At the same time that the marketing fails to set a fire, a simple plot description also doesn't inspire confidence: Six college kids on vacation in Mexico make the trek to the newly discovered ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Once there, they encounter flesh-eating plant life and a group of locals who quarantine them on the temple by using deadly force.

What that description fails to get across is the fact that the film doesn't include a single stereotype with any of the students. Where a lesser movie would have required the jock, the dumb blonde, the smart girl, the geek, etc., we are introduced and quickly asked to care for a group of characters that are just normal kids, each with strengths and weaknesses who act just like real people. Likewise, the locals who hold them captive at the temple don't take pleasure in their task. They are just dealing with a potentially calamitous situation as efficiently as possible. Where the stock in trade of many recent horror films that take place in a foreign country has been a healthy dose of xenophobia, here that theme is largely absent. It's a welcome change of pace from the usual foreigner as the sadistic bad guy routine.

But it's not just the presence of fully formed characters that makes this one stand out. The twists of the plot consistently take things in a darker and more desperate direction as one day turns into several. With seemingly every action the group takes in an attempt to survive, the unforeseen backfire always results in the situation becoming more and more desperate. As the accidents, bickering and encounters with the offending plants piles up, the tension rises to a nearly unbearable level. By the time the group is forced to perform homemade surgery on one of their own using nothing but a pocketknife, a rock and a hot skillet, it becomes obvious that the filmmakers are determined to offer something other than your average body count horror flick.

This positive reaction shouldn't come as a shock when you consider that the script is by Scott Smith (based on his novel). If you're unfamiliar with the name, his only other screenplay credit is the excellent thriller A Simple Plan. In that film he took a standard genre plot and elevated it into a heartbreaking family tragedy by investing the characters with a depth that is too often unseen in large studio projects. He takes the same path with The Ruins. At first glance, the characters all seem like the prototypical youths we are subjected to in modern horror films. But after the initial introduction, the standard tropes are dropped as each character is revealed to be more than a pretty face and a stock personality. When terrible things start to happen to them, it's almost impossible to watch because they have been established as such fully formed characters. It's a mean trick to play on an audience expecting nothing more than a brainless horror flick.

Credit also has to go to first-time feature director Carter Smith (no relation to Scott). He rejects the modern horror movie visuals of grainy, green and gray-tinted cinematography and fast cuts. He presents the film bathed in a natural looking light and uses long takes that allows the feeling of dread to build among the characters trapped in the frame. It's an unobtrusive style that never grabs for attention and lets the story and actors carry the film.

The cast is filled with familiar faces, all of whom deliver with performances that live up to the characters written for them. In particular, Jonathan Tucker (Hostage) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men) completely abandon their usual personas to great effect. Both actors have never particularly impressed before, but here they convincingly carry large parts of the film. It's also surprising to see Jena Malone (Saved) take on a supporting role that sees her play completely against type. A borderline alcoholic who easily seems the weakest of the group at the beginning, she is given the biggest arc in the film as she holds on to her sanity and ultimately proves just how strong she is.

There are a few missteps along the way. Most notable are a couple of unnecessary false jump scares that feel out of place with the more mature tone of the film. At least twice, a character commits one of those stupid horror movie mistakes that make you want to slap your forehead. And clocking it at barely ninety minutes, the film is a bit too short. This leads to the climax feeling a little rushed when it should have been milked for more suspense.

Even with the flaws, this is a good little film. It's a promising debut for its director and a grisly triumph as a piece of pure suspense. While it doesn't break any new ground in the genre, it's an efficient exercise in horror that will leave you stunned at the suffocating feeling of dread it achieves.