#6 The Ruins 2008 – Movie Review

Mayan temples have always been great tourist attractions. But you must be aware of the ones that lie beyond secret ways because you may be subjected to unspeakable horror in the midst of those cursed places. 

Movie description:

The Ruins is a supernatural horror movie that has been directed by Carter Smith and that stars Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, and Jonathan Tucker. The screenplay by Scott Smith is an adaptation of his own 2006 book The Ruins. The movie was released on April 4, 2008, in the United States and on June 20, 2008, in the United Kingdom. 

Synopsis:

The story is about two American couples on a vacation in the beautiful Mexican countryside. On their last day of vacation they decide to go visit a mysterious Mayan temple with Mathias, a German tourist who claims his brother, an archeologist, has vanished. Soon after setting foot on the temple ground, the group of friends is faced with a local native tribe that gathers around the temple and forces them onto the temple. While they are trying to plan an escape from what has now turned into a nightmare, an evil presence is slowly creeping on them. Perhaps the locals were only trying to warn them. 

Praises and critiques:

First and foremost, I have to say that The Ruins was a pretty good supernatural horror movie. It was definitely creepy and gory. I was riveted to the screen wanting to know how they could possibly get out of this nightmare. 

As for the storyline, it was definitely original. I loved the theme of the cursed Mayan temple it has always been a good source of scary stories. The author, Scott Smith, did a wonderful work of adapting the screenplay from his original novel The Ruins, 2006, which was also excellent. Additionally, I think that the plot is not too predictable adding some suspense to the story. 

Subsequently, the cast’s performance was great. You could almost feel their dread and terror as the movie culminates towards a horrific end. 

Finally, the visual effects were awesome with lots of gory scenes. 

Recommendations:

I recommend The Ruins to all horror fans because it is definitely a great supernatural horror movie. 

Rating: 

I give The Ruins 4.5 stars on the grounds that it was scary, gory, of good quality, and thrilling to watch.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Reviewed by Steven Morrissette