Le piège

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.

"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.

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.

After many of my friends recommended this to me, I figured I had to check it out, so I bought the (relatively) new Blu-Ray release, settled in for the night, and checked it out. To my surprise, Tourist Trap lives up to its hype and then some. One can see why it never became a huge mainstream success like, say, Jaws or Halloween, but it has all the makings of a cult classic.

The set up is nothing spectacular. In fact, it owes a lot of its plot to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, and House of Wax (even more surprising, the 2005 remake of that film is more of a remake of Tourist Trap than the '53 film). What makes this one stand out from the then growing slasher genre is a sense of the surreal, the dreamlike, and the nightmarish. Attractive teens aren't just killed one by one by some creep in a mask. There's a lot more at play here than your average stalk 'n slash flick. By the last 20 minutes of the film, everything seems like a bizarre fever dream and hope is a thing of the past.

A lot should be said for Jocelyn Jones' wonderful performance - going from kind wallflower to woman in the process of a nervous breakdown. Chuck Connors is also terrific as Mr. Slausen, the owner of the titular Tourist Trap whose motives seem to always be up in the air. And yes, that's future Charlie's Angel, Tanya Roberts, as one of the other victims.

For those looking for something creepy and different, Tourist Trap delivers in spades. Perfect for a Halloween party or even for a kid's first horror film (it is rated PG after all).

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.