tourist trap 1979 wikipedia

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Tourist Trap

• A group of young friends stranded at a secluded roadside museum are stalked by a masked assailant who uses his telekinetic powers to control the attraction's mannequins.
• Teenagers come across a shut-in psychopath with telekinetic powers. He proceeds to use these powers to slay them one by one as well as animate the various mannequins he uses to keep himself company. — Dan Coker <[email protected]>
• Four people go in search of their missing friend. What they find is Slausen's Lost Oasis, and mannequin dressed museum and a seemingly abadoned mansion owned by gentle old Mr. Slausen. He agrees to help with thei car trouble, but some of the girls decide to look for a working phone inside the house even though Mr. Slausen warned them not too. Hidden within the home is Mr. Slausen's misunderstood mask hidden younger brother. What they learn is that the mannaquins seem very much alive, or is there something much more terrifying behind the mask? — Wallace Entertainment
• Eileen (Robin Sherwood) and her boyfriend Woody (Keith McDermott) are driving through the desert. When their car gets a flat tire, Woody goes to find a gas station. Their friends Becky (Tanya Roberts), Jerry (Jon Van Ness) and Molly (Jocelyn Jones) are traveling separately in a different vehicle. They reach Eileen waiting at the car and they all drive off to collect Woody. Woody has found a gas station but it appears deserted. He enters the back room but becomes trapped when the door closes by itself behind him. Various mannequins appear in the room, and multiple objects fly at him until a metal pipe impales and kills him. A little later, Eileen, Becky, Molly and Jerry happen upon a run-down ghost town called 'Slausen's Lost Oasis' (the tourist trap in the title) and conclude Woody is there. As they drive in, their vehicle mysteriously breaks down. Jerry tries to fix his jeep and the girls go skinny dipping in a nearby oasis. As the three women swim, a strange-looking middle-aged man, who introduces himself as Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors) appears holding a shotgun. Though outwardly polite, he also seems embittered by the decline of his tourist trap since the local expressway was moved away. The three nude girls feel awkward in the water as he casually chats with them, and they apologize for trespassing on his property. Slausen offers to help Jerry with the jeep, but insists the group go to his house with him to get his tools. There, they see the tourist trap: animated wax works type figures including armed bandits. Eileen is curious about a nearby house, but Slausen insists the women stay inside the museum. Slausen takes Jerry to fix the jeep leaving the women. Eileen leaves to find a phone in the other house. There she finds several mannequins inside the house. Someone calls her name, and a stranger wearing a grotesque mask suddenly appears behind her. Various items in the room move of their own accord and the scarf Eileen is wearing tightens and strangles her to death. Slausen returns to Molly and Becky saying that Jerry drove his truck into town. When told that Eileen left, he goes to the house and finds Eileen has been turned into a mannequin. He returns and tells Molly and Becky he did not find Eileen and will leave again to continue the search. Frustrated, the women also later leave to search for her. Becky enters the nearby house and finds a mannequin resembling Eileen. Becky is attacked by the masked killer and then by multiple mannequins. She later wakes up tied up in the basement along with Jerry. Jerry says the killer is Slausen's brother. Also held captive is a young woman named Tina (Dawn Jeffory), who is strapped to a table. She is killed when the masked man covers her face with plaster, causing her to suffocate. Jerry frees himself and attacks the killer, but is soon overpowered. Tied back up, Jerry tries to reach for a key but the killer telepathically moves it from his reach... revealing that the killer has the power of telekinesis. Molly, still outside searching for the others, is pursued by the masked man. She meets Slausen who drives her to the museum and gives her a gun while he goes inside. The masked man appears and Molly shoots, but the gun is loaded with blanks. The man removes the mask: it is Slausen. She panics and tries to elude Slausen but is soon captured and restrained to a bed. Meanwhile, Becky and Jerry escape from the basement but, get separated. Slausen appears and takes Becky to the museum. There the Old West figures begin shooting at her, and she is killed by a Indian Chief figure who throws a knife at her, stabbing her in the back of the neck. Back at the house, Molly manages to untie herself and attempts to look for a way out. She is forced to hide when Slausen appears again and, using his telekinesis, makes many of the mannequins move by themselves. He finds Molly hiding and invites him to dance with him. Jerry arrives to rescue Molly, but he is revealed to have unknowingly been turned into a mannequin as Slausen reveals it by "removing" his arm. Slausen dances with the mannequin figure of his wife, and Molly sees that the wife has become animated as a real person. Traumatized by all of this, Molly finds a hatchet where she sneaks up behind Slausen, and slams the axe into his shoulder as he turns around. With Slausen finally dead and his power gone, all of the mannequins in the room stop moving. The film then ends where it takes place the next morning, and a grinning and clearly insane Molly is seen driving away in the jeep with the mannequin versions of her friends.

Contribute to this page

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore.

Recently viewed

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Where to watch

Tourist trap.

1979 Directed by David Schmoeller

Every year young people disappear.

After their car breaks down, a group of young travelers find themselves stranded at a roadside museum run by the mysterious Mr. Slausen and populated by his collection of supernatural mannequins.

Chuck Connors Jocelyn Jones Jon Van Ness Robin Sherwood Tanya Roberts Dawn Jeffory Keith McDermott Arlecchino Victoria Richart Millie Dill Albert Band Dal McKennon Linnea Quigley

Director Director

David Schmoeller

Producer Producer

J. Larry Carroll

Writers Writers

David Schmoeller J. Larry Carroll

Editor Editor

Ted Nicolaou

Cinematography Cinematography

Nicholas Josef von Sternberg

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Charles Band

Lighting Lighting

Ronald Batzdorff

Camera Operator Camera Operator

Lowell Peterson

Art Direction Art Direction

Robert A. Burns Mary Church

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Amanda J. Flick

Special Effects Special Effects

Richard O. Helmer

Stunts Stunts

Sandra Lee Gimpel

Composer Composer

Pino Donaggio

Sound Sound

David Dockendorf

Makeup Makeup

Charles Band Productions Compass International Pictures

Releases by Date

25 jan 1979, theatrical limited, 14 mar 1979, 16 mar 1979, 12 may 1979, 21 nov 1980, 10 dec 1982, 25 jul 2023, releases by country.

• Premiere Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
• Theatrical limited PG Los Angeles
• Theatrical PG

90 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Ian West ★★★★½ 38

Flexes that late 70’s slasher formula that in a few short years would be perfected for mass consumption via numerous genre icons and directors, Tourist Trap is a strange little picture filled with tons of idiosyncrasies that make it such a special gem in my eyes, plus it also serves as time stamp of grim fandango 70’s horror movies that shaped the genre for every decade since.

First off, the Texas Chain Saw Massacre rip-off is one of my favorite subgebres and while there’s a bit of that here (some might say every movie rips off TCM and my love for that monolith would find it hard for me to disagree with that statement) there’s even more in the production…

Review by Tony the Terror ★★★★ 3

The first movie of The Last Drive-In was the last one I watched because Shudder was having a moment when the stream first started and I couldn’t get it to load. Thankfully, they have added all of the movies with the JBB commentary to the service so we can all enjoy them at any time and that is why they are my favorite streaming service. Also they are a horror service so that’s got a lot to do with me thing they’re the best and I’m sure nobody is surprised there.

This movie is so damn weird and surreal so of course I love it. After watching a million times, the overall impact lessens a bit, but damn there are…

Review by Graham ★★★½ 5

🔪 Broken down car full of 20-something kids 🔪 Gorgeous locales, ripe for skinny-dipping 🔪 Supernatural mannequins 🔪 Maniacal laughing 🔪 Spine tingling soundtrack full of tense strings

Tourist Trap is a great example of an innocent late 70s slasher that's not pretending to be something it's not. While not technically perfect, it is terrific fun with some freakishly fatal moments.

"You're so pretty. It's a shame you have to die."

Weird, surreal, slightly bonkers and heaps of fun, the film is brought alive by Chuck Connors who puts in a fantastic performance as local fearmonger Mr. Slausen.

HORRORx52 challenge by kynky 40. Released by Full Moon

Review by Ian West ★★★★½ 2

I love who wholesome Chuck Conors goes ALL IN for this movie!!!!

Review by KYK ★★½ 3

it's no house of wax (2005) but i did scream and spill la croix all over myself

Review by Dave Taylor ★★★★ 9

I’m going on record saying this is the creepiest movie ever made that was rated ‘PG.’

Essentially a mashup of ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and Herbie Hancock’s ‘Rockit’ music video.

If you’re a horror fan and you’ve never seen ‘Tourist Trap,’ you need to rectify that shit immediately!

Review by Branson Reese

Always a good call to put your killer in jeans. It’s night for the heroes but for the killer it’s 2pm on a Sunday and he’s running to Home Depot to pick up some mulch for the yard.

Review by aaron ★★ 1

you will never be house of wax (2005) starring paris hilton

Review by SilentDawn ★★★½ 1

This may lack the filthy, visceral power of something like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , but this off-road wax museum mood-piece is quite creepy and unsettling. All of the doll/mask imagery and sound work pushes the PG rating to its limits, and Chuck Conners' performance as Mr. Slausen is fucking great.

Review by WraithApe ★★★½ 8

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

20something teenagers do battle with a telekinetic hick in the Hollywood Hills, having ill-advisedly rocked up at a forgotten tourist spot, Slausen's Lost Oasis. This was a lot weirder than I was expecting. It feels like it should be campier but there's a actually a real mean streak running through it. Mannequins are creepy af at the best of times, let alone when they're shrouded in deep shadow and have a tendency to become animated when you least expect it.

Obvious reference points are Carrie - with the stalker's psychic powers - and Texas Chainsaw Massacre , both for the backwoods setting and the masked antagonist's hulking appearance. The root of all evil though, is Hitchcock, and Psycho in particular. The…

Review by MushiMinion ★★★★ 1

When you realize the ‘00s  House of Wax remake was secretly a stealth Tourist Trap  reboot.

Review by Joe Lynch ★★★½ 2

One of the weirdest horror movies of the late 70’s that doesn’t get enough love for taking the tropes of the “side of the road” attraction and give it a fresh coat of supernatural that makes for some truly unnerving scenes and some spectacularly creative kills.  You can kinda tell the director was influenced by Bunuel & Jodorowsky, this is just the “Charlie Band” version of those influences made real.  Chuck Connors really went for it!  The Pino Dionaggio score is  This movie is begging for a remake.

Related Films

Similar Films

Select your preferred poster

Upgrade to remove ads.

Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Please consider upgrading to a Pro account —for less than a couple bucks a month, you’ll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages ( example ), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads!

Tourist Trap

Film details, brief synopsis, cast & crew, david schmoeller, jon van ness, robin sherwood, tanya roberts, chuck connors, dawn jeffory, technical specs.

Four teenagers who are looking for a missing friend come across an abandoned tourist attraction called Slausen's Lost Oasis that is filled with mannequins. The place no longer has any business since the new highway has bypassed it. During the night, the teenagers go over to Slausen's house one at a time and never return. Unknown to them is the fact that Slausen's younger brother Davey lives there, and that he is insane, has superhuman strength, and a knack for building the strangely lifelike mannequins that populate the "museum."

Keith Mcdermott

Jocelyn jones, victoria richart, millie dill, david ayres, leonard baker, charles band, richard band, christine boyar, robert a burns, j larry carroll, jim charleston, david dockendorf, pino donaggio, amanda flick, sandra gimpel, joel goldsmith, courtney goodin, gloria gunn, richard o helmer, laurence jacobs, meredith kibbee, marty layton, maria mazloom, debra michaelson, becky nauert, ted nicolaou, lowell peterson, steve purvis, karen stern, george toft, ron underwood, nicholas josef von sternberg, david wyler.

The opening sequence with the items flying out of the cabinet was filmed with the cabinet nailed to the ceiling and the crew where on top of the ceiling flinging items straight down. When it is shown in the film, it gives the illusion that the items are flying straight out.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States on Video August 2, 1990

Released in United States Winter January 1, 1979

Sign Up now to stay up to date with all of the latest news from TCM.

Your Browser is Not Supported

To view this content, please use one of the following compatible browsers:

Safari v11+

Firefox Quantum

Microsoft Edge

• Rankings FA
• TV Premiere Calendar
• Coming in 2024
• Latest Reviews
• Cannes 2024 New

Tourist Trap

• Credits 
• Trailers  [1]
• Image gallery  [1]

All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders and/or producers/distributors.

• Jocelyn Jones
• Jon Van Ness
• Robin Sherwood

• Keith McDermott
• Shailar Coby
• Victoria Richart
• See all credits
• #122 Best Slasher Movies

All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.

User history

• New Releases
• Avengers April
• Full Moon Fridays
• Godzilla Retrospective
• Star Wars Retrospective
• Summer of Slashers
• Troma Tuesdays
• Universal Monsters Marathon

Select Page

Tourist Trap (1979)

Posted by FilmNerd | Aug 28, 2020 | Cult Films , Full Moon Fridays , Horror , Reviews | 0 |

After earning a Master’s degree from the University of Texas, David Schmoeller got an internship working on 1978’s Capricorn One . Following his internship, Schmoeller was developing a screenplay off of his thesis film The Spider Will Kill You . He wrote the screenplay alongside J. Larry Carroll, and they tried pitching it to Sam Arkoff and Bruce Cohn Curtis. Eventually, they pitched their screenplay to Charles Band, who liked it and agreed to produce, with Schmoeller serving as director. He was given a $300,000 budget, $50,000 of which would go towards a name actor, that actor being Chuck Connors. The rest of the cast consisted of relatively unknown actors, though they helped Schmoeller learn working with actors. The crew included production designer Robert Burns from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Pino Donaggio as the composer. Finally, March of 1979 saw the release of Schmoeller’s directorial debut,  Tourist Trap .

Friends Molly (Jocelyn Jones), Jerry (Jon Van Ness), Eileen (Robin Sherwood), and Becky (Tanya Roberts) are traveling through the desert. Unfortunately, their car breaks down, but fortunately, they get help from Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors), a tourist trap owner. The four follow him to said tourist trap, a museum full of lifelike wax mannequins, some having mechanical movements. Slausen tells the girls to stay in the museum while he and Jerry go off to fix the truck. Eileen, however, ignores his warning and goes to check out a nearby house, where she runs into a masked killer. When they don’t hear back from them, Becky and Molly decide to go find them, only to find something horrifying. Turns out Slausen’s brother, who built the mannequins, has been in hiding and killing any tourists who come by. But not all is as it seems at the local tourist trap!

Tourist Trap is a very underrated chiller that could be considered a slasher film, releasing one year after  Halloween . Admittedly, its plot is nothing special: young people stranded in a deserted area being stalked by a killer. Not only that, but the film borrows elements from other films, including  Psycho ,  Carrie , and  The Texas Chain Saw Massacre . That being said, this film has plenty to help it stand apart, such as its mood and emphasis on atmosphere. Chuck Connors delivers a phenomenal performance as Mr. Slausen, who seems innocent and charming, but you know there’s something off. The other actors do a serviceable job, Jocelyn Jones, in particular, standing out as our main heroine and final girl. For a first-time director, Schmoeller shows quite a lot of potential here, creating an effectively creepy and unnerving mood throughout. It’s easy to see how he went on to later direct  Puppet Master .

For a PG-rated film,  Tourist Trap is surprisingly disturbing, even with the lack of excessive blood and gore. For instance, there’s a death scene where a woman suffocates from having plaster applied to her face without breathing holes. Also, if you’re freaked out by mannequins, this film will haunt you with all the shots of their blank faces. There are some supernatural elements added in which, while not a detractor from the film, feel somewhat out of place. On the flip side, Donaggio’s score is very unique, at times playful and innocent, and other times haunting and creepy. Even with a 90-minute runtime, the film can be slow at times, but it does work to build up tension. Even with its flaws, it’s a shame this movie is so overlooked as it’s an effectively creepy film deserving recognition. Overall,  Tourist Trap is an effective chiller worthy of its cult status.

Buy  Tourist Trap from Full Moon Direct: https://bit.ly/2EG12PM

Related Posts

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

September 25, 2022

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

November 11, 2019

Return to… Return to Nuke ‘Em High AKA Vol. 2 (2017)

November 9, 2021

Phantom of the Opera (1943)

October 19, 2020

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top Rated Movies

• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
• 12 Angry Men (1957)
• A Clockwork Orange (1971)
• Fade to Black (1980)

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Abigail Link to Abigail
• Civil War Link to Civil War
• Arcadian Link to Arcadian

New TV Tonight

• The Jinx: Season 2
• Knuckles: Season 1
• THEM: The Scare: Season 2
• Velma: Season 2
• The Big Door Prize: Season 2
• Secrets of the Octopus: Season 1
• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story: Season 1
• We're Here: Season 4

Most Popular TV on RT

• Fallout: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• Under the Bridge: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• A Gentleman in Moscow: Season 1
• Parasyte: The Grey: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Under the Bridge Link to Under the Bridge
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All Guy Ritchie Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

All A24 Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

Best Moments From The Migration Movie

• Trending on RT
• Rebel Moon: Part Two - The Scargiver
• The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
• Play Movie Trivia

Tourist Trap

Where to watch.

Watch Tourist Trap with a subscription on Prime Video.

Audience Reviews

Cast & crew.

David Schmoeller

Chuck Connors

Mr. Slausen

Jocelyn Jones

Jon Van Ness

Robin Sherwood

Tanya Roberts

Best Movies to Stream at Home

Critics reviews.

Villains Wiki

Hi. This is Thesecret1070. I am an admin of this site. Edit as much as you wish, but one little thing... If you are going to edit a lot, then make yourself a user and login. Other than that, enjoy Villains Wiki!!!

• Charismatic
• Destroyers of Innocence
• Dissociative
• Faux Affably Evil
• Horror Villains
• Live Action Villains
• Mentally Ill
• Mind-Breakers
• Movie Villains
• Psychological Abusers
• Serial Killers

Mr. Slausen

• View history

Mr. Slausen is the main antagonist of the 1979 horror film Tourist Trap . He is a telekinetic man with a severe case of multiple personality disorder who kidnaps people off the highway in order to turn them into puppets.

He is portrayed by the late Chuck Connors .

• 1 Biography
• 2 Tourist Trap

Biography [ ]

Though very little is known about Mr. Slausen, he himself tells some things of his past. Slausen was born with telekinetic abilities, which his brother made him suppress by wearing a mask. Sometime, Slausen joined the Navy, but for unknown reasons, he was let go. He met a woman and married her, but she cheated on him with his brother. In a presumably psychotic rage, Slausen murdered them both (possibly with his telekinesis) and immediately regretted it afterwards. Remorseful, Slausen tried to put them back together by making them into sculptures. It can be assumed that Slausen developed the split personality disorder from the trauma of this incident.

Tourist Trap [ ]

In 1979, a group of college kids break down on the highway near Mr. Slausen's Lost Oasis. One of the boys goes to get a tire, getting distracted by Slausen's house, he goes inside and is killed by Slausen using his telekinesis. While looking for their friend, the girls go skinny dipping in the water near the oasis. Mr. Slausen shows up with a shotgun, but the girls explain their situation. Slausen explains to them that the Lost Oasis used to be popular, but grew to be obsolete after the new highway was built. 

Slausen offers to help Jerry with the jeep, but insists the group go to his house with him to get his tools. There, they see the tourist trap: animated waxworks figures, including armed bandits. Eileen is curious about a nearby house, but Slausen insists that the women should stay inside the museum.

Slausen takes Jerry to fix the jeep, leaving the women. Eileen leaves to find a phone in the other house. There she finds several mannequins inside the house. Someone calls her name, and a stranger wearing a grotesque mask suddenly appears behind her. Various items in the room move of their own accord and the scarf Eileen is wearing tightens and strangles her to death.

Slausen returns to Molly and Becky saying that Jerry drove his truck into town. When told that Eileen left, he goes to the house and finds Eileen has been turned into a mannequin. He returns and tells Molly and Becky he did not find Eileen and will leave again to continue the search. The women are frustrated, and later leave the museum to search for Eileen. Becky enters the nearby house and finds a mannequin resembling Eileen. Becky is attacked by the masked killer and then by multiple mannequins. She later wakes up tied up in the basement along with Jerry.

Jerry says the killer is Slausen's brother. Also held captive is a woman named Tina, who is strapped to a table. She is killed when the masked man covers her face with plaster, causing her to suffocate. Jerry frees himself and attacks the killer, but is soon overpowered. Jerry tries to reach for a key but the killer telekinetically moves it from his reach.

Molly is still outside and searching for the others. She is soon pursued by the masked man. She meets Slausen who drives her to the museum and gives her a gun while he goes inside. The masked man appears and Molly shoots, but the gun is loaded with blanks. The man removes the mask, revealing himself to be Slausen. She panics and tries to elude Slausen but is soon captured and restrained to a bed.

Becky and Jerry escape from the basement, but get separated. Slausen appears and takes Becky to the museum. There the Old West figures begin shooting at her. Becky is killed by an Indian Chief figure who throws a knife at her, stabbing her in the back of the head. Back at the house, Jerry arrives to rescue Molly, but he is revealed to have unknowingly been turned into a mannequin. Slausen dances with the figure of his wife, and Molly sees that the wife has become animated. Traumatized, she kills mentally insane Slausen with an axe.

The next morning, an insane Molly is seen driving away in the jeep with the mannequin versions of her friends.

Victims [ ]

• 1: Woody | Impaled by pipe.
• 2: Eileen | Strangled with scarf.
• 3: Tina | Suffocated after having her face covered in plaster.
• 4: Becky | Impaled with knife.
• 5: Jerry | Unknown, killed off-screen and turned into a puppet.

Gallery [ ]

• His name is spelled Slausen on the billboard and sign, but in the credits it is spelled Slauson.
• It is implied that Slausen might actually be his brother Davey, though this could just be a personality that Slausen created.
• 1 The Boiled One
• 2 Miss Circle
• 3 Skar King

• Films of the 1970s

Tourist Trap (1979)

• View history

Tourist Trap is a 1979 American Horror film directed by David Schmoeller , and starring Chuck Connors

Tourist Trap (1979) – Review

Going on a road trip with friends may seem like a lot of fun, with America’s open roads unfolding before you like an endless smorgasbord, but that is only until you take that one unfortunate detour and find yourself running from a chainsaw-wielding maniac or being hunted by a group of children through a cornfield, and this is why I generally fly to places like Disney World or Cancun, statistically speaking, it’s still the safest way to travel.  It was in 1979 that director writer-director David Schmoeller conceived of a truly horrifying pit stop in the form of Tourist Trap , a film sporting a telekinetic killer and some of the most bizarre roadside attractions ever collected.

“Oh my god, they killed Gilligan!”

Stray Observations and Spoilers Below: • Mr. Slausen states that “Once they moved the highway, I’m afraid we lost most of our business” which is a direct quote from Hitchcock’s film Psycho , and I assume was used here to illustrate how progress creates crazed murderers. At least that’s the impression I got. • Horror icon Linnea Quigley has an uncredited role as one of the animated mannequins, that she did not get a bigger part in this film is a crime that I will not forgive • This is one of the rare slasher films without any nudity at all, despite the three main girls going skinny dipping, and it’s even stranger when you consider that Tanya Roberts would later have nude bathing scenes in both The Beastmaster and Sheena . • Jerry escapes the house, running in one direction while Molly runs in the other with Mr. Slausen hard on her heels, but during the film’s big finale Jerry shows up and is revealed to have been turned into one of Slausen’s mannequins, yet we are given no clue as to how Slausen had recaptured Jerry. • That none of the characters tumble to the fact that Mr. Slausen and his masked murderous brother Davey are one and the same just proves that their deaths are nothing more than a simple cleaning out of the gene pool.

I call this Darwinism by way of a psychopathic killer.

There is something innately creepy about mannequins, the Twilight Zone episode “After Hours” being an especially effective use of our collective fear of these rigid imposters of humanity, and director David Schmoeller really knows his stuff when it comes to orchestrating truly nightmare-inducing moments, and Slausen’s telekinetic ability to move the mannequins around heightens the horror of the situation, that said, the film does borrow heavily from other horror films, the setting has a very Texas Chainsaw Massacre feel to it and the telekinesis from Stephen King’s Carrie is on full display, the villains’ dissociative identity disorder is clearly lifted from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho , and Slausen turning his victims into mannequins themselves is a page right of the Vincent Price classic House of Wax .

Safety Tip: Avoid dinner parties at the Slausen’s.

Strangely enough, all those borrowed elements work surprisingly well together, as if ingredients in some bizarre stew, and at any point in the story when something seems to break with logic Schmoeller is able to fall back on the film’s intrinsic dreamlike quality, or nightmare landscape to be more accurate, as we the viewer can never be sure that what they are seeing is actually happening because it could be just a broken nightmare vision of one of the characters. That Slausen’s supernatural ability is never explained works to the film’s benefit, as does the simple backstory of his murdering his wife and brother for having a sexual tryst behind his back, and when the film finally wraps up, we are just as broken as the movie’s last “surviving” character.

“I am the world’s first fully functioning homicidal artist.”

This low-budget horror film from Full Moon Entertainment may have plundered many ingredients from other better films but the core story and cast of characters on display here are quite excellent, with a special shout out to Chuck Connors in a role that he took on with gusto, and it all goes towards making a visit to this particular tourist trap well worth the time.  Note: That this thing was rated PG boggles the mind and that soft rating was certainly a detriment to its box office success as the hard “R” ruled this genre.

Tourist Trap (1979)

• Movie Rank - 6.5/10 6.5/10

David Schmoeller’s Tourist Trap is a wonderfully bizarre film that even though it doesn’t all quite work – you will break your brain trying to justify some of the events – it is still quite entertaining and Chuck Connors and the rest of the cast all bring their “A” game to this horror gem. 

Share this:

• Share on Tumblr

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .