I bought this from the Troma Studio Store and got Actium Maximus: War of the Alien Dinosaurs as a free DVD screener, so I figured one of the movies is bound to be good. Now maybe the only reason I think The Ruining is decent is because it was far, far, FAR better than the horrible film Actium Maximus, or maybe The Ruining is just a decent horror film. Now yes, the film really doesn't make all that much sense, but I somehow found it to be fairly entertaining. The quality of the film is truly awful however, and in an introduction by Lloyd Kaufman, president of Troma Entertainment and the creator of the Toxic Avenger, he says how bad a lot of the footage was and how they tried to improve the quality, but it was bad. And that it was either no Ruining DVD, or a Ruining DVD with crappy quality. I guess you know which choice they chose. The first 20 minutes of the film has truly awful sound quality, and it looks like a 2 year old filmed it, but as the film goes on the quality improves and so does the film. It has some funny moments, like when a character shoots the truck and when a character is humping his best friend's wife. As the cover says, the "peanut butter scene" is pretty awesome and the best part of the film. Also, a young girl acting like a dog is kind of interesting...now, I am still not positive on the whole plot, like these people in this town are addicted to eggs or something. My advice, don't try to understand the film, just try to enjoy it, and don't watch with high expectations. It is not Toxic Avenger, but it is better than Actium Maximus and Psycho A Go-Go.
8 Reviews
A Self-Fulfilling Title
rhinocerosfive-13 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
You want to see a bad Troma movie - yeah, I said it - check out THE RUINING. Which really is. This movie manages to be all but unwatchable although it contains these elements:
* Wings Hauser, as himself, selling his own daughter (played by his wife) for drugs, then beating up a guy for mistaking him for David Hasselhof (I'm not making this up);
* a first-scene rape, sort of; then more later to make up for the "sort of"
* a hillbilly town addicted to chicken eggs that produce hallucinogenic visions;
* a girl who thinks she's a dog who bites off a guy's schlong;
* a cannibal farmer who stir-fries cockroaches;
* a guy who has his legs run over by his girlfriend and is then kept shackled in a coop with worms growing out of his face.
This movie ended several careers, though fortunately not Wings Hauser's, probably because he's only in that one scene. The picture has just a horrible production history - the upshot of which is that the only existing print is the very scratchy and occasionally time-coded workprint, because the other copies had been stolen, or burned, or otherwise mishandled.
It's a remarkably good example of why not to make your own movie (see also: John De Hart's ROAD TO REVENGE, aka GETEVEN, also starring Wings Hauser). Shot over a period of a couple of years, THE RUINING features a lead actor, who also of course wrote and directed the thing (see above), gaining about 50 pounds in between some shots. Chris Burgard admits he lost his L.A. privileges after this one. Check it out for a really bad time.
* Wings Hauser, as himself, selling his own daughter (played by his wife) for drugs, then beating up a guy for mistaking him for David Hasselhof (I'm not making this up);
* a first-scene rape, sort of; then more later to make up for the "sort of"
* a hillbilly town addicted to chicken eggs that produce hallucinogenic visions;
* a girl who thinks she's a dog who bites off a guy's schlong;
* a cannibal farmer who stir-fries cockroaches;
* a guy who has his legs run over by his girlfriend and is then kept shackled in a coop with worms growing out of his face.
This movie ended several careers, though fortunately not Wings Hauser's, probably because he's only in that one scene. The picture has just a horrible production history - the upshot of which is that the only existing print is the very scratchy and occasionally time-coded workprint, because the other copies had been stolen, or burned, or otherwise mishandled.
It's a remarkably good example of why not to make your own movie (see also: John De Hart's ROAD TO REVENGE, aka GETEVEN, also starring Wings Hauser). Shot over a period of a couple of years, THE RUINING features a lead actor, who also of course wrote and directed the thing (see above), gaining about 50 pounds in between some shots. Chris Burgard admits he lost his L.A. privileges after this one. Check it out for a really bad time.
An hour and a half I'll never get back
TheDash8821 January 2005
This film was truly horrific. As a fan of Patrick Warburton, I "Netflix-ed" it without high expectations, but to describe this schlock as sub-par would be exceedingly generous. The film appears to be have been filmed entirely with a cheap video camera someone picked up at Target. Every scene is dark -- and I would guess not intentionally. The plot is missing in action. The effects are far from special, and the monsters are no more scary than your average sock-puppet.
And, sadly for Warburton fans, his screen time is minuscule.
If you are a horror fan, or a B-horror fan, I think you'll find this film rates an F. My advice: take the hour and a half you were considering spending on this movie and invest it elsewhere.
My score: 1 out of 10.
And, sadly for Warburton fans, his screen time is minuscule.
If you are a horror fan, or a B-horror fan, I think you'll find this film rates an F. My advice: take the hour and a half you were considering spending on this movie and invest it elsewhere.
My score: 1 out of 10.
poor, poor Hauser
movieman_kev26 January 2009
After the offspring of an inbred redneck union of brother and sister is ditched in the fields of nowhere, a fellow God fearing redneck finds her and she grow up as a pet would. Twenty years later, a group of young adults on vacation in the mountains find that trouble is a brewing from the town folk hicks who are addicted to psychedelic eggs (which one of the gang partakes in) after an altercation in a strip-club. The film also boasts a cameo by the great Wings Hauser as Wings Hauser (DON'T call him Hasselhoff), don't get your hopes up as he's in it all of three minutes (if that)
Wow, this movie was extremely bad (even for a Troma film) not one character acted one iota resembling anything a normal person would act like. Without relating to any of them in any way, shape, or form, it made the hour and a half go by extremely slowly and i found myself looking at my watch on numerous occasions. I'm one of those people who HAVE to watch a movie till it's finish once I start it. On occasions such as this, that trait is quite the curse indeed. As for Mr. Hauser, well we all need money from time to time, so I won't hold it against him.....just this once.
My Grade: F
Eye Candy: Natalie Hays & Rachel Wagner both provide the T&A; an extra gets topless
Wow, this movie was extremely bad (even for a Troma film) not one character acted one iota resembling anything a normal person would act like. Without relating to any of them in any way, shape, or form, it made the hour and a half go by extremely slowly and i found myself looking at my watch on numerous occasions. I'm one of those people who HAVE to watch a movie till it's finish once I start it. On occasions such as this, that trait is quite the curse indeed. As for Mr. Hauser, well we all need money from time to time, so I won't hold it against him.....just this once.
My Grade: F
Eye Candy: Natalie Hays & Rachel Wagner both provide the T&A; an extra gets topless
This is not a movie
soapfumes5 March 2005
I've been a fan of Troma movies for quite some time, and usually enjoy their trashiness. But this one is not even a real movie. It has no coherent plot and literally seems to be an unfinished collection of random shots. The effects are horrible and the camera work appears to have been done by a bored toddler. There are random characters that just appear out of no where and just as soon take off. I honestly can not tell you what happened in the movie or who any of the characters were.
I rented this movie like many other Tromas expecting it to be bad and expecting to enjoy that badness, but it is just not possible to receive any enjoyment out of this movie. If you are of the same mindset as me, I beg you to please spare yourself!
I rented this movie like many other Tromas expecting it to be bad and expecting to enjoy that badness, but it is just not possible to receive any enjoyment out of this movie. If you are of the same mindset as me, I beg you to please spare yourself!
Another Troma bore
Leofwine_draca17 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
THE RUINING is another trashy indie flick put out by Troma. Apparently it's a film that was ten years in the making, but nine and three quarters of those years must have been spent sitting around and thinking, because there's no evidence of hard work or originality here. This cheapie is about two pairs of couples who enter a poisoned town to discover a psychopath in charge of the place, but there's lots of scene setting and very little in the way of incident. It's one of those films which is entirely unmemorable overall.
Awful
NickGagnon9425 March 2022
One word: Brilliant!!
Ton_O10 July 2006
Made over a period of no less than ten years under terrible circumstances and loaded with bad luck, this is one of the best horror films of the past decades. It has the intelligence of other recently made low-budget films and the atmosphere of the beautiful works we saw in the late seventies and early eighties. Due to a lot of rip-offs and other unforeseen bad luck (wonderfully explained in the extra's on the DVD) the only surviving print was the workprint, which wasn't in the best of shape, but weirdly enough the scratches and sometimes slightly incorrect colors only add to the atmosphere of this wonderful, shocking and entertaining piece of art. We can only thank Troma for deciding to give this masterpiece a release in spite of the technical imperfections rather that not releasing it at all. For anyone with an interest in the wonderful horror of decades ago and the sinister and disturbing look of serious terror this is one film not to miss!
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