At first glance, one might assume “The Ruins” is a fairly standard horror flick, with attractive teenagers victimized by supernatural evils as a result of their own drunken stupidity. However, one would be wrong as “The Ruins” sets itself apart from the B-grade horror flick. Whether or not you will like the direction it goes is less definite.
The Ruins” is directed by Carter Smith and is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author Scott B. Smith (no relation). The story begins with friends Amy (Jena Malone), Stacey (Laura Ramsey) and their respective boyfriends Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore) on vacation in Mexico. They soon befriend German tourist Mathias (Joe Anderson) and some random Greek dudes. There is a bit of drama going on in the group, with Jeff on the verge of leaving for medical school and Amy’s subsequent attraction to the German guy, but none of this interaction is vital to the plot. It is obvious that some good-looking and sexually active college-aged tourists are on the verge of being in a very bad situation.
This situation crops up in an unusual way. It is not the drunken debauchery that gets them in trouble, rather he group’s pursuit of knowledge. The group decides to visit a Mayan ruin off the beaten path in order to absorb some culture and history. The sheer irony that a nasty hangover would have saved these kids in a horror flick is absolutely delightful. The overall moral that a thirst for knowledge will kill you is a little unsettling.
Once at the ruin, everything goes very badly very quickly for the tourists. To tell more would spoil the horror that ensues.
“The Ruins” manages to drum up a great deal of suspense without relying overly on the “loud noises” and “poor lighting” constructs used by directors not clever enough to think of something that is actually scary. It also does well in making the audience care about the characters. The actors portray this group of vacationing young people as nice kids, with no one fitting neatly into any of the standard horror flick molds. Both of these are tremendous accomplishments.
Before you shell out $10, you should know that “The Ruins” goes terribly wrong. Although the movie portrays characters reacting in a believable way under bizarre circumstances, and thus the audience feels an attachment to them, what happens to the characters when they encounter evil and horror is so unapologetically awful it makes the film difficult to watch. The film becomes a bloody nightmare that could turn even the most stalwart of stomachs. The gore is not campy or corny either, but realistic and disturbing. The special effects team deserves either a high five or a swift kick to the rear, depending on your response to what’s happening on the screen.
“The Ruins” gets a lot of things right, but the elements that stand out are mostly disturbing and unpleasant. Overall, it was a valiant effort by the director to adapt for the silver screen something that should have stayed in print. Veterans of slasher flicks may like what they see, but others should be warned to avoid eating a heavy meal prior to viewing.
Rating: 2 out of 5 Denver Boones
