Habitaciones para turistas (2004) Reviews

• Small Town Horror

  ElijahCSkuggs2008-08-09

  Story revolving around a gaggle of girls who are individually heading to Trinidad, Argentina. They all end up missing the train and are stuck in this little, weirdo, ultra religious town called San Ramon. Luck be true, a nice guy comes along and offers them a place to stay for the night until the next morning's train. And this is where sh!t hits the fan. I was told that Rooms for Tourists was a very scary film. One of the scariest in the past couple years. Not sure that's the case, because human villains don't scare me in the slightest, but I would agree to it being one of the best independent horror flicks in the past couple years. The film delivers some really nice gore effects, some nice atmosphere and camera-work. The camera-work especially when in the house is very well-done. They like to use lighting to only capture the girls, but everything around them is pitch black. It gives the film a nice feeling of that an unknown presence could be anywhere. The film didn't begin so hot, it was pretty amateurish with it's acting, but fortunately when the action began the girls became somewhat believable. My only problem with the girls later on was the screaming, sometimes too much is too much. Nevertheless the movie became pretty damn good in the final act and I really enjoyed the ending. One other minor fault is the predictability of the death order of girls. I had it all pegged out from the very beginning. Minus any faults, this film was a nice little (independent) treat of horror and I suggest any fan of foreign horror/slashers to give Rooms for Tourists a go.

  More

• Very good horror movie

  ultra_tippergore2008-01-19

  This foreign movie is a great example of a good horror movie without the millions of dollars that Hollywood use in their horrible flicks. First a Warning, this movie is in Spanish with English subs, and its in Black and white (looks like DV, not film but i don't know that for sure). If you cant stand subtitles or B&W, stay away from this. If you want to see a very good horror movie, get this from netflix now! A group of young girls are in a town in the middle of nowhere were all the inhabitants are religion-freaks. The massacre begins quickly. There are some Dario Argento inspired moments, like the nightmare sequences, that are really good and creepy. Also, there is a cool amount of blood and gore. 8/10

  More

• Great Little Film!

  denisealexisgarza2006-07-05

  I got the chance to met Adrián García Bogliano while he was presenting Habitaciones Para Turistas at the 2005 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival in Austin, TX. I had heard a lot of buzz about the film and I didn't know what to expect. I even told Adrián before the screening that I hated slasher films. Then I saw Habitaciones Para Turistas at a late night screening. I was glued to my seat! Everyone I spoke to after the film was shocked and surprised at how much they enjoyed the film. During the Q & A Adrián charmed the audience as well. Habitaciones Para Turistas was one of the most talked about films at the festival. No one is surprised that this film is getting distributed. I thought he did a great job! The film is certainly not perfect. You can definitely see the Argento influence, but the story was certainly new and different. I tell all my friends to see this film. Adrián García Bogliano is the future of the horror genre. I can't wait to see more of Adrián's work in the future.

  More

• Shocking and disturbing with a smart twist

  jcsanchezperez2006-05-24

  This is not just the classic slasher film. It's something more. A lot more. Usually, you don't have the chance to watch an horror movie where the victims and the murderer(s) have real motivation to do what they do. This is not the case. In "Rooms for tourists" there's a twist, one of those twists that leaves you thinking: "Awesome". This is the reversal of the typical film from Argentina. It shows an Argentina where not too many tourists would like to go. I had the chance to get this at one screening in Madrid and i was wondering how doesn't anybody comment this film before. Of course, it's low budget and even Black and white but i'm sure it'll blow your mind.

  More

• Brilliant!!

  treintayseispasos2006-06-09

  Being as this argentinean slasher was just released on DVD, I maybe should have posted in the DVD forum. However i wanted a slightly bigger forum to praise this hidden gem. I'm not sure how many of you have heard of "rooms for tourists" but it's basically a very low budget argentiean version of "hostel" with 5 girls trapped in a hostel while waiting for a bus. I don't want to give anything away but Naturally there are some psychos around to do some bloody work here. This is surprisingly well done for the obviously small budget the picture was alloted. With very good gore effects that won't let any gore hound down.Filmed in black and white helps hide the low budget feel. But I have to say, director Adrian Bogliano could teach Eli Roth a few things about suspense and style. This is everything "hostel" should have been. While not completely original and hit and miss on scares, you can't help but appreciate a slasher that has style and actually contains characters you like and care about what happens to them. I hope Bogliano stays with the genre and can get some better funds for his next movie. This is definitely a movie any slasher fans should check out especially those who felt burned or even slightly disappointed with "hostel".

  More