A Horror Movie Guaranteed To Ruin Any Holiday 

*Hey, I'm working on my Halloween 2020 schedule... what should be on it?* Also, while uploading, I found this cool little theory that delves further into Aztec history: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PaQlImhTf9Y.html

The cautionary tale is stay on the damn path.

I remember reading the book in middle school and feeling.. like I needed to take a shower.

Between this and Midsommar, I’m vacationing in my backyard.

Fun fact, in mayan mythology, the earth itself is actually a giant, primordial creature that wants to eat everything. So it seems like it's actually based off of that.

No way I seen this on the telly one night when I was a kid but could never remember the name of it and whenever I explained it to someone nobody had seen it, you have NO idea how happy I am that you covered this

As a bio student in a tropical country, it's hard to explain to other people why I'm less afraid individually of snakes, insects and illnesses than specifically the fact that being so far away from civilization will make whatever you catch lethal, aaand the fact that they probably won't even find your corpse. It's fun.

Can’t praise reading the novel enough. One of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. So much of it is internal dialog of characters as they are infested with the plant or go mad, and the descriptions of the body horror is really, really upsetting. I think the fact that the author is not really a horror writer brings a very unique feel to the story.

I stupidly chose to watch Turistas over The Ruins when I had the choice. Ugh, youthful mistakes.

Ruin is so visceral. The goriest, most upsetting and hopeless daylight horror I've ever seen. It's also incredibly overlooked and underrated indeed.

I have absaloutly no remorse for that beggining victim. "Let me just touch a screaming flower. Nothing will go wrong."

A Horror Movie Guaranteed to "Ruin" Any Holiday. Clever, Ryan. 😉

I've rewatched this movie multiple times and tbh I always thought the Mayans didn't want them to leave because they had the potential to be infected and wouldn't take any chances, not as 'sacrifice,' which is the Westerner go-to in horror movies featuring other cultures. They killed one of their own on the spot who touched the vines but would only interfere with the outsiders as necessary. I can see the sacrifice angle (it's an interesting thought) but I think them setting camp was just to ensure they don't leave, and because they were foreigners that they didn't immediately "put them out of their misery." Artillery would likely be limited, too, and saved aside from using it one of their own. It could be from the perspective of 'let nature takes its course,' let them deal with it, or because the "ignorant foreigners" intruded where they shouldn't have in terms of a cautionary tale.

The thing I remember the most about that movie is that poor little kid.

"bigger, granter and more diVINE" haha great pun.

I feel you misunderstood what the mayans were doing. They weren't sacrificing them. They were attempting to make sure they couldn't leave the area. But they also couldn't go into said area. It's made clear when they throw the vines onto the child that they are scared to be touched by the vines. To kill them they would most likely need to go near the ruins, and the vines. Thus risking touching it, and thus risking themselves. It wasn't a sacrifice. They were quarantined until death to keep the stuff from escaping, which we see at the end of the movie it did so anyway.

Oof, this hit me hard. I saw this as a kid. I will never forget the blonde cutting into her legs, saying "it's ok! I think I got it."

I remember my dad taking me to see this to break me of my fear of horror movies....it didn't work. The next year I saw Evil Dead 2 and seeing Ash in action made me loose my fear of horror movies for good.

Brings new meaning to the forgotten phrase "I did it for the vine"

Actually the Mayans aren't KNOWN for ritualistic sacrifice, everyone gets that from the Aztecs and that 1 movie Apocalypto

This movie, Cabin Fever and The Descent are movies that make me feel itchy and claustrophobic. They feel so hopeless, and that's horrifying.

I love being able to see horror movies in a different way because of your analysis

Ryan Hollinger be like “Hyowevhar”

Moral of the story: ONLY STAY AT PUBLICLY CONFIRMED SAFE TOURIST LOCATION

Mayans: Be Warned. That pyramid is cursed! Group of college kids: It's okay, we're white!

I can't imagine what type of person would criticize a horror movie for being violent.

Horror movie: *Exists* Ryan: *LOVECRAFTIAN*

"hey, let's go explore an old temple in the middle of the rainforest." Ok stranger we just met for 5 minutes :)

Oh god, this movie. I made the mistake of watching it home alone when I around 12 years old. It still haunts me.

Just a warning to everyone, raycons are actually pretty dog

That moment when you forget that ‘Vacation’ is a term only really used in the U.S. and everyone else says ‘Holiday’.

I really enjoyed the book and was excited for this movie but it was such a frustrating letdown for me. The ending in particular made me livid.

If Goosebumps “Stay Out The Basement” had a sequel in the form of a movie.

I remember watching the Ruins on the ScyFi channel, since they usually had the less popular horror movies on from time to time. This movie always sent chills down my spine.

Did mention this in the last video, but there is this very overlooked 2018 found footage movie called "Butterfly Kisses" and while I don't think it's an amazing film (the monster in the film is very unoriginal and there some plotholes) I do think the actual concept is very interesting. Basically, instead of watching an edited video of some videotapes, someone claimed they found, the film focuses on the person who found said videotapes and his quest to prove the tapes he found are real, wanted to make his own Blair Witch out of said tapes he found, and him losing himself in the process. I think it's pretty interesting take on the found footage genre and kind of a shame it's very overlooked. Oh, and it's on Amazon Prime so not hard to find actually.

Yeah, The Ruins is excellent and sadly overlooked.

"One way to describe The Ruins is 'What if The Happening was legitimately scary?'" Has a truer statement *ever* been spoken? I think not XD

Rewatching this analysis after viewing this film. Despite the shitty ratings, I really enjoyed it. The main characters are much more likeable and smarter than your typical horror protagonist (ok, except maybe Amy) and I was rooting for all of them to survive. The acting was REALLY good and it was genuinely creepy with minimal jump scares. Though I do wish the film spent more time in showing how physical discomfort (lack of food + water, hot climate, wearing the same itchy/dirty clothing) can rapidly deteriorate their mental state. Thanks for introducing me to this movie, Ryan!

Fun fact: Ben Stiller was an executive producer on this film.

I’m like, “dang what holiday?? The Ruins?? Oh, HOLIDAY=Vacation... got it”

Well... Adding to my "Movies I need to see because Ryan Hollinger talked about it and it sounds awesome" list! I watched "Behind the mask" recently because of your review and really enjoyed it!

The Ritual was one of the bleakest, slow-burn horror I have ever read. Definitely recommend it.

I've seen this twice and never noticed the last survivor had vines in her face. lmao.

I really hope this movie gets a remake one day, 'cause I actually really liked the premise and I thought it had quite a bit of potential. It just needs a script that takes the whole thing a bit further.

I'm not big on horror movies, but this is one I've seen several times. I've always liked Jonathan Tucker as an actor, and the premise of this movie is pretty great.

Me: I remember watching this stupid movie as a kid and laughing at it, am I really going to give it another try just because Ryan likes it? Also me: yes

Strangely satisfying to find a channel that delves so deep into my nostalgic memory of my grandmother's horror movie DVD collection. I approve 👍

Ryan, I don’t mean to sound like an asshole, but there is no “Mexican Peninsula.” It’s the Yucatan Peninsula. Mexico has two major peninsulas. Baja California and Yucatan. Either way, great video.

Ryan will you review "Let the Right One In"? The film, the awful remake and the book both were based on, theres a lot to talk about.

Man, I remember seeing this movie as a teenager. I'd managed to avoid Saw and Hostel up to that point, so the level of brutality on display in the Ruins was something totally foreign to me. Looking back on it, I realize now how bleak a movie it is, but at the time I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, like, holy hell I loved it.

What an interesting cast. Johanna from Hunger Games One of the Ashford twins Jay from the boxing show Kingdom

This was a scary surprise. It’s a good movie if you haven’t seen it yet. The movie is well worth watching.

hey ryan is there any way that you could eventually cover the contrversial 1992 bbc tv movie GHOSTWATCH

I don’t like how it makes the indigenous people the bad ones

Also reminds me of "The Raft" in Creepshow 2

0:52 Mate, I don't even feel comfortable leaving my own city.

Hopeless feeling is the scariest part of the movie because they were doomed when they got to the temple

So I watched the movie before watching the video, partially because it gives me the feeling of coming to a book club where I actually read the book, and I know it's not rational to blame you for whatever nightmares I may have, but I'll probably do it anyways. Love your videos though!

Now this is why I subscribe to your channel man bringing horror movies that I really forgot for so long I loved this movie so much it terrified me when I was young and hearing you talking about it was great.

"The book is more grimmer than the film." yeah well, the film has Jenna Malone, and I'd follow her to any haunted, ancient temple of death.

You know, I tried to read the book because it genuinely sounded like an interesting premise at first. But as a Mexican myself, I'm tired and frankly kind of offended at seeing yet another story of "evil natives" and their white victims. Putting the plot aside, this is essentially a narrative depicting brown people as savages with barbaric gods and beliefs and a tendency towards rash and unexplained violence. I just feel like this story could have been told without having to be tied to an actual people and culture. I mean actual indigenous people of Maya heritage are already marginalized enough in their own country as it is.

the sea of moving vines in the well when they’re looking for the cellphone is just so cartoonish :/

Dang for a second I read the film title as “the runs” and was just thought “what situation doesn’t diarrhoea ruin?” 😂

I used to giggle at the title when i was little, thinking it was spelled "The Runs"

I'm blessed Ryan covered one of these films that at its initial release-was ignored and hated by many critics, but has value. Very much like A Cure for Wellness which is a freaking masterpiece

...RU-vid literally just recommended that I rewatch clips of this movie after not thinking about it for probably 10 years, now I seen this in my Inbox.

The only problem with this movie is the terribly inaccurate portrayal of Mexican indigenous people

Amy isn’t the last survivor in the book, she’s the first to go. Stacy is the last one standing who then cuts her wrists. Only for the Greeks to show up three days later, or course. It’s not the best, nearly not as good as people will have you believe, but it was still worth a read and I enjoyed it enough. If you want body horror that stands above what the ruins offers, The Troop is a good one to check out for sure. I’m not much of a genre horror kind of guy when it comes to my literature but The Troop is an exception.

This was like an old school monster horror.

One of my favourite underrated horror movies of all time! I'm ashamed I never thought of posting a comment asking you to do a vid on it, but am I glad you made a video!

actually, in the book, amy is the fourth to last character to die. stacy is the last one alive, and she slits her wrists as a warning to other tourists.

"If a tree falls in the woods does it make a sewand"

Hey Ryan, you're saying the indigenous group's name wrong. Your supposed to say Maya when referring to the people/culture and Mayan when referring to the languages!

Saw this at my grandmas house on cable when I was little

I really liked the comparison between the book and the movie, especially since they were written by the same guy. I love it when authors have two versions of the same story in different media.

Everybody gangster till u step into the hentai pyramid

It's depressing how overlooked this movie is considering the very premise is disturbing. There's a very good mix of psychological and body horror. Sure, you could argue that the setting isn't entirely unique(In fact, other horror movies use similar paranoia, with secluded areas surrounded in vast woodlands being a genre staple)but having the monster be the plants that surround our characters is a neat unique spin. Add in some truly grotesque mutilation and you've got yourself a criminally underrated horror flick.

I remember seeing the trailer for this movie in theaters and as soon as it ended my sister said into the silence “The Runs” and I laughed so hard. Still one of the funniest moments of my life

Ryan, I love your content. I actually used some of your videos to help write an essay for school and good news I got an A+ on it. Your channel kinda reignited my love for the horror genre and I’m so glad I randomly fell across your channel a few years ago. Keep up the good work man

Funny as hell, I just got me a pair of raycons a few days ago. Spooky.

i was wondering what compelled the group to trust a stranger leading them somewhere despite many warnings beforehand, ie. the driver. Also they were so nice to him let alone try to risk their lives just to go back and forth down the pyramid despite the unknown danger may lie ahead. I mean I would only show such devotion like that if it was my significant other or a family member.

An underrated movie. Glad to see you spreading awareness.

I really think this movie deserves more credit. I can count on one hand the movies that made me hit pause to recover from what happened on screen, and this is one of them. Great work as always, Ryan 🥰💞

Bruh wheres the wailing analysis.

Man, I'm so thankful for the recommendation. This was a great watch (just finished it, now I'm gonna watch ur video)!

Your vids are cool, keep up the good work man.

12:27 sex hours of playtime? Gotta get me these

I remember seeing the one scene where they're in the actual temple and the corpse comes swinging out after they're lured by the flowers mimicing a ringing cellphone. I was 11 or 12 years old at the time and that shit traumatized me. There was a period following seeing that scene where I couldn't sleep without the lights on for several days and I was always afraid that the corpse and vines would start crawling out of my closet since it had no door and looked like a gaping cavern, similar to the inside of the temple in that movie. Even seeing the blurred scenes in your video has elicited a viscerally skincrawling feeling of disgust and distress within me, the fear of that fucking movie has stuck with me for nearly a decade. It's why I was afraid of kudzu plants because they looked so similar to that goddamn movie plant. God, I hate this movie, it scared the shit out of me. It preyed on my fear of parasites, of having something in my body. I love your videos though, this is an apt way to describe why this fucking movie is so good at traumatizing and scaring. I still feel viscerally uncomfortable.

So does anyone know what the mayans are actually saying in the movie by the way?

Its so funny. "Minimalism" is not a new concept? These guys present it like they discovered something which is very much a euro-centric/capitalist viewpoint? "I have 'founded' this concept." Meanwhile centuries of religious and community leaders have been talking about this stuff for forever.

@3:57 Ok, THAT should've been the end of the movie right there. The vines(still a plant) dragged an active flame into itself.

I was on the supermarket with my mom one time and this movie was being broadcasted on the TVs on the electronics section....it was right in the part where the blond girls goes nuts...it fucked me up real bad lol

Hey! I was just looking for a video to watch, thanks man!

The best remake of "Day of the Triffeds" yet. Seriously though: Even venus flytraps still need light to photosythasize. There would be no plants in the dark of the cavern. Also, if you don't have cell reception on top of a temple how could there possibly be any inside? This movie was a whole lot of dumb.

Underrated little movie. Most surprising thing to me was that the film managed to score way more sympathy-points than I had expected for the unfortunate characters - stuck on a hostile location where you're executed if you try to run, starving if you stay, forced to wait for the flesh-eating vines to devour you.

Fun Fact: This bleak horror movie was directed by none other than Ben Stiller, yes Mr. Zoolander helped get the rights and directed this depressing movie

Odd, I was just finding this under monster movies involving vegetation and suddenly this crops up!

The book: excellent character study. The film: excellent disappointment. The film really missed the mark as a poor adaptation to a phenomenal book. I think the book's older sibling is _The Shining_", both are examples where it's not the horror itself (the evil hotel or the nearly godlike florists nightmare) that is important here, but looking at how ppl deal w/ panic, guilt, and the futile attempt to gain some perceived control in the face of certain demise or insanity. In _The Ruins_, it's not really clear at all as to what the vine is and this was likely vague on purpose. Thus the focus is left on the intense psyches of the characters' to elicit readers' empathetic feelings of desperate hopelessness. (Probably a good thing too, as an evil hotel or this vine was really laughably ridiculous. ) However, with as artfully peripheral as it was, the ambiguity (or more ridiculous aspects that were presented) felt natural, as a way to move character arc along. Note: The mention of "sacrifice" was a passing musing of one of the characters in the book and not ever supported by any actual actions on the part of the captors. In fact, it was clear the villagers were doing all they could to try to steer the group away from the ruins, to the point that the ringleader was seen shedding tears when Amy overstepped into the vine's boundaries and the group now had to be quarantined until their deaths. It seems the film built more upon this explanation for the vine's sinister relationship w/ the villagers as a way to introduce intrigue to compensate for their painfully inferior and uninteresting character develpment. And the changes the film made with the conclusion really undermined the natural plot trajectory. In the book, each character died in a relatively appropriate way--no heroic or overly dramatic way, but deaths resulting from their own desperate or negligent actions.

"they don´t do stupid things" - ok, I was confused but now is clear he clearly is talking about a different movie than the one I watch

(never read the book, but from the movie i've theorized.) I'm not sure about the sacrificial part, but the fact that the ruin was surrounded by salt to prevent it from growing and they didn't shoot anyone unless it tried to escape, made me think that maybe they didn't want to kill anyone (no murders), unless it was to prevent the spread. And the reason they didn't walk on or up the ruins (apart from the obvious) was because it was harder to put salt there (it would just slide off the walls where the vine would grow), so they got stuck in a sort of limbo. Then one might think, what about flamethrowers?. well, the heat from the fire might cause the vine to mutate some kind of parachute or heat-balloon to fly over the salt-zone. and maybe that had already happened once and they stopped doing it. Just things i've been thinking about, again i never read the book so it might be explained there.