Armadilha para Turistas

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".

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.

"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.

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.