Tourist Trap - Jocelyn Jones

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by David Schmoeller
USA 1979

Five youngsters on a road trip in the backroads of Texas (actually Griffith Park in Southern California) breakdown near Slausen's Desert Oasis - well six, but we learn quickly what becomes of Woody (Keith McDermott) when he wanders in search of a gas station - where kindly Mr. Slausen (Chuck Connors, TV's THE RIFLEMAN) extends the girls - too-curious Eileen (Robin Sherwood, BLOW OUT), slinky Becky (Tanya Roberts, THE BEASTMASTER), and obvious fragile final girl Molly (Jocelyn Jones, THE ENFORCER) - the hospitality of his closed down wax museum (with strangely lifelike figures) while Jerry (Jon Van Ness, THE HITCHER) goes into town to find a mechanic. Slausen warns them not to go out at night or explore the nearby creepy house but one by one they wander over where they run into Slausen's mannequin-making, telekinetically-gifted, somewhat unhinged masked brother Davy and his creepy mannequins.

One of the creepier PG-rated horror films of the seventies, this early Charles Band pre-Empire Pictures/Full Moon production TOURIST TRAP was in good company when it was picked up theatrically by Compass International, the distributor that previously released John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN (and would later put out the creepy HELL NIGHT). It is also well-remembered by diehard horror fans from the early days of video (it's creepy poster art stood out from the garish borders of Media Home Entertainment's 1984 VHS tape). TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE art director Bob Burns' contributions extended to the design and animation of Davy's mannequins. Pino Donaggio's orchestral score (complete with a "love theme") and Nicholas Von Sternberg's color-gelled cinematography elevate the film above the usual seventies grindhouse chiller, but the unpredictability of director David Schmoeller's script and Jones' escalating freak-outs prevents it from being just a glossier TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (which was virtually gore-free despite its R-rating).

The plot of Dark Castle Films' remake of HOUSE OF WAX actually seems to be largely lifted from TOURIST TRAP than the 1953 Vincent Price film or MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM.

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 16 March 1979 (USA)

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DVD Comparison:

Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC vs. 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the Screen Caps!

(Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Cult Video Region 0 - NTSC	88 Films Region 0 - PAL
Runtime	1:29:54	1:26:18 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.74:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.91 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.79:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.9 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Cult Video
Bitrate: 88 Films
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
Subtitles	none	none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Cult Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.74:1 Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by director David Schmoeller • Theatrical Trailer (4:3; 1:54) • Interview with David Schmoeller (4:3; 6:54) • Trailers for ASSAULT OF THE KILLER BIMBOS, SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA, SLAVE GIRLS • FROM BEYOND INFINITY, CANNIBAL WOMEN IN THE AVOCADO JUNGLE OF DEATH, PARASITE, and PETTICOAT PLANET • Full Moon Merchandise • Cast/Crew Biographies • Website Link • Disc Credits DVD Release Date: 28 July 1998 Amaray Chapters 24	Release Information: Studio: 88 Films Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.79:1 Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by director David Schmoeller • Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 1:54) • Interview with David Schmoeller (4:3; 6:54) • Trailers for SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA, PUPPET MASTER, EVIL BONG 2: KING BONG, • GINGERDEAD MAN 2: THE PASSION OF THE CRUST, CASTLE FREAK, KILLER EYE: HALLOWEEN HAUNT, THE PIT AND • THE PENDULUM, SKULL HEADS, MERIDIAN, and CANNIBAL WOMEN IN THE AVOCADO JUNGLE OF DEATH DVD Release Date: 30 April 2012 Blue Amaray Chapters 24

Comments

88 Films' dual-layer, progressive, anamorphic transfer appears to utilize the same master as Cult Video's still in-print "20th Anniversary" edition, or at least the same print source since Cult's transfer dates back from 1998 and was likely not in high definition (the 88 Films is NOT an NTSC-PAL transfer). Framing and color timing are identical, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack is of similar quality.

The extras have been ported over from the American edition, including an audio commentary by director David Schmoeller (who has interesting things to say about working with art director Robert Burns and actors Chuck Connors and Jocelyn Jones). Unlike the Cult Video disc, the trailer is in 16:9 on the British disc. Both discs have different trailers (with the exception of SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA and CANNIBAL WOMEN IN THE AVOCADO JUNGLE OF DEATH). 88 Films' "Trailer Park" features trailers for their next two releases: MERIDIAN/PHANTOMS and CASTLE FREAK.

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus
(Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT)