Turistas

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

You may just want to unpack that suitcase after seeing Turistas, a shocking and genuinely terrifying cinematic trip into the jungles of Brazil. Low budget and sometimes cheesy to its core, this is still an effective and tight little thriller about a Gap ad-looking group of twentysomethings who get stranded in a remote Brazilian beach town when their tourist bus breaks down. At first the unexpected stop provides a welcome opportunity for a little swimming and the girls to go topless. However, it soon turns into a nightmarish journey into the nearby jungle after they are drugged and robbed by some locals who have more in store for them than the travel agency ever described. Rather than going for the usual, in-your-face horror effects, director John Stockwell (Into the Blue, Blue Crush) creates a creepy atmosphere and focuses on a credible bad guy who sees himself as sort of a Robin Hood-type who simply takes from the rich and gives to the poor. Of course instead of money, its human organs he's dealing in. You get the idea? A key scene set in a dark watery cave will keep your attention—as will all the beautiful bikini-clad women on display—in this nice post-holiday time-waster.