at Guardian Unlimited</ref> David Edelstein of New York Magazine was equally negative, deriding director Roth with creating the horror subgenre "torture porn", or "gorno", using excessive violence to excite audiences like a sexual act. Jean-François Rauger, a film critic for Le Monde, a French newspaper, and programmer of the Cinémathèque Française, listed Hostel as the best American film of 2006, calling it an example of modern consumerism. Hostel'' won the 2006 Empire Award for Best Horror Film. Slovak reaction to setting The film's release was accompanied by strong complaints from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovak and Czech officials were both disgusted and outraged by the film's portrayal of their countries as undeveloped, poor, and uncultured lands suffering from high criminality, war, and prostitution, fearing it would "damage the good reputation of Slovakia" and make foreigners feel it was a dangerous place to be. The tourist board of Slovakia invited Roth on an all-expenses-paid trip to their country so he could see it is not made up of run-down factories, ghettos, and kids who kill for bubble gum. Tomáš Galbavý, a Slovak Member of Parliament from the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party, commented: "I am offended by this film. I think that all Slovaks should feel offended." Defending himself, Roth said the film was not meant to be offensive, arguing, "Americans do not even know that this country exists. My film is not a geographical work but aims to show Americans' ignorance of the world around them." Roth argued that despite The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, people still travel to Texas. References External links 2005 films 2005 horror films 2000s horror thriller films American horror thriller films 2000s English-language films Czech-language films 2000s German-language films Icelandic-language films 2000s Japanese-language films Dutch-language films 2000s Russian-language films Slovak-language films American films about revenge Films set in the Netherlands Films set in Slovakia Films shot in Germany Films shot in the Czech Republic American splatter films Screen Gems films Splatterpunk Lionsgate films Films directed by Eli Roth Films produced by Eli Roth Films produced by Quentin Tarantino Films with screenplays by Eli Roth Films scored by Nathan Barr Torture in films Films about human trafficking Obscenity controversies in film 2000s American films