Tourist Trap Movie Review
A group of youngsters (including 80's favorite Tanya Roberts) stumble across a former roadside mannequin attraction. Once a hot spot for tourists, the place is now the home of Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors of The Rifleman) and secluded from everything, as a new highway redirected traffic away from the area. The lost yutes find that the mannequins are eerily realistic, and worse, a madman can control them telekinetically. That's the story of this 1979 horror film that is probably a little better than it should be. There is a good chance you are thinking to yourself "This sounds like a cross between Carrie and House of Wax", and if that is your thought, you're not wrong--the funny thing is, though it does borrow heavily from both of these classics, it doesn't really feel like either; rather, it very much has a 70's grindhouse, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre feel to it, which really ups the enjoyment factor. The acting is a bit better than what you would expect as well--all the young folks turn in good performances, with Jocelyn Jones as Molly standing out. Connors, who I always think of as a cowboy, is surprisingly effective in his role. This movie succeeds in providing some terrifying moments--mannequins are creepy enough, but what they do with them here turns that whole thing up to eleven.
The star of my nightmare tonight
Unfortunately, the movie fails when it comes to the lighting--some of what happens does so in shots that are so dark it's hard to know what's going on. There are also some continuity errors and moments that are so poorly thought out that they take you out of the moment. The dialogue is hit or miss--we have some genuinely touching moments, but also absolute nonsense. The ending is really well done, providing scares, weirdness, and a very memorable final shot. If you've never seen Tourist Trap, give it a shot--you will be hard-pressed to find a scarier post 1970's PG-rated film.
On A Scale Of One To Ten: 6
Tourist Trap Movie Trailer
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