

The score by Pino Donaggio is equally as odd as the narrative itself. His opening theme is, perhaps, a bit too playful and doesn't do much to conjure an oppressive mood, but once the film starts kicking it into high gear, the imagery and performances do that by themselves as Donaggio's score becomes more and more lyrical and rather beautiful. It's like trying to imagine Ennio Morriconne scoring Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It doesn't always fit, but it sure is beautiful and makes the film even more bizarre than it already was.

Acting wise, no one is any worse than your typical slasher film, but Jocelyn Jones does stick out as being a bit more interesting than the others. There's a slightly haunted quality about her that I really loved and you get the sense that, in some ways, she might be as lost and stuck in the past as the Chuck Connors character. Just look at the way she's dressed as compared to her friends. She looks like she's ready for Sunday school.

The ending itself is incredibly haunting and I don't think I'll be forgetting about that one for quite awhile.

Tourist Trap more than deserves your time.

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.

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.