There’s nothing like a good vacation gone awry film to make you forget about that time you were traveling and you missed your connecting flight…or when you vomited riding a train through the Andes (ah yes, my honeymoon is flashing back). Forget Chevy Chase and the Griswolds, movies like "An American Werewolf In London", "Wolf Creek", and "Hostel" will make any trip you’ve ever taken seem like an all expenses paid holiday at one of the world’s best five star resorts. The latest film in the vacation from hell sub-genre of horror is "Turistas".

Alex (Josh Duhamel) and Bea (Olivia Wilde) are a brother and sister traveling through Brazil with some other "gringos". When the bus they are traveling in veers off the road, they find themselves stranded on a beautiful beach surrounded by gorgeous people and lots of booze. The next day they wake up with more than a hangover, realizing they have been drugged and all of their possessions, including their passports and money, have been stolen. They make their way into the near-by town. Without any police to be found, they have a run in with the locals and rely on a local boy they befriended the night before who promises to take them to a safe hiding place in the jungle. When they arrive at the remote home, they fall prey to a crazed organ-snatching ring. The tourists are forced to take action against their captors in order to escape with their lives (and innards) intact.

Given that the movie follows so closely on the heels of the horror-phenomenon "Hostel", comparisons are inevitable. If you want to know what I think of Hostel, just take a look on the back of the DVD. As for "Turistas", let me just say that THIS MOVIE IS NO HOSTEL! Director John Stockwell seems to have made a career putting above-average looking actors in below-average films. I am actually a big fan of Stockwell, going back to his starring role in the Carpenter/King classic "Christine". He has had success with "Into the Blue" and "Blue Crush" and, like those films, he fills Turistas with hard-bodies in bathing suits with perfect tans and perfect teeth. By having the belongings of the characters stolen, he is able to keep the pretty actors in their bathing suits for most of the movie. Unfortunately if you scratch the glossy surface, there’s not much substance to the film.

"Turistas" brings nothing new to the genre. There are some shocking moments, and a few gruesome visuals, but the movie is sorely lacking in suspense. The film treads the same familiar waters as dozens of films and fails to deliver the shocks fans come to expect from survival-horror. The acting was solid, and the film looked great (not just the actors). But much like "Into the Blue" you will find yourself wanting more.