The Ruins (2008)

A leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when a group of friends and 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) (as Scott Smith)

Stars:

Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Jonathan Tucker

7 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 (as Sergio Calderon)
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

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

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Plot Keywords:

scantily clad female | amputation | gore | female nudity | bikini | 

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Taglines:

Terror has evolved.

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

18A

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Mayan temple was made up of three separate sets. The first was the facade overgrown with vines for the characters to walk up. The second was the top of the temple, where the majority of the film takes place. The third set was used for the underground shaft and tunnel scenes. Shots that show the entire temple from a distance were a blend of the sets and CGI.

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Goofs

The "Maya" are not played by native Maya.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Archeologist #2: [She is sobbing, then begins to scream:] Help me! Somebody, help! Somebody! Help! Help me!

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Body Horror Movies (2015)

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Soundtracks

Solto O Frango
Written by Pedro D'Eyrot, Rodrigo Gorky (as Rodrigo Gorky), Diplo (as Thomas Pentz) and Marina Vello
Performed by Bonde do Rolê
Courtesy of Domino Recording Co., Ltd.

User Reviews

Got Under My Skin

I wasn't expecting too much going to see this, but knowing that it was an adaptation from a novel I figured it had to be a decent story at least. I was pleasantly surprised. It definitely wasn't your average 'horror' film, if you want recycled bullshit go see the travesty that is Prom Night. This is different. It literally got under my skin at a few parts and made me squirm, and that pretty tough to do to me. The story resembled a Stephen King-esquire short story. It was grim, unpleasant, and gory. It didn't use conventional scare tactics (which are so overdone these days) but used a tone of dread and hopelessness to get to the viewer. Check it out if your looking for that type of film, cheers

Details

Country:

USA Germany Australia

Language:

English Maya Spanish Greek German

Release Date:

4 April 2008 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Les ruines

Filming Locations:

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,003,421, 6 April 2008

Gross USA:

$17,432,844

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,818,256

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, 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