When I was a kid I used to read like crazy, I couldn’t get
enough. It’s basically thanks to Stephen King that I love horror so much.
Somewhere along the road to adulthood however, I developed the attention span
of a potato and thus started watching more movies instead.
With this in mind I was seriously surprised that I finished
Scott Smith’s 2006 novel ‘The Ruins’ in a mere two weeks. Let me say this, this book is aptly named because it ruined my poor brain.
The Ruins was also adapted
into a film two years Later. I actually saw the movie before I read the book,
but in no way did knowing what happens to the characters diminish the suspense
of this terrifying read.
Seeking a more ‘off the beaten path’ experience, 6 tourists
venture into the jungles of Mexico in search of some ancient Mayan ruins. They
find them, but soon discover the ruins are home to a carnivorous, possibly
sentient, killer vine. The locals will shoot them if they try to leave and so
the story becomes an intense fight for survival atop a desolate pyramid.
Now, I know possibly what you are thinking; a plant? The antagonist is a fucking plant? But such is the way this book is
written that you absolutely buy it. The
simplicity of this plot, with it’s minimal characters and one location is one
of it’s advantages. Rather than trying to give any back story to the ruins and
the plant, the book concentrates on the horror of survival; and what horrors
they are. The book makes you confront starvation, dehydration, septicemia and
more in excruciating detail.
I love the way this book is devoid of chapters and simply
switches from each character’s point of view (seamlessly, I might add). The
effect is a continual bombardment of emotions as well as non-stop action and
suspense. Not once did I feel like I was getting a break from the onslaught of
misfortune.
The Ruin’s characters are well developed. They are all
slightly unlikeable but in way that makes them more human. Their story is one
which sneaks up on you; not until it is told do you realise how much you had
invested in Eric, Stacey, Jeff, Amy and Matias.
The tense narrative had me anxious to find out what was
going to happen next. As I kept reading I felt myself getting sicker and
sicker. I devoured this book and at the end I sat back feeling the ill effects
of such a nihilistic story.
I felt beaten, I remember feeling the same the first time I
had finished watching Martyrs (2008, directed by Pascal Laugier). I remember
numbly staring at my tv until my brain finally chugged into gear to say “IT’S
NOT REAL.”
The film adaption of The Ruins (2008, directed by Carter
Smith) has nowhere near the power of the novel, but it has its own merits. I
think I’m a bit more partial to it because of the novel, I definitely appreciate
it more than the first time I watched it when it came out (nearly 10 fucking
years ago-yes, you’re old.)
A
condensing of characters and therefore reshuffling of roles ensures the film is
true to the majority of the story while also being a pace the movie needs to
be. I will say this about the film it is well paced and never drags.
Like the novel, the film understands its strength lies in
its simplicity. The Ruins is a great addition to the survival horror sub-genre.
I know survival horror was originally a gaming term but I think it can rightly stretch
to films where humans are battling the elements as well as the monsters.
What I really liked about this film is that they kept the
action- and gore- in the light of the sun, avoiding the trope of things only
going bump in the night. ‘The Ruins’ is so bright at times you feel like you’re
getting sunburnt along with the characters.
Apart from a cringe worthy and really just terrible attempt
at a German accent, the cast gives watchable performances, not that fantastic but
they carry the film along despite characters being less fleshed out. Reading the book has slightly skewed my judgement, because I cared so much
about the book’s characters I knew I was projecting them onto the film’s ones
If could compare both the book and film versions of this
story to another book and film adaption it would be The Beach, written by Alex
Garland and it’s 2000 film adaption (directed by, Danny Boyle) starring
Leonardo DiCaprio. The beginning premise is exactly the same and both stories
deal with being sufficiently out of your element.
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| Not kink shaming, no wait yes I am |
The Ruins however had a lot more body horror, I loved the
scenes involving it, especially the one where the vine is whispering “I want to
cut it” (oh yeah sorry, did I mention the plant can talk?). I did however
notice a definite switch to a male gaze in the scene in alluding to, which I know
is hard to avoid in horror. I do question though, why do
we need to have a woman walking around in her underwear? She’s clearly meant to
be attractive, despite the self-mutilation (wait what?) so there can’t even be the
excuse that it was just coincidental. Why couldn’t they have chosen a male
actor to do this? To bring this question extra validity I’ll have to add a
SPOILER that in the book it is a male character that goes through this. Which means
they purposely changed it. The scene has no other difference so I have to
assume it was played for using women’s bodies in an exploitative effort to
either shock or titillate.
In the end I still think The Ruins is a neat little movie
that I can’t really fault too much. It takes killer vines and a fight for
survival to the only places they can really go. It does so effectively and to
the point. I’d recommend this film as a good popcorn flick with friends or as something
to put on when you don’t want to think too hard about what you’re watching.
It’s nothing Oscar worthy but it’s fun.
I’m giving the film adaption of The Ruins a 6.5 /10
I really urge you guys to pick up the novel from somewhere.
Who knows, you might find it brings the awesomeness of reading back to you too.
Whether you love to read or haven’t in a while, The Ruins is an amazing book to
experience. I give the novel The Ruins it a 10 out of 10.
