Ruins1

The Ruins, 2008
IMDB Details The Ruins

I read Scott B. Smith’s second novel as a tome of hope for the horror genre which, as of late, seems to be filled with throwbacks, wannabes and shortcomings. Smith, as you may remember, thrilled audiences back in ’98 with his runaway hit A Simple Plan. When I heard that The Ruins had been optioned and that a film project had been committed to, I couldn’t have been happier as the novel version of the story was definitely one of the creepier and more unique works that I had read within recent years.

At its heart, The Ruins is a cautionary tale of what happens to young vacationers who partake in a bit too much frivolity and choose to strike down paths not oft trodden. The warning signs against such a course of action are, of course, ignored and the wisdom (guffaw) and immortality of youth forges on.

Spurred on by the appearance of a mysterious map coupled with the disappearance of the brother of one of the group members already gone in search of the ruins, a group of six young vacationers decide to go and see the ruins and help their friend find his missing brother. The tale progresses as one would expect, fraught with warning signs that fairly scream ‘turn back, go no further!”. The thick of the plot, as it were, finds our young adventurers atop an ancient ruin of a stepped pyramid, surrounded by gunmen who are preventing their escape and facing an ancient enemy who only gradually becomes apparent and understood.

Having read the novel first I already knew what was to become of the adventurers and the premise that the book is generally better than the film holds true in this case.
Ruins2
The core time that it takes to build the suspense between the group and the enemy (as well as tension internal to the group) is largely missing in the film version due to time constraints. This really is no fault of the director's and it’s not really the fault of Smith, who did write the screenplay, but rather simply the nature of the beast. I think that given the circumstances, the tension that builds throughout the group’s imprisonment is generally above genre fare and despite its shortcomings there were some scenes that will likely haunt audiences every time they step off of the beaten path in much the same way that Jaws made some folks cautious in the murky and not so murky depths.

Also, in the positive category, is the film’s attempt to widen the character arc to allow us a somewhat broader insight into the motivations of each one. Again, this aspect of the film is not common to the genre and it did lead to some ‘boring talky scenes’ that a large balance of horror fans don’t seem to enjoy. In my case, it added to the overall effect of the film and I thought that it was particularly well done.
Ruins3
The best case in point is the character of Jeff, played by Jonathan Tucker. Jeff is a medical student who, like most doctors I know, is somewhat detached emotionally from the folly of the human condition. Throughout the story, Jeff is the one who, despite external conflict, is always calculating the odds and basing his actions in reason. In such an emotionally driven plot one is unsure whether to love him for his abilities or hate him for his stubbornness. His emotional disconnection is framed in a few powerful vignettes in the film which I found to be among the best scenes. Jeff’s girlfriend, Amy, played by the lovely Jena Malone, is the polar opposite on the emotional scale from Jeff. The steady conflict bubbling below the surface of that was certainly interesting to watch and ultimately lead to the couple’s rather artfully done conclusion.

In a nutshell, this film began with a really good story which it ultimately did a serviceable though not spectacular job of telling. I got the sneaking suspicion that the film was a rush job and given a bit more proper care it really could have been a shining example of the thinking man’s horror film.
Ruins4
There were some very well done creepy scenes, some great characterizations and some great situational elements that given the proper glue could have formed a much more cohesive whole than it ultimately ended up being.