Cast: Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Laura Ramsey, Joe Anderson Dir: Carter Smith Rating: 3/5

The Ruins is just the latest horror movie to hit screens this year but hold onto your skepticism just for a moment as this one is actually quite good.

Bright sun, warm waters and sandy beaches beckon countless Americans every year, particularly young adults seeking inexpensive fun.

And enjoying their surroundings are Amy (Jena Malone) and Stacy (Laura Ramsey), two best friends who bring along their very different boyfriends -- focused med student Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and free-spirited partier Eric (Shawn Ashmore).

As the group's vacation nears its end, they journey into the lush Mexican jungle in hopes of seeing some ancient Mayan ruins.

But when they arrive at the magnificent site, an unexpected event drives the frightened travellers to the top of the crumbling stone structure, where they confront hidden deadly horrors and engage in a brutal battle for survival.

Yeah alright the idea of killer plants may be a little far-fetched for even the more dedicated fans of this genre but it's the effect that the situation has upon the cast that's the most interesting and creates the hide you head in a pillow moments.

Jonathan Tucker leads this cast well and is unfortunately the only interesting member of the cast as Jeff, a medical student, who takes control of the situation and tries to protect girlfriend Amy (Malone) and friends Stacey (Ramsey), Eric (Ashmore) and traveller Mathias (Anderson).

And if guts and gore are your thing then this is right up your street with amputations and self mutilation which makes for slightly uncomfortable viewing, however director Carter doesn't go over the top.

Instead of grossing the audience out from beginning to end the director instead cranks up the tension and shows splits within the group and they get caught by fear.

If you are willing to set beside disbelief, the plot is a little far fetched, then this really does work Carter has made a good job, it's visually perfect and inside the ruins it's very claustrophobic that just adds to the tension.

However it's major downfall is Tucker is the only interesting character that the audience can latch onto the others do very little which is such a shame.

The Ruins is out now

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw