The Historical Feminism of ‘Hostel: Part II’ [Murder Made Fiction Podcast]

In 2005, Eli Roth’s Hostel took the horror world by storm. This gritty film about American tourists who become the playthings of wealthy international sadists helped to ignite a wave of disturbing horror known as torture porn. Detractors take this admittedly reductive descriptor to dismiss the film as worthless exploitation, ignoring its admittedly messy social commentary. Roth’s follow up, Hostel: Part II can be interpreted as an attempt to address negative criticism while expanding the world of the Elite Hunting Club.

But by realigning the film to follow female protagonists, Roth creates an intensely feminist story and a brutal indictment of toxic masculinity while diving into history for villainous inspiration. The cinematic Mrs. Bathory (Monika Malácová) may occupy a single scene, but her candlelit blood bath has become the film’s most enduring image. This iconic sequence is drawn directly from legends about the real Countess Elizabeth Báthory, but does her disturbing legacy inform other elements of the film?

In the latest episode of Bloody FM’s Murder Made Fiction, Joe and Jenn discuss the historical connections, socio-political messages, and surprising restraint of what is arguably Roth’s most successful film.

And if you want even more Murder Made Fiction, be sure to check out the pod’s Patreon feed, where Jenn and Joe have ~60 hours of bonus content including full coverage of American Horror Story: Hotel, plus mini episodes on Stay Alive (2006), Bathory (2008), and Lady of Csejte (2015).

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