tourist trap full moon

• If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Announcement

Tourist trap (full moon features) blu-ray review.

• Published: 09-21-2020, 08:26 AM

article_tags

• album review (218)
• album reviews (274)
• arrow video (272)
• blu-ray (3225)
• blu-ray review (4212)
• comic books (1392)
• comic reviews (872)
• comics (988)
• dark horse comics (484)
• dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
• DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
• DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
• DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
• dvd review (2516)
• idw publishing (216)
• image comics (207)
• kino lorber (397)
• movie news (260)
• review (318)
• scream factory (280)
• severin films (307)
• shout! factory (537)
• twilight time (269)
• twilight time releasing (231)
• vinegar syndrome (502)

Latest Articles

• Channel: Movies

Username Or Email

Remember Me

Lost Password

Reset Password

Tourist Trap (1979) [Uncut Blu-ray review]

Tourist Trap is why PG or PG-13 horror shouldn’t be a thing. While it’s marketable and plays better for a longer TV life, I’m not sure if that matters anymore. We live in a streaming world where things of great age are losing value with younger people and anxious studios. So, we now have a horror film that stuck out like a sore thumb not vying for equal attention among the various horror outings.

There are certain horror films that never appealed to me as a kid. A PG-13 movie about a cheap tourist trap owner was one of them. It had been done before, but this brand of horror promised other things to go along with it. Whether it was rampant nudity or sudden violence, it’s hard to be the film that goes against that. But, Tourist Trap tried its hardest.

It’s told that Charles Band was the reason for the telekinesis being added into the film. Now, I read a lot of horror film history and study a lot about certain eras of film. I still have no idea why Mr. Band thought that would be a good idea. Especially when you consider the added backstory it forces on a villain that could barely support a conventional setup.

Chuck Connors does his best as the villain Mr. Slausson. I would care more about spelling the character’s name correctly, but Tourist Trap spells it two different ways. He is sweet, the menacing. Connors nails that old man creepy feel, as he lingers among the young people and singles out a lady he likes.

Gig Young and Jack Palance were considered for Slausson before Chuck Connors signed up. Honestly, I’m not sure what any of the men could’ve done with the role. It’s not thankless so much as it’s pointless beyond its basic utility. Look creepy, smirk at girls and single out the Final Girl for the audience. You can set your watch by how predictable the role plays.

The lack of nudity, real suspense or graphic violence makes Tourist Trap stand out like a sore thumb. While this genre dud became an early syndication classic, there is plenty of reason not to be impressed by Tourist Trap.

What’s so weird about Tourist Trap are the things that could be easily mistaken as given the story a sense of character. The movie abruptly ends on a third act close that comes out of nowhere. The ending seems like it was designed to evoke Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but that film had a point and a narrative. What is it about these Full Moon movies that keep leaving me scratching my head?

As a kid that grew up on horror in the 80s, I skewed more towards Band production over at Empire. The main features he had produced never seemed to strike my fancy. While I appreciated the visuals of the Puppet Master series, they were never the first horror films I picked up at the video store. So, remove cool visuals and a fanciful narrative and you’ve got Tourist Trap.

I get that the generation before my horror fandom was all about demonizing rural areas full of killer savages, but the well runs dry. Tanya Roberts is in it for a little bit. I put that here to catch the attention of people in the news recently. Beyond that, you’ve seen this film done several times before.

While that is a typical dismissal of formulaic horror, it’s the truth about Tourist Trap. Every aspect of this movie is cribbed from something else that sold at the time. Hell, composer Pino Donaggio scored the movie only because he was already in town composing Piranha. In spite of the contemporary praise of the film, I just don’t get it.

Some of the interior shots towards the middle of the film looks like it constitutes the Uncut nature of the film. I wasn’t alive when Tourist Trap had its initial theatrical run, but I remember it playing on cable a lot. So, it’s kinda hard to pin down what constitutes an uncut version of the film. Especially when the film is remembered by most in various cuts.

Full Moon Features releases Tourist Trap in a full VHS style package courtesy of MVD . While there is a different release of the uncut Tourist Trap coming to Blu-ray in February, this set is pretty cool. You get an action figure out Mr. Slausen and the Uncut Blu-ray inside of a giant VHS style box.

Honestly, it’s super neat and helps reinforce why I think MVD is helping to bring some of the coolest Cult Classic releases to home video. I just wish I enjoyed the movie more. After giving Tourist Trap another go, I have to chalk this one up to a purchase for the fans. Everyone else would be fine with a quick revisit.

Tourist Trap gets the super duper uncut Blu-ray treatment now from Full Moon and MVD

Our Summary

Buy what we just watched at these fine retailers, share this post, about the author.

Also Check Out

Wildcat (2023) [movie review], orphan black: echoes (2024) [pilot], torn curtain (1966) [movie review], sound of hope: the story of possum trot (2024) [movie review], leave a reply cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Blu Review – Tourist Trap (Full Moon Entertainment)

Every year young people disappear.

by Blacktooth Sep 28, 2020, 8:15 am 0 Comments

Director – David Schmoeller (Puppet Master, Netherworld) Starring – Chuck Connors (Soylent Green, Werewolf), Jocelyn Jones (The Stranger Who Looks Like Me, Cannon), and Jon Van Ness (Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, The Hitcher) Release Date – 1979 Rating – 3/5 Blu Release – 4/5

I love seeing all these movies I used to rent back in my childhood are finding a second life on blu. When I was in elementary school I would often rent movies based off the VHS art. I was a basic kid and if something caught my eye I would rent it. This is how I discovered Full Moon and Empire.

I had watched a good portion of Full Moon’s releases over the years including their 1979 film Tourist Trap. I rented it once in my youth but I remember not really caring for it. I know some of my horror friends love the film so I was excited to check it out when I heard Full Moon was re-releasing the movie uncut on blu. I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a review copy of the amazing big box VHS style release. Thanks guys!

**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a group of twenty-somethings who have car trouble. They are miles from town and seek the help of an older gentleman who owns a now closed museum. He is strange and does his best to separate them all from one another and soon they start disappearing until the ones still alive uncover the hideous truth. **Spoiler Alert**

I wasn’t too impressed with the film when I was a kid but I do have to admit that it was pretty fun watching it as an adult. It’s cheesy and campy but I find myself enjoying these kind of movies more now as an adult than when I was a kid. The movie is far from perfect but it was fun for what it is.

The acting in this one is entertaining but boy is it cheesy. The cast really hams up their roles but it adds to the atmosphere of the film. The film is an early slasher so the cast is painfully stereotypical of slashers from that time. They are one dimensional but the cast has fun with it.

The story for this one is a very different take on a sub-genre that was really finding it’s own in 1979. Slashers, at heart, had been popular for a couple of years but not quite like it will be in a few years after this point. The story uses several slasher elements but not many of the slasher trophes that horror fans love. The masked mannequin killer is fun but extremely campy. This release from Full Moon is the uncut version, which, I can’t recall what was added between this release and the tape I watched as a child. However, the movie does flow very well but there is several dry scenes that will try your patience.

Finally, the film has several slasher inspired kills. The is a little blood here and there but not much in the way of practical effects. Overall, Tourist Trap is not for the serious slasher fan out there. However, if you are in the mood for something on the campy side I would highly recommend checking out this release. The transfer is solid but not the best I’ve seen. It is a step up from DVD but does not reach the full capability of what the blu can achieve.

Special Features: Director’s commentary. Rare trailers. Interview with director David Schmoeller.

(Staff Writer) Lover of all things horror and metal. Also likes boobs and booze.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

© Horror Society - Your Voice For Indie Horror

Tourist Trap (Full Moon Features VHS Retro Big Box Blu-ray)

Who needs mental health counseling?

In 1979, a film about a wild hick on the outskirts of civilization bent on murdering people and wearing their face was released. No, it’s not The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – that was earlier in 1974, though you’d understandably make the connection. The film in question is the Charles Band-produced, David Schmoeller-directed Tourist Trap , a movie that started off as a ripoff of the successful Hooper formula but then expanded into a cult classic thanks to the sheer insanity of its plot and the PG rating that helped the film get some (probably inappropriate) airtime on daytime TV. While nostalgia certainly has something to do with Tourist Trap ‘s lasting success (and also Band’s consistent marketing gimmicks, including this big box VHS Blu-ray release with truly uncut footage), the film has other merits as well – a quality slasher film with at least a surface level exploration of human psyche and the importance of mental health help.

Tourist Trap tells the tale of a group of kids – Jerry (Jon Van Ness), Molly (Jocelyn Jones), Eileen (Robin Sherwood), Becky (Tanya Roberts), Tina (Dawn Jeffory), Woody (Keith McDermott) – who are stranded off the beaten path after their car breaks down. The kindly Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors) brings them back to his mannequin museum for help, but it soon becomes clear there is a masked murderer running around and some potential psychokinetic energy afoot. And that killer wants to make everyone into mannequins and playthings.

As mentioned previously, Tourist Trap does have a lot of similarities to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and its main villain Leatherface, but ultimately besides the setup, Schmoeller navigates away from presenting another clone of that film. Instead, there are two major conceits that work in the film’s favor: one is the red herring that the masked killer is Mr. Slausen’s brother, and the other is that Slausen has telekinetic powers that allows him to move doors and objects and carry on conversations with his mannequins.

The first conceit helps keep the film moving, because the film just wouldn’t work if it didn’t disguise its villain right away. The audience should trust Slausen, at least at first, and while it’s fairly predictable that Slausen is the killer whom he claims is his brother, it opens up some possibilities for the film and also gives a need for those telekinetic powers – there’s a logical reason why Slausen can be somewhere else while still terrorizing the victims, because his rage/sadness manifests in physical ways.

The telekinesis also means Tourist Trap doesn’t rely on the conventional slasher killings that would otherwise require the use of a physical object. The film’s opening kill is a good example of Schmoeller making use of the psychic abilities to craft suspense – Woody’s death is basically a funhouse of events, from moving mannequins to poltergeist-like flying objects, a particularly eerie sequence. And the mannequins continue to pay off, especially at the end of the film with their haunting female voices and uncanny valley visages.

Tourist Trap isn’t always successful; its middle portion is too slow to progress, with the film overplaying its hand by trying to hide the true villain’s identity for too long. Connors moves between menacing and overtly cheesy throughout, ultimately negating some of the emotional resonance of the character’s loneliness.

But these are small quibbles. Overall, Tourist Trap retains a creepy atmosphere and makes its slasher stylings unique enough to overcome the obvious influences on its creation. If you’ve missed out on the film previously, now is the chance to check it out with its uncut elements intact.

Full Moon Features has released Tourist Trap again on Blu-ray, this time in a special VHS big box-style collection that also includes an action figure of Mr. Slausen. A previous Blu-ray version had touted a full uncut feature film, but that was sadly not the case. This time around, the Blu-ray contains a new “digitally remastered transfer” that truly is uncut, though the cut footage does seem to be pulled from a standard definition source.

Overall, the transfer is not great, suffering from a variety of issues including inconsistent grain scales, occasional juddering, damage, the aforementioned quality shifts between regular and cut footage, and a tendency for the film’s quality to get worse towards the later scenes in the film. While there has been some improvement from the past transfer, it’s quite minimal and the most obvious changes are solely with the standard cut footage. The transfer is a head-scratcher, too, because of its inconsistency; occasionally, it has strong moments, only to be undercut in the next scene with overwhelming grain, damage, or jumpy frames. Still, it’s probably the best Blu-ray release of Tourist Trap so far because it retains the cut footage, even despite its poor quality.

Audio features both a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Both sound okay, but they’re notably lossy and feature some lower audio mixing. English subtitles are not included, which is another dissatisfying element.

Extras on this release are the same as the previous Blu-ray content, including an audio commentary with David Schmoeller, a making-of featurette which is really just an interview with Schmoeller, a still gallery, and a slew of Full Moon trailers.

This release does provide the VHS box and action figure, however, which does add a bit of incentive besides the uncut footage.

Extra Features

• NEW uncut digitally remastered transfer
• David Schmoeller audio commentary track
• Exit Through the Chop Shop: The Making of Tourist Trap featurette (HD; 24:35)
• Still gallery (no chapter breaks; 3:35)
• Tourist Trap (SD; 1:55)
• Crash and Burn (SD; 1:05)
• Intruder (SD; 1:34)
• Mansion of the Doomed (SD; 1:41)
• Shrunken Heads (SD; 1:57)
• Prehysteria (HD; 1:46)
• Crash! (SD; 3:55)
• Blade: The Iron Cross (HD; 2:04)
• Weedjies: Halloweed Night (HD; 1:56)

Ultimately, die-hard fans of Tourist Trap will wish that Full Moon had opted to get a better transfer. Even so, this is the best release actually featuring the cut footage available, and with the additional big box and action figure, it is worth it to upgrade since the cut content does feature some important story-related elements.

Tourist Trap is a Lost Classic of ’70s Horror Cinema [Retrospective]

When a group of friends experience a breakdown alongside the road, they wind up at a tourist attraction called Slausen’s Lost Oasis, which is also home to a sinister Wax Museum. The oasis used to be part of a thriving roadside attraction but when The Interstate went in, it rerouted potential customers right past the roadside attraction. Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors), the proprietor of Slausen’s Lost Oasis, soon surfaces and offers to assist the marooned travelers. His willingness to help seems like a fine idea at first, but the friends soon learn that Mr. Slausen has an unusual set of proclivities that include wearing masks, cross dressing, talking in creepy voices, laughing inappropriately, telekinesis, and killing.

Tourist Trap is a lost classic of 1970s horror cinema. It came out close enough to Halloween that it ended up being overshadowed by more prominent titles. That is in no way meant to suggest that it   isn’t a classic in its own right. It is a creepy and truly bizarre good time that I revisit often.

David Schmoeller ( PuppetMaster ) co-wrote and directed Tourist Trap. It marks his feature film directorial debut and is based on his award winning short film The Spider Will Kill You. Schmoeller really proves his mastery of atmosphere in Tourist Trap . It is one of the most unsettling, intense, and surreal films of its kind. Of course, some of the credit for that goes to the famed Pino Donaggio, who scored the picture.

Pino Donaggio (who is also responsible for composing the score to Carrie ) did a fantastic job of putting together the score for Tourist Trap . The cacophony that is the film’s soundtrack serves to rattle the viewer and immediately intensify what’s happening onscreen. The musical cues are perfectly placed. They are representative of some of Donaggio’s best work. It’s always surprising to me that this film’s score doesn’t get more recognition for its brilliance.

The acting is the film’s primary weak point. The performances are a bit cheesy but that’s half the fun (for me, at least). Chuck Connors, who was a very experienced television actor prior to starring in Tourist Trap , gives one of the better performances in the film, but even still, he does his fair share of scenery chewing.

Tourist Trap features a surprising lack of blood and is also void of nudity. The deaths aren’t necessarily toned down, they just don’t happen to be excessively violent or ripe with stage blood. Schmoeller chose to focus on atmosphere over bloodshed and in doing so, has actually made the film more terrifying.

The lack of nudity, while surprising for a slasher-esque film, does no disservice to the plot. It’s rumored that the script called for nudity but when it came time to shoot the nude scenes, the actresses expressed a level of discomfort with getting undressed for the camera. Schmoeller was surprised to learn that the MPAA let the film pass with a PG-rating. He was expecting it to get slapped with an R classification. He has since said that he thinks the PG label may have been part of the reason that the film didn’t really find its audience when it was in theaters.

Tourist Trap  received a Blu-ray release from Full Moon a while back. It isn’t as loaded with features as I would have liked for it to be. But it’s still nice to see the flick getting a rerelease on a high definition platform. If you haven’t seen Tourist Trap , it is a must see title for horror fans. It is a suspenseful, surreal, and a terrifying good time.

WICKED RATING: 7/10

Director(s): David Schmoeller Writer(s): David Schmoeller,  J. Larry Carroll Stars: Tanya Roberts, Chuck Connors, Jocelyn Jones Year: 1979 Studio/ Production Co: Compas International Pictures Budget: Unknown Language: English Length: 90 Minutes Sub-Genre: Slasher

Remember Me

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

directed by David Schmoeller USA 1979

Theatrical Release: 16 March 1979 (USA)

Reviews                                                       More Reviews                                                  DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the DVD Screen Caps!

Menus ( Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT )  

88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Full Moon (2014) - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Full Moon (2021) - Region FREE - Blu-ray

  CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

Screen Captures

CLICK PayPal logo to donate!

Tourist Trap (1979)

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Tourist Trap

Their car breaks down and four friends find themselves stranded at The Lost Oasis, a strange museum run by the friendly Mr. Slausen. Even though they are warned not to, the teens explore a house nearby and learn that it belongs to Davey, Mr. Slausen's insane brother. Davey has a knack for making mannequins. In fact, his house is filled with them. Davey's enthusiasm shows when starts adding the teenagers to his collection.

Tourist Trap Uncut, Remastered Blu-ray with Limited Action Figure Coming from Full Moon

70s slasher cult film Tourist Trap is coming from Full Moon Features in a big way this fall.

A Warning About Full Moon’s ‘Tourist Trap’ Blu-ray

Though Full Moon’s best days are undeniably behind them, you still have to respect and appreciate all of the cult classics that Band and company have brought into our lives over the years, from Re-Animator to Puppet Master , Ghoulies to The Gingerdead Man . Hell, Wizard was even responsible for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween Atari games of the 80s, so I think it’s pretty safe to say that Band has earned his star on the (nonexistent) Horror Walk of Fame.

Unfortunately, along with all the good he’s done comes a whole lot of bad, and in the past few years Band has become increasingly desperate to stay afloat, resorting to all sorts of devious tactics and proving that he’s not above spitting in the faces of his own fans, in an effort to make a quick buck. For those who maybe don’t know what I’m referring to, let’s take a little walk down memory lane, at the underhanded tactics that have resulted in me turning in my membership to the Full Moon Fan Club.

Around this time last year, Band posted a video on the Full Moon YouTube channel, wherein he claimed that he had unearthed over 15,000 Wizard Video boxes in the ‘Full Moon warehouse.’ According to the story he told, a fan had mentioned to him that horror fans were expressing a renewed interest in the VHS format, and that Wizard releases in particular were highly sought after and selling for a pretty penny. His plan was to whip up new tapes of some of Wizard’s most popular titles and house them inside those original boxes, which sounded like a fun idea… before the truth came out.

It wasn’t long before a few eagle-eyed VHS collectors noticed that the boxes Band was claiming were originals were actually a bit different looking than the original Wizard Video boxes, thereby exposing the fact that they actually weren’t originals at all, but rather freshly made replicas. Rather than accurately describing the tapes as replicas, which I can only imagine most fans would’ve been totally cool with, Band instead chose to pretend they were the real deal, conning many into dropping $50 for the re-releases of films like I Spit on Your Grave and Lucio Fulci’s Zombie .

Of course, Band was just trying to cash in on the VHS resurgence that’s been going on the last few years, and like he always does, he denied the allegations and played dumb. Over a year later, the replica releases are still selling on the Wizard Video website, and yes, they’re still advertised as being new tapes in original boxes. Again, still kind of cool, but it’s the continued false advertising that ensures I’ll never be dropping a penny on those tapes.

Shortly after this whole incident, a friend of mine who sculpts figures of horror icons informed me that he had given Band one of his Ghoulies statues at a convention, which soon popped up for sale on the Full Moon website. To make a long story short, Band loved the figure – depicting a Ghoulie coming out of a toilet – so much that he used it to make hundreds of copies, which were hastily painted up by his team.

Of course, my friend was never informed of this and was given absolutely no credit, and once again Band played totally dumb, insisting that he simply forgot who gave the original sculpture to him – despite repeated attempts to get in touch with him, he claimed. After being exposed on Facebook by several fans, including myself, Band finally gave credit to my friend, and you can still buy the Ghoulies statue in the Full Moon online shop – with no cut of the profits going to the artist.

Though these situations are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Band’s greed, and willingness to screw over his fans, I think you get the general idea by now, so let’s talk about this latest bit of skullduggery that we’re here to discuss, which serves as yet another reminder that Band just doesn’t care about those of us who have kept him in business.

On May 20th, Full Moon is releasing the 1979 horror flick Tourist Trap on Blu-ray, which would seem to be a must-own release, for all fans of the film. But before you place your pre-order, I encourage you to read a couple Facebook posts that were recently made by the film’s director, David Schmoeller , which reveal that a whole five minutes of the original film are missing, for this Full Moon Blu-ray release.

According to Schmoeller, Band did not make the Blu-ray from the original negative of the film – perhaps because he hadn’t paid his lab bill and therefore wasn’t given access to the negative – instead using a foreign version, which wasn’t the complete cut of the movie. Of course, rather than advertising the release as such, Band instead chose to totally gloss over that detail, and like he always does, he is completely denying Schmoeller’s claims, insisting that he had absolutely no idea that his upcoming Blu-ray contains an edited and incomplete version of the film.

Despite Schmoeller’s repeated Facebook posts about the whole ordeal, Band still denies having any knowledge of what he’s talking about, and is sticking by his claim that the original negative was indeed used to make the Blu-ray. Of course, this is completely untrue, considering the original negative, which was used for a previous DVD release of Tourist Trap , runs five minutes longer than the Full Moon version.

Where did that five minutes go? Did Band cut it out, or did he simply use a different version of the film than the original negative? It’s possible that we’ll never know. But one thing’s for certain, and that’s that Band is once again advertising a product he’s selling as being something other than what it really is, and that’s grounds enough for me to boycott that product and encourage you to do the same.

Besides, who the hell wants a butchered cut of Tourist Trap anyway? If you want to own the film, pick up the Cult Video DVD release , which represents the director’s full original vision.

To learn more about this controversy, head over to David Schmoeller’s Facebook page , where you’ll find his extensive thoughts on the matter.

What’s next, Charlie? Are you going to come to the houses of all your fans and pour sugar in their gas tanks?

Screw people over all you want. But NEVER screw over your fans.

Support Halloween Love

If an item was discussed in this article that you intend on buying or renting, you can help support Halloween Love and its writers by purchasing through our links:

(Not seeing any relevant products? Start your search on Amazon through us .)

Tourist Trap Blu-ray Review

• December 23, 2020

Tourist Trap’s early tell is how nicely Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors) treats stranded teens. The older man – always carrying a shotgun, wearing overalls, and living alone in absolutely nowhere – offers too much help. The teens stepping onto his property and committing horror movie no-nos (being too trustworthy, getting separated) make it too easy for Slausen.

While Friday the 13th and its ilk were granted eternal sequels, Tourist Trap didn’t. That’s a shame. Slausen is a creative killer, using telekinesis to animate mannequins or shoot knives into victims. Unofficially, Carrie battled Jason Vorhees , but Carrie versus Slausen? That’s a definite war, which sadly never was.

Tourist Trap finds success in its execution

The surface material doesn’t seem particularly memorable. The secluded locale, women in limited clothing, and gore. Tourist Trap finds success in its execution, including a clever, scintillating opening sequence, and frequent dark basements where plaster people hug the walls. More than typical suburbs or campgrounds, the out-of-time locale serves the horror. For Slausen, time stopped when modern society moved away; a freeway expansion made sure. He says so. A lot.

Slausen isn’t mindless. Deranged, mad, even bipolar given his fluctuating personality, but purposeful. Slasher movies often rely on preserving conservative life, hence the need for the antagonists to pick off sexually-charged teens. The same is true for Tourist Trap , Slausen part of that old guard who can’t accept changing morals. Hence his past misdeeds, held for reveal until the final act, ingraining the character with demented purpose.

Cheap and plodding as Tourist Trap feels (too often so), by the climax, the creative spark shows. Fresh from film school at the time, writer/director David Schmoeller twists (literally, in a sense) the hero role, pulling off the successful bait and switch. Seeing teens/not really teens wandering around a forest at night doesn’t offer any lasting memory. Yet the finish, where things again feel typical at first, breaks down norms, even against modern standards.

Other than Slausen, there’s little in the way of character. Stock archetypes merely fill space – the slutty girl willing to skinny dip, the shy puritan leery of joining – until their time comes. Against a truly unnerving killer who likes leaning into light with his eerie masked face, these kids barely matter. It’s an effective scare, and Tourist Trap manages to withstand further scrutiny.

Behind a clumsy encode, Tourist Trap shows signs of strong mastering. There’s enough resolution to find detail, nothing grandiose, if handling forests and messy interiors with care. A few shots appear drawn from SD sources (showing tape-like artifacts and smudgy definition, likely footage originally cut from certain prints), but the rest excels at consistency. It’s a well preserved print too. Damage stays at a minimum until the final reel deals with numerous dust specks. Even then, it’s a mild irritant at worst.

Elevated color gives the imagery pop, bringing out flesh tones and other primaries. The reds especially embrace vibrancy. That’s helped by impressive contrast, teetering on clipping, but avoiding any issues. Critically, black levels do fine work. While not always pushing pure black, shadows bring enough density to keep a hold on the horror. Crush is natural to give the dark scenery deepened corners for the killer to hide. Source film exposure allows grain into certain areas, not usually a concern – except for the compression.

While given enough disc space for a movie this length, grain turns into artifacts for most of the runtime. At best, it’s sloppy, reducing visible detail. The more complex the shot, the worse things become, as is the norm. Tourist Trap is typically crowded with background objects, whether nature or the scuzzy interiors. Messy stuff, lessening a nice master.

Dolby Digital 5.1 or mono, although differences between them are minimal. Either way, the audio sits centered. Expect no positional touches.

Even though it’s a compressed track, Tourist Trap still sounds superb. Crisp fidelity works the high treble cues in the score, no distortion noted. Violins hit a hefty high too. The 5.1 option adds slight bass, giving the killer strength by at least touching the low-end as he kills, especially as a victim is thrown into a wall.

Packaged inside a jumbo faux-VHS box, Full Moon includes a small action figure of Mr. Slausen, maybe the only plastic Chuck Connors memorabilia in existence. On the disc itself, a commentary from writer/director David Schmoeller. A well produced making of runs 24-minutes. A trailer and image gallery finish this off.

Full disclosure : This Blu-ray was provided to us for review. This has not affected the editorial process. For information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.

Tourist Trap

Chuck Connors steals the show as a telekinetic killer, and it’s a shame Tourist Trap never scored a sequel to join slasher movie legends.

User Review

The 15 unaltered images below represent the Blu-ray. For an additional 25 Tourist Trap screenshots , early access to all screens (plus the 120,000+ already in our library), 120 exclusive 4K UHD reviews, and more, subscribe on Patreon .

Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki has critiqued home media and video games for 20 years across outlets like Washington Post, Variety, Rolling Stone, Forbes, IGN, Playboy, Polygon, Ars, and others. His current passion project is the technically minded DoBlu.com . You can read Matt's body of work via his personal WordPress blog, and follow him on Twitter @Matt_Paprocki .

0 thoughts on " Tourist Trap Blu-ray Review "

• Pingback: Mania Killer Blu-ray Review

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

You May Also Like

Sherlock holmes and the deadly necklace blu-ray review, who’s that girl blu-ray review.

• All Categories 3D  (151) 4K Action  (225) 4K Animation  (85) 4K Comedy  (99) 4K Documentary  (8) 4K Drama  (136) 4K Family  (24) 4K Horror  (115) 4K Sci-Fi  (124) 4K Thriller  (51) 4K UHD Screenshots  (719) 4K UltraHD  (867) Action  (862) Animation  (271) Blu-ray Editorial  (7) Blu-ray Reviews  (4,081) Blu-ray Screenshots  (3,507) Comedy  (842) DoBlu.com  (283) Documentary  (132) Drama  (805) Family  (200) Featured  (5) Giveaways  (21) Horror  (625) Interviews  (12) Patreon  (8) Podcasts  (123) Sci-Fi  (494) Theatrical/VOD  (129) Thriller  (383) TV  (137) Various  (21) Video  (33)

Recent Posts

Anchorman 4k uhd review.

@ 2024 · DoBlu.com · 4K UHD & Blu-ray Reviews · All Rights Reserved

Just added to your cart

FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $99

Vintage VHS Collection #3: Tourist Trap

Adding product to your cart

Tourist Trap UNCUT Blu-ray & DVD COMBO in a vintage style VHS box with action figure included! 

Every year young people disappear... An eerie and deserted wax museum, SLAUSEN'S LOST OASIS, is the site for spine-tingling terror where four unsuspecting young travelers (Including TANYA ROBERTS from "Charlie's Angels") are lured into a very deadly "TOURIST TRAP." Slausen (CHUCK CONNORS) is the reclusive and bizarre owner of this attraction, which is actually more like a macabre chamber of horrors. The grotesque and frightening mannequins in this sordid side-show are only the beginning of the murderous mayhem and nightmarish madness to come.

• Share Share on Facebook
• Tweet Tweet on Twitter
• Pin it Pin on Pinterest
• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
• Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection.

Net Orders Checkout

Shipping address, shipping methods.

Suhagan Chudail - Season 1 - Episode 34

Nishigandha's trap against deeya.

11 Jul 2024

Deeya saves Moksh from Nishigandha and tries to hide him from her until the red moon night is over. However, Nishigandha cleverly finds them. How will Deeya deal with Nishigandha and save Moksh from her? Show more

S1e34 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, deeya's protective actions, s1e33 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, nishigandha to fulfil her aim, s1e32 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, deeya faces rejection, s1e31 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, deeya marries moksh, s1e30 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, deeya uncovers nishigandha's plan, s1e29 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, nishigandha pursues moksh, s1e28 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, deeya pleads with nishigandha, s1e27 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, nishigandha strikes again, s1e26 ∙ drama ∙ hindi, deeya vows revenge, s1e25 ∙ drama ∙ hindi.