The People We Don’t Meet on Vacation
By Avery Jay
Mia Goth as Gabi Bauer in Infinity Pool (2023)
The horror genre is full of lessons: don’t leave your doors unlocked, check under your bed, don’t descend into a dark, mysterious basement. For some with anxiety, like me, it offers a guidebook to staying out of danger. My own anxiety stretches into traveling because I watched too many vacation horror movies. Ones where characters are trapped in isolation and facing the unknown. Their boundaries are being tested by the people they met while on vacation. Sure, the idea of meeting new people during your travels has a romance to it. But we’re talking about horror — not the Emily Henry novel. So while the people we meet on vacation can be memorable, the people we don’t (and shouldn’t) meet on vacation are deadly.
CW | Influencer (2022) & Influencers (2025)
Cassandra Naud as CW in Influencer (2022)
If a solo-traveling woman with a chic bob and a hatred for men asks you to join her on an excursion to a remote island, DO NOT GO. She probably wants to kill you. CW was first introduced in Kurtis David Harder’s Influencer, which centers on Madison, a solo-traveller on a brand trip in Thailand. The real star is CW, whose full name remains a mystery until the sequel. Cassandra Naud plays this character with sensuality and mystery like that of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. Though her motives still remain unclear, she has a true repulsion for influencers. Her brown eyes, bisexual allure, and geographical knowledge make her trustworthy to those who are looking for help in their own travels. But if you keep your selfies to a minimum and you’ve mapped out your trip well, then you’ll be lucky enough to avoid her.
Amy | The Ruins (2008)
Jena Malone as Amy in The Ruins (2008)
If you’re looking for friends to join you on our excursion outside of the resort, do not ask the white Americans with a camera and no knowledge of the local culture or language. Mathias is technically the character that catapults the conflicts of The Ruins by inviting Amy and her friends with him to search for his missing brother. However, Amy’s behavior, once they’re at the titular ruins, ultimately backs them into a corner. Amy and her friends chose to pack elitism and nationalism with them to Mexico. They don’t even bother to learn basic Spanish for their trip. So, in the midst of complaining about “shit-water” and the dangerous parts of Mexico outside of the resort, they have no real means of communication with the locals they come into contact with. Though no real crime was committed by them, their willful ignorance leads them into the kind of danger that even their American nationality can’t save them from. Amy is simply the kind of white woman whose actions have a deadly domino effect.
Gabi & Alban Bauer | Infinity Pool (2023)
Mia Goth, Jalil Lespert, Cleopatra Coleman and Alexander Skarsgård in Infinity Pool (2023)
If a sexually fluid, dangerously wealthy couple approaches you at the resort because they “saw you from across the bar”, walk the other way. The Bauers’ wish to rope you into their life of privilege, hedonism, and sadism. Like the popular kids who peak in high school, they don’t exist in the ecosystem. They rule it. Their wealth gains them access to powers which infect the local populus. Families lose loved ones and resources because of their recklessness. But the Bauers, and their friends, don’t face consequences for their imperialistic actions. They only perpetuate crimes that locals must answer for. Don’t trust them with your off-site adventure. The resort has a tour guide for a reason.
Tucker | Dangerous Animals (2025)
Jai Courtney as Tucker in Dangerous Animals (2025)
If an Aussie shark enthusiast with tanned muscles and a gold earring hoop invites you onto his boat for a shark cage attraction, just stick to the boring tour boat instead. Tucker has a deep admiration for sharks. After surviving an attack himself, what he learned in the process changed his perspective on the species. He now uses that to his advantage. Shark movies have always villianized these fish, but Tucker is rewriting the narrative. He’s casting for his own shark movie where he’s the predator feeding his prey to the sharks. He exploits tourists looking to make memories and the carnivorous nature of sharks. So, if you can’t find any Yelp reviews, it’s because no one’s survived to leave a one-star.
When you’re traveling on vacation, the truth is that you’re vulnerable. Someone like Tucker is waiting to scam you. A stranger like CW is looking to steal your identity. A friend like Amy is too self-involved to keep your safety in mind. And people like the Bauers just want a new scapegoat for their international affairs. Vigilance is everything when you’re traveling. Though, it’s not often a trait to be found in horror. It’s just a lesson we take from the genre.
Avery Jay (she/they) copes with the horrors of the world through her love for horror in the media.
They're a journalist hunting down the best queer horror, a scholar tracking the history of Black horror, and a community organizer bringing diverse genre fans together in NYC and beyond. There's no such thing as a "bad movie" where Avery's concerned.
Her work has been published across entertainment publications: in print and online. They're the Horror Oracle: divining horror's mystique.