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The Subject of Torture: Regarding the Pain of Americans in Hostel
- Cinema Journal
- University of Texas Press
- 49, Number 4, Summer 2010
- pp. 1-24
- 10.1353/cj.2010.0013
- Article
- Additional Information
This essay analyzes the contemporary American horror film in the geopolitical context of the George W. Bush administration’s “war on terror,” with a particular focus on Eli Roth’s Hostel (2005). The essay argues that the film initially presents a critique of American aggression and cultural arrogance but ultimately justifies American violence in a manner resonant with the policies of the Bush administration.