PARADISE LOST

"They've taken everything"

Backpacking through Brazil, Alex (Duhamel) has been asked by his parents to look after his sister Bea (Wilde) and her friend Amy (Garrett) as they travel around the country. When their bus breaks down, the trio and some fellow travellers they met wait for next one at a local beach bar. As they party all night, they wake the following morning to discover they have been robbed but when they confront Kiko (Steib), the local they were partying with the night before, he says he can take them to the place where their things are but this is a place they might never leave.

Young people travelling around the world seem to be fair game for murderers at the box office at the moment but can 'Paradise Lost' do enough to make you want to stay at home?

After the success of Eli Roth's 'Hostel', American backpackers have become the new victims for the wannabe surgeons around the world. Now instead of Eastern European's grabbing them to be operated on by the murderous rich with a craving for blood, their organs are wanted for the black market as rich westerners pay to jump the waiting lists. While these premises are very similar, the execution here is far better.

Unlike Roth's paltry effort, 'Paradise Lost' spends time endearing you to the characters, making you care about their survival. Josh Duhamel's Alex, Melissa George's Australian Pru, Olivia Wilde's Bea, Beau Garrett's Amy, Max Brown's Liam and even the annoying Desmond Askew's Finn all have something to make you hope that they survive and because none of them are really big stars, all of them could meet a very nasty end. The characters they play are also more realistic in their portrayal anything seen in an Eastern European Hostel.

As with all films of this ilk, the key to its success is the shock element of the operation scenes and 'Paradise Lost' is certainly not one for the squeamish. The removal of the victims organs by the Brazilian doctor are extremely graphic and very sickening but this is the shock element of this type of movie and the film really delivers for horror fans. There may not be anything new here but director John Stockwell and creative team do their best to shock and push the gore as far as it can realistically go.

While 'Paradise Lost' might not be the most original horror movie but it will have you quivering in fright. If done well, this type of movie can provide genuine scares because unlike anything supernatural, this could actually happen and plays on the fear of anyone who is considering travelling around the world. Gore filled and with an excellent quota of blood and screams, this is an enjoyable horror thriller.

Not Available

Hostel

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2007