Oh, Please, No!

One of the summer movies that I have been looking forward is Hostel II. I am a fan of the first film and am so excited to see what the film has to offer this time. Being a horror freak that I am, s'ympre I wouldn't miss this one. It'd be a good follow-up to 28 Weeks Later which is one the best sequels I have seen, way better than the original even! Those running (and energetic) zombies are creepier than George Romero's lifeless (no pun intended) zombies.

However, there might be a possibility that Hostel II won't be shown here in the Philippines since it's director, Eli Roth, is pulling out the said film in American theaters. He has been dismayed with the pirated copies of the film that have been circulating (citing that even critics reviewed the film through pirated copies) and feels that releasing it on DVD soon would help recover his loss.

I am not sure if he really has pulled the movie out on theaters as of today and would not have it shown in other countries (UK showing is on June 29). But if this will happen, it would suck big time for horror fanatics like me! (Di ba, Egg and Don?) Like any other genre, it'd be less of an experience if we can't see a movie like this on theaters: less thrills, less creeps, less grossed-out feelings. Aaargh! Sana ipalabas na siya kaagad. As of now, wala pa siyang playdate.

Anyway, here is Eli's letter to fans re the pull out from his blog. (Although the said post is nowhere to be found on his blog anymore, so I'm thinking that he might have changed his mind already.)

Hey Everyone,

I'm in Paris, doing press for the French release of Hostel Part II, and tonight I'm off to Rome for the last leg of the press tour. After that I'm going to take a long overdue break, since I've gone from one film to the next without stopping, just to recharge my brain a bit.

I want to thank all of you for your kind e-mails and incredible support for the film. However, piracy has become worse than ever now, and a stolen workprint (with unfinished music, no sound effects, and no VFX) leaked out on line before the release, and is really hurting us, especially internationally. Piracy will be the death of the film industry, as it killed the music industry, and while it makes a smaller dent in huge movies like Spider Man 3, it really hurts films like mine, which have far less of an advertising and production budget. Not only that, critics have actually been REVIEWING the film based off the pirated copy, which is inexcusable. Some of these critics I have actually known for a few years, and while I wouldn't dignify them by mentioning them by name, I know who they are, as do the studios, and other filmmakers, and they will no longer have any access to any of my films.

What I'm saying is, this is your last chance to see one of my films for a while. If you haven't seen it, go now, because after next weekend the film will be gone from theaters. There are too many other summer movies coming in, so basically we get two weeks in cinemas, and then the film will live on DVD. I am not directing CELL any time soon, and I most likely will take the rest of the year to write my other projects. Which means I wouldn't shoot until the spring, and you wouldn't see a film directed by me in the cinemas until at least next fall. If everyone on my friends list went to see the film this weekend and brought a friend, it would make a huge difference. Bring a non-horror fan - try to convert them. It's the only way these films will live. But right now the R rated horror film is in serious jeopardy. Studios feel the public doesn't want them any more, and so they are only putting PG-13 films into production. The only way to counter this perception is to get out there and support R rated horror. It's the only message they'll hear. People love the movie, and even though it only cost $10 million dollars (as opposed to the other summer tentpoles which cost $300 million), and has already earned its money back, if it's not a massive money earner then they'll just continue to make the same PG-13 films everyone complained about a few years ago.

To counter piracy, fans can flood file sharing services with fake Hostel II downloads just so no one can ever actually get the movie, but the only thing that really makes a difference is supporting the movie in the theaters. Also - the theater OWNERS know this as well. If horror movies aren't bringing in customers, they're not going to program them. If we are going to send them a message, we have to do it with our wallets, and we have to do it now. I've done all I can to make a great film for the fans, as violent and bloody and fun as possible. The rest is up to you guys...

Thanks again for all your support,

Eli

So sana naman sa mga horror followers out there, 'wag maging atat at panoorin na kaagad ito sa pirata. Hintayin natin siya sa sinehan. Well, then, 'pag di na nga itinuloy, saka na lang kayo mag-pirata. Let's not give the pirates a chance to stop us from enjoying a "masterpiece" (hahaha!) such a this in theaters!

Horror freaks, unite! Awooooo! (My golly, "Awooo!" talaga? It's soooo '80s! Hahaha!)