Tourist Trap

Infobox_Film
name = Tourist Trap


writer = David Schmoeller
J. Larry Carroll
starring = Chuck Connors
Tanya Roberts
Jocelyn Jones
Jon Van Ness
Robin Sherwood
Dawn Jeffory
director = David Schmoeller
runtime = 90 min.
distributor = Compass International Pictures
released = 16 March 1979 (USA)
language = English
amg_id = 1:50608
imdb_id = 0080040|

"Tourist Trap" is a 1979 horror film directed by David Schmoeller, revolving around a group of friends who wind up stranded at Mr. Slausen's "museum," where the mannequins are very lifelike. Schmoeller co-wrote the script with J. Larry Carroll.

Cast

* Chuck Connors - Mr. Slausen
* Jocelyn Jones - Molly
* Jon Van Ness - Jerry
* Robin Sherwood - Eileen
* Tanya Roberts - Becky
* Dawn Jeffory - Tina
* Keith McDermott - Woody
* Shailar Coby - Davey

Plot

Four teenagers searching for a missing friend stumble upon Slausen's Lost Oasis, an abandoned tourist trap featuring eerily lifelike mannequins. The owner is a genial yet slightly strange middle-aged man who explains that when the new highway was built, his museum no longer has any business. As the night goes on, one by one, the teenagers disappear into Slausen's nearby house, never to come out. What they do not know is that hidden inside the home is Mr. Slausen's younger brother Davey, insane yet gifted with telekinesis, superhuman strength, and a talent for building mannequins.

Although the film was not a success during its initial release, repeated showings on cable in the 1980s made the film accessible to many who missed its first run. Author Stephen King, in his book "Danse Macabre", praised the film as an obscure classic. The film's small cult following comes from the film's unique, eerie subject matter (mannequins), as well as its offbeat sense of humor. In one memorable scene, Slausen takes a break from the mayhem to have a bowl of soup with one of the characters killed and made into a mannequin:

Slausen: How's your soup?

Mannequin: The soup is very good.

Slausen: Would you like some crackers with your soup?

Mannequin: I'd like some more crackers, please?

Slausen: That's what I "said"!

Mannequin: Yes, the soup is very good.

Slausen: Are the crackers good? (pause) I SAID, ARE THE CRACKERS GOOD?!!?

{Mannequin's head falls off}

Slausen: I've gotta fix that....

Also of note is the film's score, by Pino Donaggio. Both beautiful and suspenseful, the film boasts an eccentric main title, featuring a slide whistle, wood blocks, and strange sound effects. The mannequins' theme features breathy, agitated female vocalizations.

Trivia

* The plaster used in the death scene was actually dough.
* The script originally called for nudity, but Schmoeller said he was too embarrassed to bring it up during casting. When they got to the lake scene, he finally asked them if they'd be willing. The collective answer was no.
* Schmoeller's real-life parents played the Connors' "parents" in the movie.
* Schmoeller's then-wife is the mannequin who gives the female lead something to drink.
* Writer/director Ron Underwood served as assistant director on this film; also, Ve Neill, an Oscar-winning makeup artist, worked on the mannequins.
* The back room scene early in the film was filmed with the set built on its side, allowing dropped knives and bottles to seem to hurtle towards the opposing wall.
* There is no actor named Shailar Coby, this was used as a red herring. The pseudonym came from Schmoeller's son.

External links

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