Interesting take on the old "off the beaten track" horror film

Rating: 7/10 (23 August 2006)

Eli Roth enjoys his homophobia- it was there in Cabin Fever too. You can have a character bleating on about being a human who doesn't eat dead things, but he's not afraid to throw out the odd "faggot" I swear it's like the return of 80s machismo, except no one really missed it. And it's a shame because it's a distraction. More than that, it makes his characters pretty difficult to feel for. I guess he makes up for it by implying Josh, one of the more likable of the 3 main protagonists, could well be gay himself. It adds a dimension to the homophobia that was lacking in Cabin Fever- though Roth really doesn't follow through beyond vague implication.
The film is effective in building tension and is for the most part engrossing. But it really is nothing new, and certainly not worthy of the hype. Yes it's gory, but the gore is for the most part cartoony in nature. Dismembered body parts aplenty, but these don't guarantee fear or tension and perhaps for this reason I honestly didn't find it too disturbing. Besides, lets face it, we've seen it all before in Saw.
But if you want to spend a couple of hours enjoying a slightly America-centric (bad eastern europeans will do anything for money, unlike wholesome vegetarian American backpackers who just want to get laid and see the world), take on the old theme of "in danger and off the beaten track" film it's a worthy choice.