Movie Review: Turistas (2006)

Okay, so we didn't watch this one with the in-law, which was probably wise, because my laughter during some of the murder scenes would have probably made her feel more than a little uneasy about me.

If you enjoy horror films, you'll probably like Turistas. No, it's not great. No, it's not even that good. But it's entertaining and, some would say, even plausible.

Plot: A group of young American backpackers in Brazil find themselves stranded after a bus accident. They hike their way to an amazing, secret club/bar on the beach and decide to stay, only to find themselves out of their element, victimized by the locals. Teaming up with one local, they end up at a house of horrors.

This film is, in fact, a modern-day version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only not as good. It stars a bunch of relative nobodies, save for Josh Duhamel (who is still a relative nobody, I suppose), and Melissa George (who does a great impression of a D'Abo sister circa 1986).

There is some hearty subtext going here, with plenty of racial overtones regarding class and globalization, but it's pretty light-hearted and never really coalesces into anything preachy or worthwhile.

Turistas wasn't a bad film. It just wasn't very good. And in a genre of ever-increasing kill rates and psychotic methods of dispatch, this was relatively boring. In any event, it's worth a rental, but I would laugh at you if I saw this one in your DVD collection.

Sifted: 5/10