R. Jacob’s Honeycut – “The Ruins”

I had heard “The Ruins” mentioned in different videos I’d seen on horror; however, I had never watched the movie. When we chose to discuss this one for the “Midnight Terrors Podcast,” I was intrigued and went in blind. I was expecting something like “The Descent.” While it shares some similarities, it is different enough to stand out. Yes, I’m referring to the killer vines. 

The film begins as we are introduced to a group of Americans enjoying themselves at a resort in Mexico. After talking with a German tourist for five minutes, they decide to go with him and his friend to an abandoned temple that few people know about. When they arrive, they encounter a group of Mayan descendants who force them at gunpoint to stay at the temple. With no other choice, they find themselves trapped atop the ancient structure.

One-by-one, the group is picked off by killer vines that lurk inside the temple. 

If this premise sounds a little goofy, I agree. Although, I do like carnivorous plants as the antagonists. It’s certainly something I haven’t seen before and I love when horror movies try to be original and mix things up. It’s not your standard guy in a mask, with a knife stalking them and I’m here for it. 

Another layer of fear comes from the fact these young people find themselves in a dire situation in a country they aren’t from. When the Mayans show up yelling at them, with guns drawn, I got a real sense of dread because that is true-life terror. Imagine being in that predicament, a bunch of armed men shouting at you and you have no idea what they’re saying. I’d need to change my underwear. It reminded me of “The Green Inferno,” in fact, “The Ruins” is like that one in a lot of ways. For example, the violence and gore is used sparingly, but when it hits, it hits full-force. I’ll just say, check out the leg amputation scene and you’ll see what I mean. 

When I watch movies for the podcast, I try to look at them from a more analytical standpoint and find a deeper meaning. I didn’t uncover one with this movie, the plot I described is what you get. That’s not a knock on the film, I enjoyed seeing the relationships between these characters break down as they became more desperate. 

I thought at one point I’d figured out what was going on. Early in the movie, the one guy’s girlfriend cheats on him. I concluded he’d seen that and was taking revenge by getting her and his friends killed. But nope, just some murderous plants. And now I’ve exposed how my petty mind works. 

While this one didn’t blow me away, it was a solid watch. The real-life horror of being held hostage in a foreign country, the original concept of killer vines and the interplay between characters makes it worth your time. 

R. Jacob Honeybrook is an independent fiction author. A former journalist, he brings true-life horror to his stories, while taking the reader on a journey through the human psyche.