The ancient sites of the world are naturally places where we expect to find mystery. We are in awe of our own, distant past –especially in places where our knowledge of the site’s history is murky. Like a good Horror tale, the less we know about a site, the more supposition and our imagination will take over. Even more so when a site is large, impressive,and what we know about it can already make our skin crawl. Surprisingly, there are not that many decent Horror films that explore this. One film that did, and did it well, was 2008’s THE RUINS.
Adapted from the popular novel of the same name by Scott B. Smith, THE RUINS tells the story of a group of friends who, following a fellow traveler, go off the beaten path to a remote archaeological dig deep in the jungles of Mexico. After a long trek, they reach the site of the dig, an imposing Mayan temple, and begin to explore. Shortly after, they are confronted by a large group of Mayan villagers with guns. The group tries to explain their presence there, but the villagers don’t understand Spanish or English. When one of the tourists, Amy (Jenna Malone), touches one of the many vines covering the ruins, the villagers become agitated and shoot one of the tourists, Dimitri (Dimitri Baveans). The rest of the group flees to the top of the temple, where they find an abandoned camp. It is then that they realize that the villagers have them surrounded and will not let them leave. Whatever it is they fear in the temple, it is something they will not allow out.
Director Carter Smith had just bought and had begun reading Scott B. Smith’s novel when he got the call offering him the chance to direct the film adaptation. It is very easy to see the appeal. The setting has a palpable sense of mystery, the characters are varied and likable, and the evil that inhabits the temple comes from an unusual source. He made the wise decision to let the setting speak for itself and had his cinematographer, Darius Khonji, shoot all of the temple scenes in natural light. This lent legitimacy and authenticity to what was actually several elaborate sets. The acting, art direction, and sound design are also solid – providing a satisfying Horror show.
Shot and promoted on a low budget, THE RUINS was a moderate success in the theaters. Critics and audiences appreciated the serious-minded approach to the source material and praised the film’s real-world visuals. Taking a different tack than the ghost stories and slasher movies more fashionable in Horror at the time, THE RUINS distinguished itself by looking to our own remote past as a place of mystery, tension, and fear. It is a place one would hope more ambitious filmmakers will return to at some point.
THE RUINS fun facts – The look of the vines was inspired by pumpkin vines.
Three different sets made up the Mayan temple.
Filmed in Australia in the winter, the actors were actually freezing cold in their summer costumes.
The amputation scene was the first given to the CGI crew, and the last one finished.
Eric- “We could be walking through an ancient graveyard right now, like a bone depository or something.”
Jeff - “Somebody is going to find us. We just need to be alive when they do.”
Amy – “No more cutting for now.”
Jeff – “They won’t come up here, and now that we’re here, they won’t let us leave.”