Tourist Trap

Tourist Trap
by David Schmoeller

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Movie Reviews of Tourist Trap

Movie Review: Low budget creepfest
Summary: 5 Stars

To be fair, sometimes you cannot help but stumble over a tourist trap. What happens if you get a flat tire and the only place to phone for help turns out to be a museum full of odd mannequins? That is exactly what happens to the hapless travelers found in David Schmoeller's "The Tourist Trap." An unfortunate puncture at an inopportune time finds a gaggle of young people--the most noticeable being a very young and very curvy Tanya Roberts--rolling into Slausen's Museum, a boarded up tourist site presided over by the (who else) lumbering Mr. Slausen (Chuck Conners). Nothing seems amiss at first, as the owner of the tourist spot hands out drinks to the exhausted travelers and promises to help them fix their car. When several of the young people express interest in the mannequins, Slausen is only too happy to show them off. As he walks out the door with the only male member of the gang, he warns the ladies to wait for them to return. Moreover, he strongly advises the girls to stay inside since coyotes roam the area and he doesn't want anyone to get hurt. Predicatably, one of the girls almost immediately disobeys orders by heading over to a huge mansion behind the museum. Curiosity killed the cat, so to speak, and it might do the same to busty young ladies who don't keep their nose where it belongs.

When their inquisitive friend fails to return, Becky and Molly (Tanya Roberts and Jocelyn Jones, respectively) head over to the house to investigate. The house and museum sit in the middle of a heavily forested area, which looks mighty creepy late at night. Shrugging off the spooky surroundings, Becky enters the house in search of her friend despite Molly's whispered warnings. Molly reluctantly returns to the museum, thereby missing the unfolding horror in the seemingly abandoned mansion. It turns out that Slausen's crazy brother Dave lives there, a man who doesn't take kindly to strangers snooping around his mannequin-making factory. Dave Slausen has a penchant for wearing masks himself, as Becky soon discovers when the insane man captures her and ties her up in the basement (where Jerry, the aforementioned male member of the quartet, resides as well). Becky and Jerry soon discover that Slausen has telekinetic powers, which he uses to move objects and mannequins around at will, and they also notice he has a yearning to turn human beings into mannequins even if it means committing murder to do it. Things are not what they seem in this movie, with revelations occurring constantly against a backdrop of plot twists and turns. The conclusion alone makes picking up this DVD a necessity.

The performances, with the exception of Chuck Conners and Jocelyn Jones, are mostly forgettable. Jones as the goody-goody Molly and Conners as the omnipresent Slausen elevate "The Tourist Trap" above the run of the mill slasher/low budget horror flick. After seeing Jones shriek and scream through the last quarter of the movie, I wondered why she never attained the type of scream queen status accorded to the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis. She does a wonderful job here, neatly playing off of Conners's creepy turn as the enigmatic museum owner. Who knew Conners had it in him to play such a sick, offbeat role? Too bad he didn't follow this movie up with a few other equally deviant performances. As for Tanya Roberts, well, she does parade around through the woods in a pair of cut off shorts and a tube top, so I guess we cannot complain too much. She made this movie immediately before signing up for the last season of "Charlie's Angels," and the two projects couldn't be further apart in terms of subject matter.

I take exception with people who claim that the picture quality is great on this DVD. It isn't, not by a long shot, but for some reason this is one of the few times where a grainy hue helped give a movie great atmosphere. I'm not sure I would want to see this sleazy little gem with a crystal clear picture. Happily, the amazing score by Pino Donaggio sounds great, achieving as it does a spectacular mix of lazy whimsy and eerie sweep. The DVD itself sports an interview with director Schmoeller, a collection of schlock trailers, cast bios and filmographies, and a few other minor goodies. Note: don't watch the interview with the director before you watch the movie. It contains spoilers that will ruin the whole experience. If you like horror, be sure and check this little movie out as soon as possible.

Summary of Tourist Trap