Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
The episode discusses the 2008 horror film The Ruins, which has recently been added to Netflix and deserves renewed appreciation during the Halloween season. Directed by Carter Smith and adapted from his brother Scott Smith's novel, the film transforms the seemingly campy concept of a killer vine into a genuinely disturbing survival nightmare. The narrative follows a group of tourists visiting ancient Mayan ruins who become infected by a hostile plant that burrows beneath their skin, driving them to horrific acts of self-mutilation. Unlike traditional slashers, the film relies on a faceless, logical-defying threat set entirely in broad daylight to heighten both the physical and psychological terror. Ultimately, the article argues that the movie was ahead of its time in pioneering modern body horror tropes and deserves recognition alongside contemporary genre hits.
