After his debut horror flick Cabin Fever, writer/director Eli Roth got the green light for Hostel. This tale of US backpackers checking into a killing zone got a mixed reception from critics, some lauding its nightmarish qualities while others found it "puerile". It certainly struck a cord with American moviegoers, reflected by a $47m gross which more than doubled the take of Cabin Fever.

Hostel Meets Hustler

A three-part behind-the-scenes documentary is definitely in keeping with the tone of the film. The anarchy begins with Roth complaining about the weak flush of a Czechoslovakian toilet and shows us the contents of said toilet bowl as evidence... This is followed by a few brief notes on storyboarding, production design and casting before we get to shooting on location. Then, when asked about the experience of making a Hollywood film, supporting player Lubomir Bukovy says, "I like it because everything is as it should be." Cue shots of naked women bouncing around the set as if they're filled with helium (on top of the collagen). And if that's not offensive enough, Roth accuses Slovakian children of being so poor and badly behaved that they actually "kill for chewing gum."

In case you're left in any doubt about Roth's propensity for being a bit of a big mouth, the commentaries menu will confirm it. He hosts not one, not two, but four tracks! Yes, the man loves to talk and much of it makes our flesh creep. We believe him when he says that he auditioned 75 naked girls in two days in a Prague motel room and felt forced to take off his shirt because of the lack of air conditioning... Thankfully there is some more edifying conversation between tales from the casting couch. In one of the tracks, producer Quentin Tarantino gives us a little background on the project. Apparently it was he who convinced Roth to continue writing his own films after the success of Cabin Fever (instead of taking scripts that were offered to him). Tarantino also insists that this film is better than most horror flicks, because "it's a genuine story that unfolds" as opposed to "a situation movie" full of repetitive action.

Cut, Slash, Hack!

Acclaimed editor George Folsey Jr echoes Tarantino's sentiment in another commentary as well as talking about the ways in which he tried to ratchet up the tension for the killing scenes. There's more interesting production trivia in the commentary with producer Chris Briggs and Roth's brother Gabe who shot all of the behind-the-scenes material. For instance, Briggs tells of manic rewrites on many a night before scenes were due to be shot;"We were always sensitive to the fact of getting to know these main characters," he says, "so we played with some stuff." Actors Barbara Nedeljakova, Eythor Gudjonsson and web critic Harry Knowles (who brainstormed the film with Roth) also pop up for comment.

Further indications of the demise of western civilisation can be found in the Kill The Car! multi-angle feature. You can choose to view the destruction of a car (towards the end of the film) from three angles, and Roth asks you to pay particular attention to one of the kids who hurls a real brick and almost decapitates one of the actors. "It was awesome!" he enthuses. (We're guessing the assaulted actor doesn't remember the incident quite so fondly, if indeed he remembers it at all.)

Dirty, debauched and downright depraved; we recommend this DVD, if only to keep you off the streets...

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