Roth Against Men

Torture porn is known to tend to display an overt interest in the vulnerability of the human body and the theatricality of its mutilation. Yet what makes a film like Hostel stand out compared to the other sadistic films of this genre like Wolf Creek or The Devil’s Rejects is that the killers are much more average guys. In The New Yorker, David Edelstein points out that the viewer, as potential victims, we fear serial killers, yet we also seek to identify with their power. We fear the killers but are amazed by how relatable they are and fit into the narrative.

In her book Men, Women, and Chain Saws, Carol Clover argues that many slasher films are empowering; the “final girl” always slays the monster. But Hostel ends with bloody retribution, it’s set in a world in which people pay big money for the opportunity to torture and murder, a world of latent serial killers. Which fits so well into the victims too. They came to Europe to have their fill and pillage it for a good time. Entitlement breeds consequences, fitting that the main murderer and Paxton, the “final boy,” each are surprised and awakened to their hopes for pleasure. The final boy is not innocent himself, especially if you think of Roth’s intended ending.