Photo: impawards.comTURISTAS (2006)
Section of the cinematic cemetery: Vacay slasher for a twisted take on a greater good
Cause of (premature) death: This film was released in December 2006, while Hostel was released in January of the same year. Both featured a story of a group of young people travelling abroad get lured from their path by strangers, winding up in gruesome territory, fighting to escape. Pair that with a supposed poster quote from Fangoria dubbing Turistas “Better and scarier than Hostel,” not to mention poor reviews from mainstream critics, and you’ve got a recipe to repel Hostel fans. (P.S. Hostel and Turistas were filming at the same time.)
What its tombstone would read: A good time in Rio turned gory made for new definition of “escape”.
Why it should be revived: Not only is this a relatable, potentially possible scenario, founded on common somewhat-rational fears, but this film also presents a very warped view of ethics. I’m not talking about an ethical foundation like “I kill because people deserve it,” but rather, “I’m making a necessary sacrifice for the greater good of humanity.” It’s truly disturbing.
