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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)

Reviews                                                      More Reviews                                                DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC vs. 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL vs. 88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Full Moon (2014) - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Full Moon (2021) - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the DVD Screen Caps!

Box Covers

 

 

 

 

  

 

BONUS Captures:

 

Distribution

Cult Video

Region 0 - NTSC

88 Films
Region 0 - PAL
88 Films
Region FREE -
Blu-ray
Full Moon (2014)
Region FREE -
Blu-ray
Full Moon (2021)
Region FREE -
Blu-ray
Runtime 1:29:54 1:26:18 (4% PAL speedup) 1:25:02.764 1:25:00.762 1:29:34.035
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

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,085,765,319 bytes

Feature: 20,766,590,976 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 24.91 Mbps

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 14,692,195,423 bytes

Feature: 9,635,555,328 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 13.49 Mbps

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 21,667,135,008 bytes

Feature: 16,116,670,464 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 22.00 Mbps

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Cult Video

 

Bitrate:

 

88 Films

 

Bitrate:

 

88 Films Blu-ray

 

Bitrate:

 

Full Moon 2014 Blu-ray

 

Bitrate:

 

Full Moon 2021 Blu-ray

 

Audio English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3255 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3255 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -31dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -31dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles None None None 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

Release Information:
Studio: 88 Films

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,085,765,319 bytes

Feature: 20,766,590,976 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 24.91 Mbps

 

Edition Details:
• Audio Commentary by director David Schmoeller
• Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 1:54)
• Interview with David Schmoeller (4:3; 6:54)

 

Blu-ray Release Date: April 21st, 2014
Standard Blu-ray Box

Chapters 24

Release Information:
Studio:
Full Moon

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 14,692,195,423 bytes

Feature: 9,635,555,328 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 13.49 Mbps

 

Edition Details:
• Audio Commentary by director David Schmoeller
• Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 1:54)
• Interview with David Schmoeller (4:3; 6:54)

 

Blu-ray Release Date: May 20th, 2014
Standard Blu-ray Box

Chapters 13

 

Release Information:
Studio:
Full Moon

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 21,667,135,008 bytes

Feature: 16,116,670,464 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Video Bitrate: 22.00 Mbps

 

Edition Details:
• Audio commentary by director David Schmoeller
• Tourist Trap trailer (01:55)
Rare trailers
• "Exit Through the Chop Shop" (24:35)
 

Blu-ray Release Date: February 9th, 2021
Standard Blu-ray Box

Chapters 18

 

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Full Moon - Region FREE - Blu-ray - February 2021: Full Moon Pictures has released the cult classic "Tourist Trap" on a single-layer Blu-ray. It is advertised as "Remastered in High Definition from the original 35mm camera negative". This 2021 Blu-ray release is similar to Full Moon Pictures 2014 Blu-ray release, except that this is the uncut version and takes up almost twice the size on the Blu-ray disc (16 GB vs. the 2014's paltry 9 GB). Also the picture now boasts a supportive bitrate in the low 20's (kbps) as opposed to the prior disc's bitrate averaging around 13.5 kbps. What is immediately noticeable is an improved amount of detail (when comparing the 2021 Full Moon to the 2014 Blu-ray) with a more realistic and less blue-tinged color scheme. When comparing this new Full Moon Blu-ray to the 88 films release, one also notices a warmer color palette, with more lifelike hues. I should note that the 'uncut' footage seems to be lacking in detail, looking a little soft to the eyes. A good rundown of the different versions of the film can be found HERE. Fans of this creepy cult classic would be wise to upgrade their 2014 Full Moon Blu-ray.

NOTE: We have added 30 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

The audio is available in Dolby Digital Audio (either 5.1 or 2.0 lossless) sadly lacking the 88 Films
Blu-ray inclusion of linear PCM or even 24-bit DTS-HD Master audio. Still, the dialogue is audible and Pino Donaggio's (Beyond Evil,
Don't Look Now, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Body Double, Blow Out, Carrie, Raising Cain) score comes through quite strong....there isn't much to complain about audio-wise. Sadly there are still no English (or otherwise) subtitles on this Region 'Free' Blu-ray from Full Moon Pictures.

The extras would appear to be the similar to the previous 88 Films
Blu-ray release (see comments below). The "Exit Through the Chop Shop" making-of is a 24.5-minute making of that consists of footage previously available (interviews with David Schmoeller) and was made for the 2014 Full Moon Pictures Blu-ray release. The same commentary that appeared before returns here, with a stills gallery as well. The film's trailer and a bunch of other trailers round out the extras on the Blu-ray disc. Included is a DVD edition of the film.

"Tourist Trap" remains a personal favorite, as far as overlooked slasher films go. Chuck Conners hams it up, but the real star of the show is the fantastic set design and props / special effects on display. While I know fans have been waiting a long time for an Uncut version of the film to be released in North America in 1080p, a part of me feels quite underwhelmed, perhaps if better source material is found, the film could be released on a dual-layered
Blu-ray disc in a new transfer with a better bitrate and improved contrast... until then, one could do much worse than this new Full Moon Pictures Blu-ray.

Colin Zavitz

***

ADDITION: 88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray - April 14': The new HD transfer is a significant leap beyond the older DVDs. Colors improve to be more realistic (note flesh tones), grain textures become more prevalent and there is some differences in framing. The Blu-ray adds information on the sides of the frame but loses a bit to the top and bottom. There may be a tinge of teal-leaning but this pales in relation to the striking improvement over SD. Contrast is superior in the 1080P and certain scenes even exhibit depth. While still not a dynamic example of the format - this has dramatically advanced. It is only single-layered but as a decent bitrate.

Audio is given the option for a very healthy DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround bump at 3255 kbps or a linear PCM stereo at 2304 kbps. I opted for the surround and while there weren't a ton of crisp separations there was some impressive depth. Effects seem to have benefitted from the lossless as did the score by Pino Donaggio (Don't Look Now, Dressed to Kill, The Howling, Crawlspace). There are no subtitles but the disc is region FREE.

Extras mimic the previous digital editions (see comments below) only with a NEW audio commentary by director David Schmoeller and 7-minute interview as well as a trailer.

NOTE: 88 Films has commented on the running time: "We're aware through the comments on its page that the running time on Tourist Trap has become an issue. We did notice this when we received the master from the US and did raise the issue with Full Moon but ultimately this is the only HD master available and we felt we had to run with it to give the UK fans at least the equivalent of the US Blu-ray.

We considered adding in the missing excerpts from the DVD master but that would have created noticeable shifts in image quality and ruined the 5.1 mix. Also this release does include a brand new commentary by David Schmoeller and we're not aware that he had any issues with the master when he was recording that.

We're very sorry if anyone feels their Blu-ray is not as good as it should be but hopefully you will feel that the new special features, lossless sound, booklet notes and reversible art will make up for the slightly shorter running time than our previous DVD release.
"

This is a solid horror - even praised by the author in Stephen King's book Danse Macabre, noting the scary opening scene. I enjoyed it - although a bit of a come-down for Chuck Connors and an 'interesting' early performance from Tanya Roberts. It has some appreciated 'polish' tucked into the grassroots milieu. Genre fans will applaud the new a/v. In a sea of weak efforts - this stands-out as more professional. Recommended to those keen. 

***

ON THE DVDs (2012): 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 a 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

 


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

 

 

 

88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 

Full Moon (2014) - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 

Full Moon (2021) - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

 


 CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Screen Captures

 

1) Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND

3) 88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray THIRD

4) Full Moon (2014) - Region FREE - Blu-ray FOURTH

3) Full Moon (2021) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND

3) 88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray THIRD

4) Full Moon (2014) - Region FREE - Blu-ray FOURTH

3) Full Moon (2021) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND

3) 88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray THIRD

4) Full Moon (2014) - Region FREE - Blu-ray FOURTH

3) Full Moon (2021) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Cult Video - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) 88 Films - Region 0 - PAL - SECOND

3) 88 Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray THIRD

4) Full Moon (2014) - Region FREE - Blu-ray FOURTH

3) Full Moon (2021) - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 


 

Box Covers

 

 

 

 

  

 

BONUS Captures:

 

Distribution

Cult Video

Region 0 - NTSC

88 Films
Region 0 - PAL
88 Films
Region FREE -
Blu-ray
Full Moon (2014)
Region FREE -
Blu-ray
Full Moon (2021)
Region FREE -
Blu-ray

 




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