“A man has to be a little nuts to be a good showman.”
Matthew Burke-House of Wax (1953)
There aren’t many films that have subverted my expectations the way Tourist Trap did. It’s not that it did anything amazing or is a particularly good film. It’s that every time I thought I had a handle on what this movie was, it changed.
Tourist Trap follows a group of friends who find themselves stranded at a bizarre roadside museum owned by Chuck Conners’s character, Mr. Slauson. The museum is filled with unsettling mannequins and weird attractions. As strange events unfold, a mysterious and menacing presence picks off the friends one by one.
Writer-director David Schmoeller has crafted one of the weirdest films I’ve ever seen. This is both good and bad. While the plot itself is simple and follows a familiar formula, Tourist Trap’s unsettling atmosphere sets it apart. The film’s imagery is haunting—mannequins take on a life of their own, staring blankly at the characters and viewers alike, evoking a sense of claustrophobia and paranoia.
Chuck Connors delivers a strong performance as Mr. Slausen, the oddball owner of the attraction, but even his acting can’t fully compensate for the film’s reliance on supernatural gimmicks. The telekinesis that drives the mannequins’ movements and the film’s key scares don’t add much depth or terror to the narrative. Instead, it feels like a shortcut that removes the fear of a tangible, more relatable threat. By relying on the supernatural rather than building tension through character development and atmosphere, Tourist Trap loses some of its potential.
The practical effects and use of mannequins are certainly creepy, but they would have been more effective if the film had taken a more grounded approach. The supernatural elements often feel tacked on and take away from the natural fear of being isolated and hunted in a strange, desolate environment. This might feel like a missed opportunity for horror fans who appreciate more realistic psychological dread.
In the end, Tourist Trap remains an intriguing watch due to its strange premise and visual style, but the overuse of supernatural elements weakens the suspense, leaving viewers with an uneven blend of horror that never quite hits the mark.
Rating: 5/10
