The Ruins (2008)

O Masterpiece
X Excellent
O Good
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / April 22, 2008

I know it seems like an incredulous claim, but as far as horror films go, “The Ruins” is excellent. And what makes it excellent isn’t its “monster,” which is merely some weird vine that infests an ancient Mayan temple; what makes “The Ruins” great is the troubling way its characters choose to deal with their dire circumstances.

Much like the people in “Open Water 2: Adrift” (2006) or the boys in “Lord of the Flies” (1990), the characters initially exist in a thriller, but their disturbing reactions escalate their circumstances to that of horror.

Admittedly, the grabby vines in “The Ruins” are rather lame. But that doesn’t matter. They are nothing more than a plot device to suspend the characters in a panic-inducing scenario.

Four Americans (two couples) from Illinois are about to wrap up their vacation in Mexico, when they hear about an ancient Mayan temple that is not on the map and not a tourist site. (When an impoverished country like Mexico doesn’t use a seemingly attractive site to collect tourism revenue, that should be a tell-tale sign to stay away.) But horror movie characters never know to stay away.

Guided by two newfound friends, one of which is played by Brad Pitt look-alike, Joe Anderson (“Across the Universe”), the two couples arrive at the forbidden temple. Immediately, they find themselves in a realistic and frightening situation. The local Mayan people (led by the remarkably cast Sergio Calderón) surround the group at the base of the temple with guns and bows and arrows. Something very bad happens that sends the kids fleeing up the steps to the top of the temple where they become stranded.

The Mayans essentially quarantine the tourists atop the temple, threatening to shoot them if they try to leave. Cell phones will not work, naturally. They are stuck with no food or water to speak of. Soon they find out why the Mayans have quarantined them: the vines.

All I have described above is merely preliminary setup. The horrors follow as injuries, panic and death unfold. “The Ruins” is graphic, gory and makes you squirm in your seat. It is an effective and deviously fun horror film.

Once my wife was lured onto a similar fiasco to visit some ruins in Honduras. Thankfully she had a better outcome. But after a day’s journey, what she was shown was not a vine-covered temple; instead, it was a tiny statue of a barely recognizable stone frog’s head. She refused to even take a picture of it, just to spite her tour guide.

It has become clear to me that ruins are called “ruins” for a reason.

Directed by Carter Smith
Jonathan Tucker / Jena Malone / Laura Ramsey
Horror / Thriller 91 min.
MPAA: R (for strong violence and gruesome images, language, some sexuality and nudity)

U.S. Release Date: April 4, 2008
Copyright 2008: 272