Tourist Trap (1979) Review

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

“My brother always makes me wear this stupid mask. Do you know why? Because I'm prettier than him.”

   Tourist Trap is an extraordinarily exceptional film that has remained polarizing to this day. It was one of the first slasher films that included supernatural elements. Originally the film wasn’t a success during its release and was slammed on by the critics. It was shown on television throughout the 80s due to its astonishing PG rating, which lead it to become a cult classic.

    The film starts off as so many low-budget horror films do, a group gets stranded in the middle of nowhere due to flat tire. Woody and his girlfriend break down, Woody decides to wander off to a gas station they passed by earlier to get his tire fixed. When he gets there its abandoned. He checks inside to discover nothing, but trash and mannequins. Somehow a ton of stuff is thrown at him before ultimately getting impaled by a pipe. The rest of group pull in behind Woody’s car where his girlfriend is patiently waiting for Woody to return. Of course their vehicle starts acting up too. A Good Samaritan, played by the Rifleman himself Chuck Connors, comes along to help the group with their car troubles. He offers to drive them to his place where he has parts to help them out. How can they say no to Chuck Connors? They go back with him to Slausen’s Lost Oasis it is somewhat of a wax museum, but mainly a tourist trap. He shows off his wax figures before going back with Jerry to fix the vehicle, leaving the three women behind. Then naturally the slashing begins. That’s all I’ll say so I don’t spoil the film for you.

    Lots of people praise Tourist Trap’s weirdness and unique feel for an early slasher film, but many found it too silly. I loved how weird and unique the film was. You can tell they borrowed elements from the Hammer Horror films like its Gothic atmosphere. It doesn’t appear to be ripping off Halloween. Instead, you can tell that Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Carrie, and Psycho influenced it. The 2005 House of Wax remake is more so a remake on Tourist Trap than of the original 1953 film.

    The acting is actually pretty solid. The characters themselves are actually likeable, which is rare for the genre. You at least want two characters to die off, usually a Paul or Richie. Then there’s Chuck Connors character who is the best thing about the film. He’s just overall quite enjoyable to watch. Connors is definitely the scene-stealer when he appears. The directing was pretty solid too. Then there’s the score by Pino Donaggio, which is just beautiful and to be frank quite weird also. Here’s the main theme for the film.

  Tourist Trap is surprisingly rated PG and it’s still better than most rated R slasher films. How it got a PG rating is beyond me. It was under appreciated in its day and almost forgotten now by many. When I bring it up lots of people didn’t even know that the film exists. It has stood the test of time in my opinion. It’s a classic horror film that you need to watch.

5 out of 5