30 September Slashers: Day 7-Tourist Trap

I hope you’ve enjoyed our detour into Haddonfield and are ready to hit the open road to slasherville once again.  There is no sweeter piece of Americana than a Southwestern road trip and it has always been a common setting for some of the best horror films.  The fresh air, the mom and pop diners, and of course miles and miles of endless highway are part of what make it great.  Along the way to your destination, whether it be to Bakersfield or Phoenix, you’ll find hokey little stands that have signs promising big thrills but rarely do they deliver on these guarantees(That fossilized dinosaur farm wasn’t as exciting as advertised).  Oh yes, I am talking about the Tourist Trap.  Day seven brings us to one such destination, promising all the scares of a great slasher, however, does it deliver on the goods?  Lets fork out the dough and take a look at 1979’s Tourist Trap.

Day 7:  Stop for the attractions, stay for the murder…….Tourist Trap

After getting a flat tire on a desolate road, a young traveler decides to walk to a gas station and see if he can get help but as you guessed it, he never comes back.  His friends decide to check on their friend and soon, their car breaks down.  A stranger named Mr. Slausen takes him back to his place which just so happens to be a tourist trap of yesteryear called “Slausens Lost Oasis.”  Soon, the group of friends begin to disappear one by one and lose more than their money at this tourist attraction.

While this sounds similar to a multitude of other Slashers, this film has a few tricks up it’s sleeve, it boasts killer dummies and a villain with psychic powers!  The use of dummies provides for some creepy moments in the film but overall they seem hokey and make for an overall lighthearted tone.  Also, the masked killer is constantly telling us why he does what he does and what he is going to do.  This gets rather boring at times(Imagine if leatherface did this in the chainsaw movies, it just doesn’t work well).   Keeping with the lighthearted tone, the soundtrack by Pino Domaggio, is often humorous and never lets the tension rise too much.

While often a silly film, the originality of using dummies and the comical tone makes this a fun slasher to watch with friends.  The only downfall is that it is a little bit too long.  The film would have actually worked much better had it been a segment in a film like Creepshow or as an episode on a show like Night Gallery.  I defiantly think that this Tourist Trap is worth visiting and unlike the fossilized dinosaur exhibit, you won’t feel like your being ripped off.  For day 8 we will be watching a slasher film directed by one of horrors most revered directors, Tobe Hooper.  No were not going to be covering Texas Chainsaw Massacre but will keep with the comical tone and take a trip to The Funhouse.