Once at the ruins, they are greeted by inhabitants of a nearby Mayan village. These men do not intend to let the group leave the grounds around the temple. Why? What is it about this place that even the bugs and birds do not land there?

The Ruins is a film that is best discovered, and not read about in a review, especially if you, like me, have not read the novel. There is a great deal of suspense and terror to be wrung out of this seemingly simple premise. To that end, I was reminded of Neil Marshall's The Descent. While the two films are vastly different in story, the level of suspense is comparable. Both of these films follow a rather simple premise, yet what they are able to achieve in the writing is fantastic. The characters feel more like real people and the situation is just believable enough to really get the audience wrapped up in what was going on. While The Ruins does not quite reach the heights of The Descent, the effort is commendable.

These characters are faced with something completely foreign and there does not appear to be an easy way out. There are decisions that have to be made that will directly affect their immediate future, one wrong step and it is all over.

Credit to first time feature director Carter Smith for delivering a film that is seriously creepy, superbly suspenseful, and deliciously bloody. This movie made me cringe, it had me on the edge of my seat, and made me wonder just what was going to happen, not to mention if anyone would actually survive. All of this was done in a quick-paced ninety minutes. No time is wasted in introducing the characters, getting them to the temple, and letting their panic set in. It looks great, with plenty of subtle, and not so subtle, movement, and inventive use of sound. Overall, I am interested in just what Smith may have in store for us next.

Even more credit goes to writer Scott B. Smith, adapting the screenplay from his own novel. While I have not read the book, I bet it is a good one based upon what made it to the screen. Smith's screenplay is hampered at times by some poor dialogue, yet still feels very real. Now, we can argue until we're blue in the face over whether or not these people make some stupid decisions, but the fact remains that they are in an insane situation and there is no way to predict how you would respond to it. This means that you may be right in saying they do stupid things, but you cannot say with any degree of certainty that you would not make dumber choices. It is a screenplay that has guts to do what it does, not to mention what it calls for to show.