This one sort of came-and-went in theaters back in 2008 without much notice. With hindsight, however, I’m a little surprised it hasn’t since become a minor cult classic on home video. Unlike, say, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, the film isn’t an overlooked masterpiece, but after a terrible first act that’s a chore to endure, The Ruins becomes a harrowing, visceral experience with a mean streak a mile wide.
Admittedly, it builds its foundation on a silly premise. With the possible exception of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it’s hard to take any movie about killer plants too seriously. But The Ruins makes a respectable go of it, with five obnoxious young tourists who decide to visit an ancient, vine-covered Mayan temple in the remote jungle. This doesn’t sit well with the locals, who force them at gunpoint to climb to the top and stay there…for good reason, it turns out.
The flowery vines covering the structure are predatory, carnivorous and especially attracted to open wounds. The locals, who’ve surrounded the base of the structure, are ready to kill anyone who comes into physical contact with a vine, as shockingly depicted to they shoot one of their own children. So the tourists are stranded at the top with no phone service and precious little food or water, all while being stalked by hungry plants. Believe it or not, it’s not as stupid as it sounds.
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| Yardwork sucks, especially when the yard fights back. |
Speaking of convincing, The Ruins also features one of the nastiest, most jaw-dropping amputation sequences I’ve ever seen in a mainstream horror film. Without going into detail, it’s long, agonizing and extraordinarily graphic. Viewers even remotely squeamish about broken bones will probably find themselves covering their eyes.
It’s kind of a shame The Ruins remains underseen, never enjoying the cult following that has rescued plenty of other horror movies from obscurity. While never particularly scary - nor does the whole equal the sum of its parts - it’s a frequently unnerving film that manages to get under your skin. Considering the inherently goofy premise, that’s quite an accomplishment.
This is a re-issue of a previous released Blu-ray. There are no technical upgrades or additional bonus features.
EXTRA KIBBLES
FEATURETTES - Making The Ruins is your basic behind-the-scenes featuring interviews with the cast & crew; Creeping Death is about the creation of the killer vines and nasty gore effects; Building The Ruins focuses on set design.
AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Carter Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt.
DELETED SCENES
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