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The Ruins

Play trailer 1:04 Poster for The Ruins R 2008 1h 30m Horror Mystery & Thriller Adventure Action Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
52% Tomatometer 97 Reviews 30% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Amy (Jena Malone), Stacy (Laura Ramsey), Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore) look for fun during a sunny holiday in Mexico, but they get much more than that after visiting an archaeological dig in the jungle. Carnivorous vines try to ensnare the friends in their tendrils, forcing the group to fight for survival.
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The Ruins

The Ruins

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Critics Consensus

Despite a solid cast and truly frightening source material, The Ruins founders, thanks to a weak script and an excess of gore.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian 10/18/2008
3/5
It had me squirming, and the sheer anarchy and amoral chaos involved was refreshing. Go to Full Review
Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle 10/18/2008
1/5
Smith's singularly bizarre novel managed what this film cannot: fear and sympathy. Go to Full Review
Empire Magazine 06/20/2008
2/5
Slick, sick stuff, but save the odd squirm, a killer-plant horror that doesn't grow anywhere. Go to Full Review
David Day Horror Movie Talk Aug 11
5/10
If you are in the mood for some interesting body horror and some laughs at a movie that takes itself way too seriously, this is it. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible, and boy, it’s ironically funny. Go to Full Review
Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh 09/24/2023
3/5
The narrative itself doesn't really offer many surprises, but its special effects makes for a cringe-inducing experience. Go to Full Review
Emma Wolfe SpookyAstronauts 06/01/2021
It had a good story, I hadn't seen anything like this in a little while. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Fred G @RT22374547 5h Wow -- I'm surprised that this unique horror film isn't getting a better reaction here at RT. I will admit that some of the scenes -- notably one where a character has to get his legs removed using only the most primitive "instruments" available -- require a VERY strong stomach. Even though I am a body-horror connoisseur who has seen The Ruins several times since it was released, I still found myself gasping out loud as I watched it again yesterday! Like all classic horror movies, The Ruins takes a while to build the premise and introduce the characters. Then it's off to the races, as one scene after another ratchets the tension higher and higher. Two factors set The Ruins apart from many other horror films. First, most of the horror here takes place in broad daylight. That's not an easy trick for a director to pull off! Second, the "villain" here is an unusual one -- no zombies or vampires! --and far scarier than it might seem at first. Check it out! See more Farah R @Farah Apr 14 Not bad but not good either, The Ruins is perfectly mediocre in every way from plot and acting to effects and scares. It’s worth a one time watch for genre fans. See more Lee T @Nice-and-Swarm Feb 25 My review may be biased because I watched this film immediately after finishing the book. That being said, I wasn't a big fan of the book either, yet I found this to be worse than the source material. The pacing is far too quick, the vines far less expanded upon and, therefore, far less scary, the characters were incredibly one-dimensional, and by giving Stacy and Amy more of the spotlight, Eric not only became more of a background prop than he was in the book, but the female leads went from just milling about and having no agency but still having some character, to "I'm going to be completely hysterical and irrational the whole time". Jeff and Eric were just there, watching things happening around them. The ending was crap; great job you guys, can't wait for this carnivorous vine to take over the planet! And the final, most DETRIMENTAL sin in my opinion: I will never forgive this film for giving Mathias the Pablo treatment. He was the only one I liked. Justice for Mathias. See more Donn A @RT58687407 Feb 20 it has good pacing and a couple of effective shockers. just needed polishing See more thiago s @Thiagostone Dec 10 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Ricardo d @RT43154676 Nov 23 Mesmo reassistindo agora ainda existe um frescor no filme que não morreu. Embora exista uma burrice dos personagens, ele é totalmente justificável e que causa todo o enredo do filme. Mas depois as atitudes deles são bem plausíveis e não beiram ao besteirol. Os efeitos visuais são bons até para hoje, e bons momentos de tensão. O final sugere uma continuação que não veio infelizmente. See more Read all reviews
The Ruins

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis Amy (Jena Malone), Stacy (Laura Ramsey), Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore) look for fun during a sunny holiday in Mexico, but they get much more than that after visiting an archaeological dig in the jungle. Carnivorous vines try to ensnare the friends in their tendrils, forcing the group to fight for survival.
Director
Carter Smith
Producer
Stuart Cornfeld, Chris Bender
Screenwriter
Scott B. Smith
Distributor
Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG
Production Co
Red Hour Films
Rating
R (Language|Gruesome Images|Nudity|Some Sexuality|Strong Violence)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Adventure, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 4, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 2, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$17.4M
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
SDDS, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)