Still Creepy After All These Years...

**SteyrAUG** · 02-04-12, 01:00

Saw this one when I was in middle school still back when cable TV was still the newest-latest (and if you really were on top of things you might have as many as THREE premium movie channels).

Tourist Trap (1979)

In those days of cable TV channels like HBO, Showtime and The Movie Channel might have as many as 20 movies which they'd run round the clock so eventually all of us kids saw everything sooner or later, usually several times.

This was one of the films that at the time did a serious number on me. Only the hotness of Tanya Roberts kept me watching in the hopes that her tube top might fail. Suffice to say I don't think this film was intended for middle school kids.

So as I continue my jaunt down memory lane via DVD I finally got around to watching this one again. There is of course some hokeyness with any film made in the 1970s, even Phantasm (another I had cable back then and saw this every week for 3 months movie) had it's laughable moments in between some seriously creepy stuff. But much like Phantasm, a lot of that creepiness still works. Granted childhood trauma and nostalgia probably factor in a little bit. I've seen too many 12 year olds watch these movies with complete and utter boredom.

But if you actually have taste and can appreciate movies for more than just explosions, decapitations and CGI effects you might want to check this one out. While nowhere near as brutal as Texas Chainsaw nor as well produced as The Exorcist, this one is truly a psychological assault. And it can still mess with you, just a little bit.

**Honu** · 02-04-12, 01:51

man oldie

I barely remember that because I am old

I had a VW thing though I like movies that play with the mind more than pure gore and crap effects etc..

**warpigM-4** · 02-04-12, 08:45

I am a huge horror fan and it all started from watching "Children shouldn't Play with dead things" back it the 70's .I have all the stuff i grew up on on dvd I even got to met Mike from phantasm At the last Horror convention I went too .

**montanadave** · 02-04-12, 09:07

I do not like Morlocks.

I can handle the zombies. Just no Morlocks!

**SteyrAUG** · 02-04-12, 18:58

Originally Posted by warpigM-4

I am a huge horror fan and it all started from watching "Children shouldn't Play with dead things" back it the 70's .I have all the stuff i grew up on on dvd I even got to met Mike from phantasm At the last Horror convention I went too .

I wish I had gone to a few Horror conventions, would have been nice to thank all the Hammer girls for everything they did for my childhood.

**Redmanfms** · 02-04-12, 19:05

Most horror movies are actually funny to me in their abject ridiculousness.

The one that truly terrified me and I still cannot watch to this day because of the literally years of nightmares it gave me (don't laugh):

I saw it after an MST3K 24-hour Gamerathon (which actually featured a bunch of Gozilla and Mothra movies too). Tired, sugar/caffeine high (remember Jolt Cola, I haven't seen it in forever) and horror comedy involving the already creepy (clowns) apparently don't play together well for an 11-year-old.

**Spurholder** · 02-05-12, 10:17

For whatever reason, a local station in Washington, DC would air a 4'oclock movie Monday through Friday. One of my favorites (at the ripe old age of 14) was this one:

C'mon - who didn't love this little guy?

**SteyrAUG** · 02-05-12, 14:23

Originally Posted by Redmanfms

Most horror movies are actually funny to me in their abject ridiculousness.

The one that truly terrified me and I still cannot watch to this day because of the literally years of nightmares it gave me (don't laugh):

I saw it after an MST3K 24-hour Gamerathon (which actually featured a bunch of Gozilla and Mothra movies too). Tired, sugar/caffeine high (remember Jolt Cola, I haven't seen it in forever) and horror comedy involving the already creepy (clowns) apparently don't play together well for an 11-year-old.

I'm betting you loved the clown doll in Poltergeist.