Plot: What’s it about?
If you were a teenager out with some friends and you happened upon a creepy, remote wax museum, would you want to explore? Me too, but as always, this turns into trouble when a team of fun lovin’ teens enter into an old wax museum to have some laughs. Slausen’s Lost Oasis is the place and soon enough, the teens meet up with Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors) and this is one strange fellow. His place is packed with unusual mannequins and such, which he seems to think are alive and he keeps them around so he doesn’t feel all alone. But while the teens think he is bonkers, the truth is that Slausen commands some powerful telekinetic abilities and he can bring those creepy mannequins to life. And in this case, he uses that power to torment the teens and amuse himself, which seems to work out well for him. Can any of these teens survive this virtual house of horrors and return to the outside world? Or are they all destined to keep old cranky Mr. Slausen company forever?
As is the case with most low budget horror flicks, Tourist Trap isn’t for us all, but I think it is a few rungs above the typical genre pieces. There is a lot of atmosphere with this movie and I think that pushes it forward, which is good since this genre is so loaded with titles. This is not however, one of the recent deluge of low budget horror we see so much of, this is a time tested entry, made in 1979. Since the film was made then, the emphasis is different and we see less attempts at seriousness, with more focus on fun and eerie atmosphere. I think Chuck Connors and Tanya Roberts are decent enough in Tourist Trap, but this isn’t the movie to select to watch some fine traditional performances. But given the nature of this picture, the cast is adequate and that is what counts in the end, right? I think this turns out to be a pretty creepy movie and while it might not give you nightmares, it is a lot of fun to watch, especially in the dark. Add in a pretty good overall disc and I have to say, this one is well worth a look. If you’re a low budget horror fan and you don’t mind some eerie as hell mannequins, then Tourist Trap is a flick you need to look into.
When you want to see a good low budget horror flick, finding the work of an experienced director is a good sign and while this was his first film, David Schmoeller has become quite a respected genre director. In addition to helming this cult classic, Schmoeller also helped pen the screenplay and I think in both cases, he delivered much more than we’d expect from a first timer. He was able to work with the limited budget and produce some cool results, which is a testament to his skills. This one might have some bad acting, but the direction is very good and the film sports an eerie & effective environment. If you want to see more of Schmoeller’s work I recommend Netherworld, Puppet Master, Catacombs, Crawlspace, and The Seduction. The names on the cast most readers will recognize are Tanya Roberts (The Beastmaster, A View To A Kill) and Chuck Connors (Soylent Green, Airplane II), neither of which are known for their superior thespian skills. But as far as low budget horror skills, they’re up to task and so is the rest of the cast, which includes Jocelyn Jones (Nowhere To Run), Jon Van Ness (The Hitcher, Ruckus), and Robin Sherwood (Death Wish II).
Video: How does it look?
Tourist Trap is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is an older low budget film and it shows signs of age, but this is still a pretty good overall image. I saw a lot of marks and debris on the print, but that is to be expected from a flick of this age and nature. I also noticed some color fades, but again, in the end this turns out to be an average transfer and that seems to serve the film well. The colors seem bright enough, contrast is well balanced, and the anamorphic image is crisp at all times. I wish it were cleaned up somewhat, but this is still a worthwhile effort.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc offers an adequate audio mix, but with this film you don’t need much more than that. I found no distortion or harshness, all the elements seem present and in fine order. The music is decent enough and sounds good here, while the low level sound effects are distinct and well placed. Again, this film isn’t one you’d choose for dynamic audio, but is up to the task in the end. The vocals are crisp and clean, no real problems in the least.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A wealth of Full Moon trailers are included on this disc and of course, one for this film is lodged in there also. Some talent files and an audio commentary track with director David Schmoeller round out the disc. It was interesting to hear Schmoeller discuss how the film came to be and I think fans of the film and low budget horror as a genre should give the commentary a spin.
