Review of The Ruins (1984) by Deb S — 22 Jan 2010

Plot: some college kids on a Mexican holiday decide to visit the Mayan ruins that is hidden deep in the jungle. There, they come across a violent group of men who drive them into the ruins where they discover a vine-covered corpse. As their trip of horror continues, they discover more dead bodies, leading them to realize that the secret lies with the flesh eating foliage of the Mayan ruins.

The lush tropical setting of "The Ruins" was actually filmed in Australia and is well photographed. The director also treats us to some pulsating moments of gore - an impromptu amputation being the biggest highlight. The part where one of the girls go absolutely insane and starts cutting herself open to get the vines out was horrifying and gave me the chills. Some scenes were definitely disturbing and will make your skin crawl.