Hot on the heels of James Wan’s “Saw” came writer-director Eli Roth’s contribution to the Cinema of Cruelty, in which two backpackers (Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson) traipsing across Europe get wind of an unlisted Slovakian hostel that’s apparently filled with gorgeous women just aching to have hot sex with American men. After a night of passion with two mysterious women with whom they share a room (Barbara Nedeljakova and Jana Kaderabkova), the hapless Yankees wake up to find their Icelandic traveling companion (Eythor Gudjonsson) missing; their subsequent investigation uncovers a secret society in which very rich (and very sick) people can pay for the anonymous fetishistic pleasure of torturing and murdering another human being. While Slovak officials were none too pleased with the film’s portrayal of their country as an underdeveloped, poor and uncultured land filled with amoral con men and prostitutes, “Hostel” ended up being a highly influential (and financially successful) installment in the “torture porn” horror subgenre – and a film notable for its raw, unflinching dedication to its own subversive scenario. A gruesome bit of trivia: Over 150 gallons of fake blood were used in the making of the film, roughly three times the amount that Roth used on his first feature, “Cabin Fever.” – IFC Staff
