.gif)
The Ruins (film)
Encyclopedia
The Ruins is a 2008
Australian-American horror film
directed by Carter Smith
and starring Jonathan Tucker
, Shawn Ashmore
, Jena Malone
, Laura Ramsey and Joe Anderson. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Scott Smith
, who also wrote the screenplay. It is also the first non-comedy related movie to have as its executive producer Ben Stiller
.
. Unable to receive a signal, she is dragged away by an unseen force.
Two young American couples (Jeff and Amy, and Eric and Stacy) vacation in Mexico. At the pool of their hotel, they make friends with a German tourist, Mathias, and decide to help him look for his brother, Heinrich. Heinrich had met a female archaeologist and followed her to an archaeological dig at a remote Mayan ruin in the jungle. The next morning Jeff, Amy, Eric, Stacy, Mathias, and Dimitri begin the journey by bus.
The location of the ruin is shown on a crude map Heinrich drew before departing. After a long ride, the group arrives at a remote village near the dig and takes a worn-down taxi to the destination marked on the map. After arriving at the trail head, they spot Heinrich's jeep and proceed.
When they reach the ruins, Mayan
villagers appear with guns and bows. Mathias tries to tell them they're looking for his brother by showing them a picture of him on his mobile phone. Then Amy accidentally steps into vines at the base of the ruins and the Mayans aim their weapons at them. Dimitri tries to calm the situation by going over to Amy and taking the camera, which he thinks is the cause of the problem, also stepping into the vines as he does so. He walks towards the Mayans with the intention of giving them the camera, but he is struck with an arrow in his shoulder and then shot in the head. The rest of the group then flees up the steps of the ruins to escape the Mayans.
At the top they find an abandoned camp with two tents and a shaft in the center leading down. Eric and Mathias are the only two with mobile phones, but Eric's has no signal and the Mayans still have the other. Then they hear a mobile phone ringing and realise it's coming from the bottom of the shaft. Mathias says he is certain it's his brother's ringtone and is lowered down. As he is being lowered, the rope breaks, and he falls into the darkness.
Meanwhile, Amy descends the temple steps to reason with the Mayans. She angrily throws a clump of vines at them and hits a young boy, which leads to the Mayans going on to kill the boy. At this point they realise that it is the vines the Mayans are scared of, and as they've all touched them, the Mayans won't let them go. Later, Stacy and Amy descend the shaft to help Mathias and to find the mobile phone. Mathias has broken his back. Jeff and Eric rig a backboard and the paralyzed Mathias is lifted out.
Next morning, Stacy observes a tendril
of vine has crept into a wound on her leg. The vines have also wrapped themselves around Mathias's lower legs and eaten them down to the bone. The mobile phone is heard again. This time, Stacy and Amy descend the shaft, and in a small, vine-covered room find the body of the young archaeologist from the opening scene and her phone, which is broken. Amy discovers that the flowers are vibrating and screeching, reproducing the ring of the phone. The vines attack, but the two manage to escape. Stacy is convinced the vines are alive, and growing inside her. The group now realizes the vines are predatory. They also see the Mayans salting the earth
around the hill. Jeff insists that "four Americans on vacation don't just disappear" and that help is on the way.
With Mathias' condition getting worse, Jeff amputates
both his legs. Stacy becomes jealous
at Eric comforting Amy, saying she overheard them having sex. When Jeff tries to defuse the situation, Stacy calls Amy's fidelity into question. While the four argue, the vines suffocate Mathias.
Stacy knows the vines are now growing inside her, so Jeff cuts them out. Stacy claims she can feel more, but the others reluctantly deny her pleas to remove them. While the rest sleep, Stacy sneaks out of her tent and begins to cut herself. Jeff tries to stop her, and she slashes out at him, cutting his hand. Then Eric tries to stop her and she fatally stabs him. Overcome with remorse, Stacy begs Amy to kill her, and Jeff goes to remove the knife from Eric's body. At this point the film cuts to the Mayans watching at the base of the pyramid. We hear Stacy screaming, then her screams stop.
Realizing they'll eventually die, Jeff makes a plan for Amy to escape. He smears blood all over her, then carries her to the bottom of the temple and lays her on the ground, making it seem she has died. While distracting the Mayans, Jeff is shot, but not before Amy makes a run for it. She reaches the jeep and escapes.
In a final scene, Dimitri's Greek friends are seen moving toward the temple, looking for him.
where a caretaker
is walking among the headstones whistling Frère Jacques
. He hears the same tune coming from Amy's grave. Around the headstone lie a few of the same red flowers, and as the caretaker reaches for one, the music surges and the scene cuts to black.
In Australia, The Ruins was originally planned to release on 17 April 2008. Then the release was pushed to 31 July 2008 which was then pushed to 7 August 2008. These plans were scrapped when Paramount pulled out of distributing it to theatres, but however has not scrapped plans for a 4 December 2008 DVD release. The premiere in Queensland was on 28 June 2008.
reported that 45% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 77 reviews.
Among critics who gave the film favorable reviews, James Berardinelli
gave the film three stars out of four, saying, "The Ruins does what a good psychological horror movie should do: rely on tension rather than gore to achieve its aims. This bleak, edgy motion picture isn't concerned with appealing to the masses that flock to multiplexes to enjoy the spatterings of the latest serial slasher or the hollow weirdness of a PG-13 ghost story."
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
Australian-American horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Carter Smith
Carter Smith
Carter Smith, is an American film director and fashion photographer.-Life and career:A native of Topsham, Maine, Smith moved to New York City after graduating from Mt. Ararat High School in 1989. He enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology but later dropped out to pursue a career in...
and starring Jonathan Tucker
Jonathan Tucker
Jonathan Moss Tucker is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in the movies The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostage, In the Valley of Elah and The Ruins, and The Black Donnellys on television....
, Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for his role as Jake in the Animorphs television series and Iceman in the X-Men films. He is the twin brother of actor Aaron Ashmore.-Early life:...
, Jena Malone
Jena Malone
Jena Malone is an American actress and musician who has appeared on television, in films, and on Broadway. She made her movie debut with the film Bastard Out of Carolina , and has appeared in films including Contact , Stepmom , Donnie Darko , Saved! , Into the Wild , and Sucker Punch .Malone is...
, Laura Ramsey and Joe Anderson. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Scott Smith
Scott Smith (author)
Scott Bechtel Smith is an American author and screenwriter, who has published two suspense novels, A Simple Plan and The Ruins. His screen adaptation of A Simple Plan earned him an Academy Award nomination...
, who also wrote the screenplay. It is also the first non-comedy related movie to have as its executive producer Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
.
Plot
In a dark, dungeon-like room, a young woman tries to call for help on her mobile phoneMobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
. Unable to receive a signal, she is dragged away by an unseen force.
Two young American couples (Jeff and Amy, and Eric and Stacy) vacation in Mexico. At the pool of their hotel, they make friends with a German tourist, Mathias, and decide to help him look for his brother, Heinrich. Heinrich had met a female archaeologist and followed her to an archaeological dig at a remote Mayan ruin in the jungle. The next morning Jeff, Amy, Eric, Stacy, Mathias, and Dimitri begin the journey by bus.
The location of the ruin is shown on a crude map Heinrich drew before departing. After a long ride, the group arrives at a remote village near the dig and takes a worn-down taxi to the destination marked on the map. After arriving at the trail head, they spot Heinrich's jeep and proceed.
When they reach the ruins, Mayan
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
villagers appear with guns and bows. Mathias tries to tell them they're looking for his brother by showing them a picture of him on his mobile phone. Then Amy accidentally steps into vines at the base of the ruins and the Mayans aim their weapons at them. Dimitri tries to calm the situation by going over to Amy and taking the camera, which he thinks is the cause of the problem, also stepping into the vines as he does so. He walks towards the Mayans with the intention of giving them the camera, but he is struck with an arrow in his shoulder and then shot in the head. The rest of the group then flees up the steps of the ruins to escape the Mayans.
At the top they find an abandoned camp with two tents and a shaft in the center leading down. Eric and Mathias are the only two with mobile phones, but Eric's has no signal and the Mayans still have the other. Then they hear a mobile phone ringing and realise it's coming from the bottom of the shaft. Mathias says he is certain it's his brother's ringtone and is lowered down. As he is being lowered, the rope breaks, and he falls into the darkness.
Meanwhile, Amy descends the temple steps to reason with the Mayans. She angrily throws a clump of vines at them and hits a young boy, which leads to the Mayans going on to kill the boy. At this point they realise that it is the vines the Mayans are scared of, and as they've all touched them, the Mayans won't let them go. Later, Stacy and Amy descend the shaft to help Mathias and to find the mobile phone. Mathias has broken his back. Jeff and Eric rig a backboard and the paralyzed Mathias is lifted out.
Next morning, Stacy observes a tendril
Tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support, attachment and cellular invasion by parasitic plants, generally by twining around suitable hosts. They do not have a lamina or blade, but they can photosynthesize...
of vine has crept into a wound on her leg. The vines have also wrapped themselves around Mathias's lower legs and eaten them down to the bone. The mobile phone is heard again. This time, Stacy and Amy descend the shaft, and in a small, vine-covered room find the body of the young archaeologist from the opening scene and her phone, which is broken. Amy discovers that the flowers are vibrating and screeching, reproducing the ring of the phone. The vines attack, but the two manage to escape. Stacy is convinced the vines are alive, and growing inside her. The group now realizes the vines are predatory. They also see the Mayans salting the earth
Salting the earth
Salting the earth, or sowing with salt, is the ritual of spreading salt on conquered cities to symbolize a curse on its re-inhabitation. It originated as a practice in the ancient Near East and became a well-established folkloric motif in the Middle Ages.-Destroying cities:The custom of purifying...
around the hill. Jeff insists that "four Americans on vacation don't just disappear" and that help is on the way.
With Mathias' condition getting worse, Jeff amputates
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
both his legs. Stacy becomes jealous
JEALOUS
"Jealous" is the first single by Dir En Grey and was released on May 10, 1998. The music videos of the title track and the B-side "Unknown･･･Despair･･･a Lost" are featured on the VHS Mousou Toukakugeki. A piano-vocal duet version of "Jealous" was later included on the "[KR] Cube" single...
at Eric comforting Amy, saying she overheard them having sex. When Jeff tries to defuse the situation, Stacy calls Amy's fidelity into question. While the four argue, the vines suffocate Mathias.
Stacy knows the vines are now growing inside her, so Jeff cuts them out. Stacy claims she can feel more, but the others reluctantly deny her pleas to remove them. While the rest sleep, Stacy sneaks out of her tent and begins to cut herself. Jeff tries to stop her, and she slashes out at him, cutting his hand. Then Eric tries to stop her and she fatally stabs him. Overcome with remorse, Stacy begs Amy to kill her, and Jeff goes to remove the knife from Eric's body. At this point the film cuts to the Mayans watching at the base of the pyramid. We hear Stacy screaming, then her screams stop.
Realizing they'll eventually die, Jeff makes a plan for Amy to escape. He smears blood all over her, then carries her to the bottom of the temple and lays her on the ground, making it seem she has died. While distracting the Mayans, Jeff is shot, but not before Amy makes a run for it. She reaches the jeep and escapes.
In a final scene, Dimitri's Greek friends are seen moving toward the temple, looking for him.
Alternate endings
An alternate ending shows Amy driving away from the ruins like in normal ending, but this time the vines appear under the skin of her face and her eye fills with blood. The scene then cuts to a cemeteryCemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
where a caretaker
Property caretaker
A Property caretaker is a person, group or organization that cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes as a barter for rent-free living accommodations...
is walking among the headstones whistling Frère Jacques
Frère Jacques
"Frère Jacques" , in English sometimes called "Brother John" or "Brother Peter", is a French nursery melody. The song is traditionally sung in a round. When the first singer reaches the end of the first line the next person starts at the beginning...
. He hears the same tune coming from Amy's grave. Around the headstone lie a few of the same red flowers, and as the caretaker reaches for one, the music surges and the scene cuts to black.
Cast
- Jonathan TuckerJonathan TuckerJonathan Moss Tucker is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in the movies The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostage, In the Valley of Elah and The Ruins, and The Black Donnellys on television....
as Jeff McIntire - Jena MaloneJena MaloneJena Malone is an American actress and musician who has appeared on television, in films, and on Broadway. She made her movie debut with the film Bastard Out of Carolina , and has appeared in films including Contact , Stepmom , Donnie Darko , Saved! , Into the Wild , and Sucker Punch .Malone is...
as Amy - Laura Ramsey as Stacy
- Shawn AshmoreShawn AshmoreShawn Robert Ashmore is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for his role as Jake in the Animorphs television series and Iceman in the X-Men films. He is the twin brother of actor Aaron Ashmore.-Early life:...
as Eric - Joe Anderson as Mathias
- Dimitri Baveas as Dimitri
- Jesse Ramirez as Mayan
- Karen StrassmanKaren StrassmanKaren Strassman is an American voice actress and actress who is most known for her television and film appearances as well as voice acting. She voices many characters in many video games, animated series and anime series, including Zhalia Moon in Huntik: Secrets & Seekers, Fantine in IGPX, Kallen...
as Vocal effects for The Vines
Release and box office
The Ruins was released in the US on 4 April 2008. In the US box office it debuted at #5 making $8,003,421. After 3 weeks it exited the top 10. As of 7 July 2008 it has grossed $17,432,844 domestically and $22,321,810 worldwide. Despite not being a huge hit, the film is still considered a success, as it made back its production budget ($8 million) in its opening weekend.In Australia, The Ruins was originally planned to release on 17 April 2008. Then the release was pushed to 31 July 2008 which was then pushed to 7 August 2008. These plans were scrapped when Paramount pulled out of distributing it to theatres, but however has not scrapped plans for a 4 December 2008 DVD release. The premiere in Queensland was on 28 June 2008.
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of 12 February 2009, the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 45% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 77 reviews.
Among critics who gave the film favorable reviews, James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
gave the film three stars out of four, saying, "The Ruins does what a good psychological horror movie should do: rely on tension rather than gore to achieve its aims. This bleak, edgy motion picture isn't concerned with appealing to the masses that flock to multiplexes to enjoy the spatterings of the latest serial slasher or the hollow weirdness of a PG-13 ghost story."
DVD release
The Ruins was released on DVD on 8 July 2008 in both R-rated and unrated versions. It debuted at #4 on the DVD Sales Chart, selling 189,128 copies. As of 3 August 2008, The Ruins has sold 343,414 copies. The R-rated edition includes a commentary by director Carter Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt, three featurettes (Making The Ruins, Creeping Death, Building The Ruins), additional scenes (Rain, Celebration, Going Over The Escape Plan, Alternate Ending), and trailers. The unrated edition includes the theatrical cut and extra material, and also an alternate ending and optional commentary with additional scenes. An unrated Blu-ray edition is also available with identical features.External links
- Human Lab Rat (Viral marketing Justin.tvJustin.tvJustin.tv is a website created by Justin Kan, Emmett Shear, Michael Seibel and Kyle Vogt in 2007 that allows anyone to broadcast video online. Justin.tv user accounts are called "channels", and users are encouraged to broadcast a wide variety of user-generated live video content, called...
channel)