Tourist Trap — Tourist Trap( Blu Ray)
Tourist Trap is a late 70’s American horror film that blends slasher and supernatural genre tropes. The rundown waxwork setting manages to balance a decidedly darkly quirky tone, with moments of eerier unease, telekinetic murder, and jarring terror. Here from the folks at 101 Films is a new Blu-ray release, taking in a fair selection of both new and old extras. With a card slip sleeve and a thirty-two-page perfectly bound booklet.
Tourist Trap was from the year 1979- it was directed by Texan David Schmoeller, and was one of the early films produced Empire Films/ Full Moon Productions, Charles Band. To date, he has fifteen features to his name, taking in psycho thriller/ slasher Crawlspace (1986), classic killer doll fare Puppet Master (1989), and children's fantasy The Secret Kingdom(1998).
The film opens with a twenty-something man tumbling a tire along a hot country day road- he comes across a rundown building, starts to shout for help- moving into the building a door seemingly locks behind him- widows smash & things fly off shelves seemingly on their own, then a self propelled metal bar impale him on the door- blood drippling off it’s end.
Next, we meet his selection of five or six friends, and their broken-down car, who are wondering where the man with the tire. They walk along a bit, coming across a waterfall- three females of the group strip, and drive in. Fairly soon, along comes the denim dungaree and cowboy hat-wearing Mr. Slauson( Chuck Connors)- who seems nice as pie, offering to help with their vehicle – he first takes them back to the seeming closed waxwork exhibition, and we find out he’s somewhat of a sad/ broken man- his beloved wife died some years back from cancer, so as a result he's somewhat given up.
As night moves in, he goes with the men of the group to look at fixing their vehicle, leaving the women in the waxworks. Just down from it is another building, which they get kind of curious about, as Mr Slauson fixes their vehicle- and here I’ll finish my plot detailing.
Over the course of the film's just under one hour and a half runtime, the friends move around the two buildings, which are filled with mannequins and waxworks- seemingly their eyes shift, and from time to time they move- as a mannequin masked figure stalks the group.
The film mixes a feeling of creepy unease and uncertainty with moments of jarring terror, and violently low-key/ but quirky murders. Connors is excellent as the at first seemingly lost but kindly waxwork owner, the twenty-something friends are a little vapid/ flat, but a few are ok.
The picture is topped with a score by Pino Donaggio- this is a suitable, chilling to quirky affair. It moves from the title track that finds a playful yet macabre clockwork & wind-up like elements blended with eerier string swooned melody & a dramatic piano run ending. Through to a nostalgic,( almost soap opera-like) melodic theme, which is heard in both stripped, wonky/ piano & full string versions. Onto very creepy & darkly sensual mixes of string hover & layers of breathless female vocalising. Through to eerier banks of chilling keyboards, music box or harpsichord, which are backed by sudden string swells/ swoons, and beyond.
I’ve seen Tourist Trap, many times over the years- and it still stands the test of time, as one of the distinctive 70’s US horror films, with a great turn from Connors. Sure, it may not be as gore/ intense as some late 70’s horror films- but there is a wholly distinctive/ uneasy air about the whole thing.
Moving onto this new region B Blu-ray, and the scan looks good and clean- not sure if it’s new or not, but it looks fine. We get a good enough selection of new and archive extras on the disc.
On the new side, we get the following: Dolls, Toys, Mannequins! ( 9.13) with Charles Band. He moves from talking about how he brought Connors to film, and the great on-camera effects. He talks about working with David Schmoeller and Pino Donaggio, how he’s never produced a formal slasher, and how he’s always wanted to buck trends- doing things his own way.
Texas Tourist Trap! ( 14.57) Interview with editor Ted Nicolaou. He talks about how he came to role, and how he was largely left to his own devices with only one scene being asked to be recut by Schmoeller. And he rather controversially declares that he feels that the score doesn’t work, fighting against the tone of the film. They’re Alive! ( 19.24) interview with actress Jocelyn Jones. And Holiday Horror(17.24) with critic Chris Alexander.
On the archive side, we have an interview with Schmoeller and a commentary track from the director. And a trailer. The inlay booklet takes in two new articles- ‘Everybody Hates A Tourist’ by Mat Colgate, and ‘Puppet Master Or Reluctant Mogul’ by Jon Towlson.
Over the years, Tourist Trap has had somewhat of a mixed/ spotted release history, so it certainly is great to see it getting a definitive/extra-edged release from 101 Films. This slip-cased/ booklet edition of the release is limited, so if you’re a fan of the film, act sooner rather than later!.