Tourist Trap (1979)Directed By: David Schmoeller
Tagline: Every year young people disappear
A Couple are on a roadtrip to somewhere. They get a flat tire and realize their spare doesn't have any air in it. The husband hoofs it to the nearest gas station and gets killed in a strange and mysterious way. Back at the broken down car, the lone female's friends come to the rescue and begin a search for the missing husband. The group drives around in the "rescue jeep" and comb the countryside looking for the wandering hubby . They stumble upon an old, abandoned tourist trap in the middle of nowhere called "Slausen's Museum" and the old man living there. He seems like a normal man but he is hiding a dangerous family secret. One by one the teenagers start to go missing and end up playing dolly with a maniacal pschic killer. What is the mystery behind the Slausen family and will the teens make it out alive?
I blind bought this DVD because i'm a huge fan of David Schmoeller and Charles Band and their work with the puppet master series. I wanted to see what some of their earlier work was like. I wasn't too let down. 'Tourist Trap' is and isn't your typical slasher movie. It has the group of sexy co-eds, an old man giving warnings, and an innocent looking leading lady. There were no boobs however, even though Tanya Roberts was wearing THE skimpiest top ever. Just take it off girl, jeez. Another complaint i have is the killer looked dumb. For a guy who prides himself on his wax museum art, he has one or two or three shitty masks. Take the time in your secluded hillbilly life and make a sweet looking mask. Also, there was virtually NO blood. I guess it didn't really need it but it would have been nice to see some of the good old red stuff to make up for some of the boring drawn out parts. Oh well. What it lacks in the make-up department it makes up for in the creepiness department. Everything from the wax museum to the mannequins piled in the abandoned Slausen house helped to create a very eerie atmosphere. 'Tourist Trap' is by no means a masterpiece. It is, however, a fun, campy little feature and a great early effort by an excellent director/writer. This one is definitely worth the rent. 'Tourist Trap' gets a 6/10.
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