Tapping into the same kind of backpacking paranoia/borderline xenophobia harnessed by the likes of Hostel and Wolf Creek, Paradise Lost sees an attractive bunch of Brits, Americans and an Aussie terrorised by locals in Brazil. After a bus crash, they wander into a mini-paradise of beach, booze and beautiful babes, only to be robbed and lead into the jungle - and the clutches of some very nasty people.
The heaven-before-hell scenes are enjoyable, recalling The Beach in their depiction of naïve partying tourists blissfully unaware of the dangers ahead. But horror fans may find the hell segment unusually short-lived – if undeniably gruesome. This is all about build-up and attempted escape, much of which takes place in and under water, true to Into The Blue director Stockwell’s style. Visually pleasing, then, but rarely terrifying.
