Review of The Ruins (2008) by Noman S — 27 Nov 2010

SPOILER ALERT: Evil vines.

It may sound stupid, but it sells much better in The Ruins than in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. I think its secret is having been shot completely on a real location, mostly during the day, with harsh natural lighting which sometimes turns the sky green- an atmosphere not seen before in horror movies.

The interesting thing to note for those who have read the book is that Scott Smith adapted the script himself before the novel was published, and changed a lot for the screen. The characters are the same (less petulant and more slutty), but who does what and when is different, and the ending is different also.

For a writer to appreciate the differences between media like that and to readily change his own creation to fit is an excellent talent. He allowed the film to stand on its own, but kept from the book what made it engrossing- its psychological tension. Both novel and movie are plenty gory, but what encourages our disgust is sympathy with the characters, something not often found in slasher films, torture porn, or today's increasingly silly ghost movies.