Tourist Trap

"Every year young people disappear."

1979 1h 29m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 354

HorrorFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After their car breaks down, a group of young travelers find themselves stranded at a roadside museum run by the enigmatic Mr. Slausen and populated by his collection of life-like wax mannequins.

“Every year young people disappear.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

fuboTVSubscription

AMC+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

Shudder Amazon ChannelSubscription

Shudder Apple TV channelSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Howdy Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Cast

Chuck Connors
Mr. Slausen / Davey Slausen
Jocelyn Jones
Molly
Jon Van Ness
Jerry
Robin Sherwood
Eileen
Tanya Roberts
Becky
Dawn Jeffory
Tina
Keith McDermott
Woody
Arlecchino
Mannequin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Schmoeller
Writers: David Schmoeller, J. Larry Carroll
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Tourist Trap Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Schmoeller, shot by Nicholas Josef von Sternberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Pino Donaggio. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ted Nicolaou shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Chuck Connors and Jocelyn Jones and Jon Van Ness carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Schmoeller directs. Nicholas Josef von Sternberg behind the camera. Pino Donaggio scores. Ted Nicolaou cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
347 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "Tourist Trap Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by David Schmoeller, shot by Nicholas Josef von Sternberg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Pino Donaggio. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Ted Nicolaou shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Chuck Connors and Jocelyn Jones and Jon Van Ness carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Every year young people disappear.".
10IMDB entry: tt0080040 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "mask", "mannequin", "psychopath", "museum".
12Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Nicholas Josef von Sternberg
Original score: Pino Donaggio
Editing: Ted Nicolaou
Makeup / hair: Ve Neill
Sound: David Dockendorf
Stunt coordinator: Sandra Lee Gimpel
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $800,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Tourist Trap (1979)

Part of

Tourist Trap Collection

Horror films following the owner of a roadside museum and his army of evil mannequins.

Tourist Trap
1979 · this one

Also by

David Schmoeller

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-07-29
★ 7/10
Chuck Connors & creepy mannequins in the sticks of Southern Cal Three girls & two guys break down in the hills north of Los Angeles and are helped by the genial owner of a defunct desert museum with a penchant for spooky masks & mannequins (Chuck Connors). “Tourist Trap” (1979) combines elements of several previous horror flicks, like “Psycho” (1960), the desert museum opening of “Gargoyles” (1972), “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974), the telekinesis of “Carrie” (1976) and the creepy mannequins of several 70’s movies/shows, including Kolchak: The Night Stalker (“The Trevi Collection”). It was made by the creator of “Puppetmaster” (1989) and heavily influenced “House of Wax” (2005); it even had an impact on the imminent “Friday the 13th” flicks. If you like those movies you’ll like this one. It’s not as good as the better ones, and is overrated in some circles, but it’s solid for a late 70’s horror flick in the rural slasher mode. The highlights are Connor’s sympathetic portrayal, the rural locations, the sets/props and, especially, the female cast, featuring Robin Sherwood (Eileen), Tanya Roberts (Becky) and Jocelyn Jones (Molly). The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area: Samma Ranch, Agua Dulce (near Vasquez Rocks) and Latigo Canyon, Malibu (the waterfall scene). GRADE: B
tmdb766221952024-10-26
★ 5/10
A (PG)-rated slasher film that has been on my radar for decades, "Tourist Trap" is both creepy and ridiculous. Mr. Slauson (Chuck Connors) is a kindly old gentleman living at his all-but-abandoned wax museum and tourist attraction, "Slauson's Lost Oasis." A new highway has rerouted all of his business away, save the occasional car that conveniently breaks down. After the opening murder of Woody (Keith McDermott) at an abandoned gas station on the new highway, Woody's friends Molly (Jocelyn Jones), Jerry (Jon Van Ness), Eileen (Robin Sherwood), and Becky (Tanya Roberts) conveniently break down in Jerry's hideous car at Slauson's oasis. Slauson loves the company, warning the group not to stray from the museum after dark, and definitely stay away from the big house on the hill. Victims being victims, they start wandering off one by one- stalked by a masked killer, and experiencing what appears to be paranormal activity around the museum and house. The old VHS copy of this film was a mainstay at video stores across the country. It was also MPAA rated (PG), a rating that stunned the filmmakers themselves, and probably a reason Teenage Me never bothered with it. Connors, past his "The Rifleman" prime, turns in a sincere and sympathetic performance as Slauson. He played stoic and tough in his best known role but his output after the show ended was spotty and disappointing. The small cast goes through the routine in a film that came out a year after "Halloween" and a year before "Friday the 13th"; there are a few slasher film tropes, but also some telegraphed plot points that are often silly. Roberts stands out in a sexy early role, and the behind-the-scenes trivia and stories from director/co-writer Schmoeller and others are often more interesting than the actual film. However... The opening murder of Woody, and the scenes involving the wax mannequins, are often terrifying. There is something about the vacant expressions on the figures suddenly springing to life, and intercut with actual humans, that gave me the creeps (thanks to future director Ted Nicolaou's editing). The killer often wears a mask of plaster and a wig, looking like Leatherface from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and the figure is quite a presence onscreen. Pino Donaggio's bizarre musical score adds to the weird events, the opening titles theme sounds like it was written for a comedy before his screeching strings invade the viewers' ears during the film. I've had the scary movie poster of this film burned into my memory since I was in elementary school. I'm glad I finally got "Tourist Trap" checked off my "I should really see this someday" list- a middling but notable horror film that made me miss watching Connors and Roberts onscreen. (PG)- Strong physical violence, mild gun violence, mild sexual violence, some gore, mild profanity, mild sexual references, some adult situations, mild alcohol use