If American horror in the ’90s was defined by the slick, commercial thrills of Scream and the films it influenced, then the genre took a darker turn in the 2000s. A sub-genre emerged that was given the name “torture-porn”. This was a label that many filmmakers and fans hated, but nevertheless indicated a focus on nastier and more violent types of horror than what audiences had been enjoying in the previous decade.
While the Saw movies were the most successful horror films to emerge at this time, it was Eli Roth’s Hostel that best defines this era of gory movie-making. Hostel was the film that the “torture-porn” label was first applied to, in David Edelstein’s New York Magazine article “Now Playing at Your Local Multiplex: Torture Porn.” Despite this–or more likely, because of it–Hostel was a big hit when it arrived in theaters in January 2006.
Roth’s movie focused on a trio of young backpackers–two American, one Icelandic–who head to Slovakia in search of good time with the local girls they have been told about. But soon after arriving they are kidnapped by a sinister underground organisation that allows rich businessmen to torture and kill for high prices. Gory mayhem inevitably ensues.
While Hostel wasn’t exactly met with rave reviews, its combination of dark satire, nightmarish survival horror, and over-the-top splatter was highly effective. Roth skillfully builds tension and delivers the gore with glee. Just mention “the eye scene” or “the ankle bit” to many horror fans and they will know exactly what you mean, even if they haven’t watched the movie in years.
Hostel turns 15 this month. It remains a defining horror movie of the 2000s, and despite a varied subsequent filmography, it’s still the movie that Roth is best known for. It can be watched right now for free on Peacock, so we’ve gone back to this gory favorite and found some of the references, Easter Eggs, and behind-the-scenes facts you didn’t know.
