The Ruins (2008)

A group of friends whose leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when they, along with a fellow tourist embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something evil lives among the ruins.

Director:

Carter Smith

Writers:

Scott B. Smith (screenplay), Scott B. Smith (novel)

Stars:

Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Tucker	...	Jeff
Jena Malone	...	Amy
Laura Ramsey	...	Stacy
Shawn Ashmore	...	Eric
Joe Anderson	...	Mathias
Sergio Calderón	...	Lead Mayan
Jesse Ramirez	...	Mayan Bowman
Balder Moreno	...	Mayan Horseman
Dimitri Baveas	...	Dimitri
Patricio Almeida Rodriguez	...	Taxi Driver
Mario Jurado	...	Mayan Archer
Luis Antonio Ramos	...	Mayan Rifleman (as Luis Ramos)
Walter Quispe	...	Mayan Rifleman
Pauline Whyman	...	Wailing Woman
Nathan Vega	...	Mayan Boy

Storyline

While on vacation in a resort in Mexico, the Americans Jeff, his girlfriend Amy, her best friend Stacy and her boyfriend Eric befriend the German Mathias in the swimming pool. Mathias invites the group to visit the ruins of a Mayan temple with his Greek friend Dimitri in an archeological field where his brother Henrich and his girlfriend are camped eighteen kilometers far from the resort. They hire an old taxi and when they reach the spot, they are surrounded by Mayan villagers armed of revolver, rifle and bow-and-arrow that kill Dimitri and do not allow the group to leave the place. They climb a construction covered of creepers with red flowers, and remain under siege of the locals. When they hear a cell phone in the bottom of a well, Mathias decides to seek the apparatus using a rope that breaks and he has a serious accident breaking his back. Amy and Stacy go to the bottom of the mine to rescue Mathias and they find many corpses covered by the climbing plants; further, they realize...

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Plot Keywords:

ruins | cell phone | greek | corpse | jungle | 

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Taglines:

Terror has evolved.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and gruesome images, language, some sexuality and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Dreamworks [us] Official site [au]

Country:

USA Germany Australia

Language:

English Maya Spanish Greek German

Release Date:

4 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las ruinas

Filming Locations:

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£123,507 (UK) (20 June 2008)

Gross:

£123,507 (UK) (20 June 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Spyglass Entertainment, Red Hour Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 93 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film rights were purchased before the novel was published.

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Goofs

Before amputating Mathias' legs, Jeff states that he is at risk of septicemia, which is, "an infection, usually of the bone." Septicaemia is, by definition, an infection of the blood and has nothing to do with bones.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Archeologist #2: Help me!

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Connections

Referenced in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Top 13 Scariest Animated Monsters (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Solto O Frango"
Written by Pedro D'Eyrot, Rodrigo Gorky, Thomas Pentz & Marina Vello
Performed by Bonde do Rolê
Courtesy of Domino Recording Co., Ltd.

User Reviews

Not great, but something different

Are you as tired of seeing remakes and movies about the undead as I am? Well then here's something a little different. Not original, but a change of pace. I haven't read the book, but the trailer looked good and so did the cast list. Plus instead of young people being done in one by by zombies, vampires, or a masked slasher it's a variation on the old man vs. nature idea, something not seen much recently and certainly not with so much blood and gore.

Pros: A talented and likable young cast. The scenery is lush and beautiful, as is the cinematography. Instead of just jumping right into the horror, the filmmakers try to create suspense and a little build-up. Moves at a pretty good pace. Plenty of moments and images that'll make you cringe. Impressive gore and make-up effects, and plenty of the former. A good and subtle score that sounds like a creepy rumbling sound at times.

Cons: As good as the actors are, the characters they play are pretty underwritten, which makes it hard to really get to know them. The CGI is pretty poor. There's really nothing we haven't already seen before. Sometimes the characters do really stupid things. A few cheap boo scares.

Final thoughts: Not likely to be the best horror film of the year, but you could do much worse. It's nice to see a horror film that isn't so flashy, teen-friendly, and devoid of suspense, which is exactly what the remake of 'Prom Night,' which hit theatres a week after this, looks like. But I know you hardcore horror buffs know better than that.

My rating: 3.5/5