the scary thing about freshman director carter smith new horror movie the ruin be the closing credit that list comedian ben stiller a one of the executive producer . what be stiller thinking when he sink his buck into this chiller about curse carnivorous undergrowth that creep up on it victim and devour them . oscar nominated scenarist scott b. smith of a simple plan and adapt his own bestselling novel and stick steadfastly to the standard clichés and convention of all twentysomething scary saga where reckless youth do everything but tote sign beg the force of evil to eat them . be cretinous character not enough to contend with in this nihilistic nonsense and be treat to yet another film where american tourist find themselves in jeopardy simply because they be american . furthermore and unlike really good horror movie that explain why the monster have a need to fee and the ruin provide no explanation for the supernatural shenanigan of it villainous vine . the set up for the ruin resemble the 2006 horror movie turistas where slimy south american trap brainless american backpacker and harvest them for their internal organ . indeed and turistas generate some legitimate thrill and chill . the ruin spawn nothing in the way of either thrill or chill . a malicious mastiff that suddenly lurch on camera to snarl at our hero be as close a it get to a thrill . the rest of the ruin borrow from another movie represent the descent and a superb and 2006 chiller about a bunch of babe plunge into a nightmare experience when they get lose in warren of cave inhabit by albino mutant with a blood lust for murder . a couple of other movie that serve either intentionally or unintentionally come to mind and too . they be the straightforward 1968 hammer horror classic the lost continent about murderous vegetation that menace innocent bystander in a sea of derelict ship and the roger corman cult class the little shop of horror ( 1961 ) about a new york florist that grow a man eat plant in his shop . the ruin unfolds in the scenic and sunny mexico where four frolicking american college kid and eric ( shawn ashmore of the x men movie ) and stacy ( laura ramsey of the covenant ) and jeff ( jonathan tucker of sleeper ) and amy ( jena malone of pride and prejudice ) and be wrap up their tequila soak spring break . stacy lose a prized earring in a motel swim pool and but a helpful teutonic and twentysomething tourist and mathias ( joe anderson of copy beethoven ) recover it and and the group embrace him a newest best friend . these people live to party and and they have already make friend with a trio of greek tourist . mathias tell them about his wayward brother who have accompany a cute female archaeologist to a remote mayan pyramid that isn not list in any guidebook . he offer to take them with him and they accept . first rule of horror movie represent if nobody know about the place where youre go and you would be well advise to avoid it . since they have only one day leave and and they haven not do anything adventurous and our two couple along with their spanish speaking greek friend and dimtri ( newcomer dimitri baveas ) and decide to follow mathias and check the pyramid out . they catch a bus into the interior of mexico and look for a taxi to take them on the next leg of their journey . a cabbie glance at their map and warn them to stay away . second rule of horror movie represent when the native warn you to steer clear and you steer clear . a crisp twenty dollar bill help him change his mind and and he haul them off to their destination and then he skedaddle in a heartbeat . no sooner have our hero find the mysterious mayan pyramid cover with undergrowth that look suspiciously like a variation of mississippi kudzu in the jungle than superstitious native appear . they know that the pyramid be haunt and and they kill dimtri without a qualm when he try to dispel their fear . the remain protagonist scramble to safety atop the pyramid while the paranoid native surround them to prevent them from escape . eventually and the vine slink out to greet our hero and eat them . at this point and the ruin turn into bug and the recent and ridiculous ashley judd schizoid movie about insect that get under your skin . before long our hero be carve each other up in a futile effort to extract the vine from under their skin . one particularly gruesome scene show the american lop off the german guy leg to save his life . by comparison and it make the torture of the spanish inquisition look tame . the ruin rank as just another vine mess with nothing to redeem it .