How the horror film "Hostel" and its fake Bratislava enraged Slovaks 20 years ago

The American horror film "Hostel," directed by Eli Roth and released two decades ago, still sparks controversy over its portrayal of Slovakia — a country the film crew never actually filmed in, shooting every scene in the Czech Republic instead.

The plot echoes the 2004 comedy "EuroTrip," only with a bloody twist. The main characters — American students Paxton and Josh (Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson) — along with their Icelandic friend Ólí (Eythor Gudjonsson) — are backpacking through Europe. After a stop in Amsterdam's red-light district, they take the advice of a stranger and head to Bratislava instead of Barcelona, lured by promises of an abundance of beautiful women.

A trap for naive tourists

The young men have no idea they're walking straight into the hands of an underground organization that supplies wealthy clients with tourists to torture and kill. Among the clients is a Dutch businessman, played by Jan Vlasák.

Notably, viewers never actually see the real Slovakia on screen. The characters arrive by train at a station in Poříčany, in Central Bohemia, then take a taxi to "Bratislava" — which is in fact the narrow streets of the famous Český Krumlov.

Stereotypes and outraged Slovaks

The film's version of "Slovakia" looks as though it's been frozen in time for decades: crumbling buildings, abandoned cars, and a local bar blasting hits by the band Tublatanka alongside songs by Michal David and Marika Gombitová. The heroes are chased by a group of Roma children who, oddly enough, demand not money but chewing gum, with their memorable line "gimme gum."

The idea for the film came from Eli Roth's friend and admirer — the celebrated director Quentin Tarantino. The inspiration was reportedly a Thai website where, supposedly, one could pay ten thousand dollars for the right to shoot someone in the head. Roth, however, deliberately relocated the story from Asia to Central Europe.

Twenty years ago, the director explained his choice this way, taking a jab at his fellow Americans: "Americans don't even know Slovakia exists. They don't travel — only twelve percent of them even have a passport — yet they're convinced the world belongs to them. When I told them I was going to shoot a film in Prague, they said, 'Oh, Czechoslovakia, better bring your own toilet paper.'"

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz