31 Days of Halloween: Tourist Trap (1979)

Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not talking about the Jon Luvitz movie.

I have written about Tourist Trap many, many times in the past. I have to thank my former Micro-Shock.com cohort, Rhonda Baughman, for introducing this once-obscure gem to me many years ago. This 1979 film follows a group of young people who happen upon an old tourist spot that has fallen out of popularity in recent years thanks to a highway that diverted customers away from the spot. The antagonist, Mister Slausen (played by Chuck Connors) is a broken man still mourning the loss of his beloved wife. Through some strange twist, Slausen’s fractured personality has also granted him telepathic abilities which he uses to terrorize and murder the stranded youths one-by-one.

It is a powerful eerie film that utilizes a lot of lighting and camera tricks to amplify its eerie setting. In a day and age where people bemoan horror films getting a PG-13 rating, this film (which was rated PG for fucks sake!) proves that you don’t need an R rating to make a good horror film. Hardly a drop of blood is shed in this creepy tale full of walking-talking mannequins and a psychopath with mental powers. This movie is a near-perfect horror film because it blurs the lines of reality as it progresses. Each scene moment builds up suspense and tension in ways you don’t really see in horror films anymore. It’s dark and claustrophobic and oftentimes terrifying. The soundtrack to this film, another lost art of the era, just adds to the spooky nature of this film.

My only regret about this movie is that it’s like your first orgasm. You go back trying to chase that moment again and again, but you can’t unsee what you’ve already seen. This is one of those movies that you only pull out on special occasions so it maintains its magic. If you have not seen Tourist Trap, what the fuck are you doing with your life?

This movie has had a plethora of releases, the most current Blu-Ray release is available through Full Moon, but it can also be found on Shudder or, if you’re cheap and don’t mind ads, it’s also available on Tubi.