Jared's Take on The Ruins

First, my apologies for being this late to the game, and for missing the last discussion entirely. No excuses. I just ran out of time.

Second. The movie film.

I wish I had liked it more. I think, even before it started, that I was going to be disconnected from the film because I'm just not a fan of horror movies - or the overtly, or oddly violent ones. I think the only one I've even remotely enjoyed was Cabin Fever, and even that was fleeting...

There were some interesting ideas on display throughout the film that I think could have been explored more at the necessary sacrifice of bloodletting, but that's just my opinion. I know that the violence, or acts of violence, in horror films are supposed to serve the story in some way, and that much I can appreciate because I don't feel like any of it was gratuitous or unwarranted - it's just simply not my taste, I suppose.

The story itself was actually all sorts of rad. But, starting from the beginning when the group met the German, I had to remind myself that they apparently don't live in the same universe that we do - the universe where there are movies about the crazy, horrible, violent things that happen to tourists when they traipse off in to the jungle with complete and total strangers. Especially Germans.

Just kidding.

I suppose the fact that they also live in a universe where a plant can kill them in various ways, and said plants can mimic different noises, should have been some indication that "reality" was just an odd concept within the context of the film. Or it was the "reality" of the film. But I found it at odd with the violence on display, which was very graphic and straightforward, and real - but set against the backdrop of these unreal things happening... I don't know. It was just an odd mix for me.

Technically, though, the film looks great. I was rather impressed with the visuals, far more than anything else. The acting was decent enough - being asked to commit to a role that asks you to be so afraid of something like vines would be a challenge for anyone, I'm sure.

I wish I could add more to the discussion, but I just couldn't dig in to this film on any more than a base level, and I really wanted to. Maybe, watching it again later down the line, with perhaps lowered expectations, I might enjoy it more. Thanks for the pick, though, Jessie. I'm always open to new experiences. This one just didn't capture my attention so much.

Erin's take on The Ruins

First off, I have to say that I'm a horror movie buff. As much as I like a good romantic comedy, musical, or even action film, I'd usually give it all up for a horror movie. Somehow I had missed The Ruins when it was out in theatres and on dvd, so I went in with fresh eyes.

I was intrigued from the first moment. Who is this girl? Where is she? What's happening? An interesting technique to open the film, and one that had me hooked. I didn't love this movie, but I certainly didn't hate it.

I thought the movie had many of the markers of a standard horror movie. Right off the bat, I actually snickered, because while discussing going to the ruins, one of the characters says, "as long as I'm back for make your own taco night!" Anyone who has seen a horror movie knows this sort of "I'll be back" declaration is as good as signing your own death certificate. The film also has a standard sort of plot at the core: a group of co-eds goes off on vacation, goes missing, has to fight to survive. We've seen it done time and time again, but never quite like this.

I had to admit that they got themselves into a pretty demented situation. As soon as the Greek guy was killed, I don't see how they thought they had ANY chance whatsoever of survival. I kept asking myself, "what would I do in this situation?" and I honestly had no clue. At every turn, with every choice they made (sending Mathias down the hole, sending the girls down to get him, sending the girls down for the "cell phone", etc) I still could not see how they might fathom getting out of there alive. Unrelated to survival, but I also didn't understand why Stacey chose to give her boyfriend that handjob... nothing whips me into a sexual frenzy like a day on some cursed ruins?

I thought the whole living plant business was extremely cool, but made me feel a little bit ill. I hate when you see things moving under the skin, or in people's eyes (X-Files used to do that on occasion). I did like that it presented the group with choices they would NEVER have to make in the real world, and it caused them to confront some scary demons. That leg amputation would be a HUGE undertaking for someone who is just a med student, and I couldn't believe Dr. Jeff went through with it, and that they were so graphic with the visuals. Then, when they wake up in the morning and Stacey isn't in the tent, and they go out to find that she's been up cutting plant out of herself, I found myself again horrified and fascinated -- the markings of a good horror movie.

In the end, I was really impressed with the plan that Dr. Jeff and Amy concocted. I was, however, disappointed by the ending. There was so much build up to Mathias' death as well as Stacey's, and how they related to the survival of the group, but then the deaths of the other three came quite quickly, without giving the viewer time to really think. Throughout the film I thought the whole "connection" was that if the plant came in contact with your blood, it took over your body, but I don't remember Amy bleeding. Am I wrong? Did I miss something? In any event, I was proud of Dr. Jeff for sacrificing himself for his love, but found it quite disheartening that she didn't live even 5 minutes longer to justify the sacrifice.

Jessie's thoughts on the Ruins

So my reason for picking this was I had just read the novel which is a deceptively sick psychological thriller. The film was adapated by the author, Scott Smith, which kind of surprised me that he would stick in different pieces of the story that made it so great and kept me on the edge of my seat reading it, with the film they seemed kind of slapped together just to have them happen on screen. Still that being said, for a horror type film, i liked it's pace (which kind of drags in the book) and it reveals things nicely to kind of build up to the end, which in the film was all about the vines, while in the book it's all about the realization that they were never leaving that place, it was their tomb.

One example of what I was referring to earlier with plot points thrown in for no apparent reason, there's a scene on their first night where Stacy jerks off her boyfriend for a comforting sense of normalcy, well in the book, it is the example of the first salvo from the vines, as they find his secretion and ingest it, for lack of better word, but also creep inside his dickhole; in the film, she jerks him off just for the hell of it. Matthias was such a strong, mysterious character in the novel and here he's relegated to empty victim with barely any characterization.

It's so cliched but the book is always better than the film because of length issues but I think film has a unique way of being able to take the same stories and mold them into different versions of the same tale, with perhaps a unique viewpoint. This realy didn't fit the mold. The characters all were slightly altered from the book, and what happens to who, but one of the most telling parts from the book is when Eric and the girls get drunk and start discussing if they survive this, who would play who in a film, and what archetypes would fit what; well they followed it to a tee here which was even more cliched. Still, the movie's strengths were it's constant action with the vines and the eeriness and originality of the vines themselves which I was hoping they would show all the tricks and whistles of but they pretty much got them all in.

Dspang's Thoughts on "The Ruins."

Well. We have ourselves a gorefest here. I'm a sucker for a good gorefest but, there was an overwhelming sense of dread present in this movie was a nice touch though. When I first sat down to watch this I started to think of the movie "Turistas," then I immediately forgot that crapfest. Unnaturally beautiful people, check. Vacation in a scenic location, check. Booze, check. Then Mathias comes along. The party truly starts then in my opinion. When watching this I for some reason was reminded of the 70's nature gone amok films that came out left and right back in the day. Frogs, slugs, worms, spiders, even rabbits were killing off people. Now we have a killer plant that indulges in mental sadism before feeding on it's prey.

I actually thought this movie was a pretty good one. I know the ultimate dumb move of following a stranger to an abandoned ruin not on the map was crappy but sometimes you need this boneheadedeness to make a horror movie. This movie felt like a 70's exploitation flick too. I was nostalgic all over with it. Cannibal Ferox comes to mind. Among other grindhouse style movies. The over the top gore was mostly not inflicted by the plants. It was the people trying to save themselves from the plants through surgery and such. Boy was it nasty. I winced a few times. I haven't winced in a long time but the effects were pretty well done. That scene when the girl is cutting herself to get the vines out, damn. Its that sort of dysfunction in a horror scenario that I love.

All the leads were pretty good in their respective roles. The only one I really recognized was Jenna Malone. She wasn't bad but wasn't great either. They all did a good job of conveying the dread and terror present in this movie.

Dread and terror, this movie had it in spades. When the plants start to mimic the behavior of the human cast things got interesting. I love how it messed with their minds. Made it very eerie at points. I kind of wished there had been a little bit more back story to the plants. Even a little. I was kind of wondering whether this was a large mass of different vines that all work together or whether it was a single living entity that had several parts attached to a main.

At points I also was thinking of John Carpenter's remake of The Thing. The villagers and everyone involved treated this plant as if it were a disease. It was neat how it started growing inside of the two female leads. It inspired a bit of paranoia in the cast like in "The Thing." I was digging that.

On the downside I thought killing of one of the children was a bit excessive and unneeded. Once again I really would have loved a little more story on this ruin. I could have used more usage of practical effects as opposed to cgi. Some of it was kind of obvious. Cgi should only be used to slightly enhance when it comes to certain things.

All in all I think this was better than what most horror coming out these days is like. It has a neat idea and manages to take its subject matter with seriousness. Also take place in broad daylight most of the time too. It kicked in with a serious bout of meanness and dread in the atmosphere that it had.

Adam's Thoughts on The Ruins

This was my first time viewing "The Ruins." I have to admit, though, that when I first started watching the film, I thought to myself, "Great, another bunch of typical, hormonal 20-somethings who are going to get killed by the end of the movie.” While I was right and they were certainly hormonal, I began to think to myself that there might be some hope for Jeff to make it out of this predicament alive.

I enjoyed how this film wasn't the typical stabby-stabby, “let's blatantly have sex so the killer can kill us in the middle of intercourse” type of film. I liked how the film took a more unique route to horror and used nature, of all things, to be the killer.

The premise itself is very cool. When was the last time you looked at a vine and went “Holy crap that thing could kill me”? I think it took a stroke of brilliance upon the author of the book to come up with such an idea for a killer as a simple vine. You could probably read into this and say that the film was conveying the message that man tries to control nature, yet nature is a powerful force to be reckoned with.

There was a subtle moment in the film about an hour and 22 minutes in, where Jeff was embracing Amy after rubbing blood on her face. Looking closely, you can see that the blood stain kind of resembles a heart. It took heart for Jeff to sacrifice himself to save Amy, and it showed how much he loved her.

Overall, it was a fun flick. Thanks for the unique horror recommendation, Jess. I know that I'll regard this film as one of the most original horror movies I've seen.

Brian Hammons' thoughts on The Ruins

I first saw this movie when it originally was released on DVD a few years ago and at the time found it to be an amusing ride. I liked the premise, sort of Twilight Zone-esque, not an everyday, average story, something you could ponder about and the more time you spent unraveling it in your head the more insane it all seemed. I need to state right off the bat, though, watching it for a second time I was much less caught up in the story and found myself more finding flaws and things I disliked about it. That being said, as a whole, I think it's still worth an initial watch, but I don't know that it's a film that'll get quantitatively better on repeat viewings.

I'm going to recall all the stuff that my brain grasped onto, both good and bad, and just share it all in a stream of consciousness way. The opening: who was that girl screaming alone within the ruins? I assume that it was the once living woman who reappeared later as any number of corpses we saw rotted within its walls. I'd forgotten Jena Malone was in it, I've liked her since The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002) but this isn't her finest hour (or hour and thirty-three minutes if you've got the unrated cut). Woah -- here comes a guy with a beard, he must be bad! Then there was that beach party, now Jessie is the club member who's read the novel, so I imagine he can shed some light here, but I can imagine the book's development of the story here was less crass and on the nose than a drunken beach party with requisite Tiki lights.

When the group seeks for a ride to what inevitably ends up being the ruins we get a real goofy moment with the guy and his truck. First, there's a dog and we get that cliched "jump" moment made popular in teen fare like Scream (1996). Then, the man plays up the trope all too well, with his, "No, no, this place no good" line of foreboding. Ugh.

To the ruins and I came up with this little rhyme: Arrow through the heart? A good way to start! I won't go through all the plot development at the ruins itself, save for saying, that what transpired was much more effective when I initially saw this with no prior knowledge of its proceedings. Its established early we have at least one rational member with a functioning brain, worried about logistics like water supply, etc. and he also goes on to be a sacrificial savior of sorts later. The plant can replicate sounds, from the cell phone, to confusing Stacy, deluding her into thinking her boyfriend Eric and best friend Amy were fucking. Where can I buy one of these plants? The possibilities are endless.

You know when the natives shoot their own kid that things are pretty much screwed up beyond repair. Stacy waking up with the plant in her open leg wound was a good visual moment, only outdone later when they find her alone, covered in blood, pleading, "It's okay! I just had to get a little more out." Another visual I quite liked, albeit much more of a smaller note, was the one shot (around 73 min. into the film) of them all four, dirty, sleeping beside each other in the tent. My favorite scene, in so far as something relatable to the human condition and myself as a viewer, was Amy and Eric's late night chat sitting atop the ruins. Amy: "Do you think they're going to find us?" Eric: "Honestly, I think making a run for it is our only chance." Amy: "I know."

There's lots of goofball errors and just bad filmmaking noticeable. The continuity errors are abundant, including Amy's sunglasses, in proceeding scenes becoming glasses, then mysteriously going back to being sunglasses; and Jeff's scar on his chin, going from a fresh wound to old scar in varying degrees in no direct correlation to the frame of time existing within the film.

In conclusion, a fun, fairly innocuous watch if you're game for some bizarre horror, but on repeat viewings doesn't hold up as much more than a film with a fairly intriguing gimmick but riddled with bad, heavy handed and solemn direction and uneven performances.

Film #3: The Ruins (2008)

The Ruins is a 2008 horror film directed by Carter Smith and starring Jonathan Tucker, Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey and Joe Anderson. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Scott Smith, who also wrote the screenplay. This is also the first non-comedy related movie that Ben Stiller executive produced.