THE BREEDER * Germany / Switzerland 2011 96 mins
A too-late entry in the post-HOSTEL don’t-go-there torture movie sub-genre (with a strong dose of WOLF CREEK), this follows two American female backpackers in remote, picturesque Georgia. Their camping trip is so boring that they start making out at random moments (“If you’re gonna feel me up, do it right!”) but soon one of them is captured by a sub-Jigsaw sadist on a misguided mission to rid girls from sin. Gynaecological torture, water torture and dental torture await them, but this amateurish, leery bore-fest is a different kind of ordeal than the one its makers intended. Horrible acting and poorly staged cruelty are balanced with sometimes laugh out loud dialogue like “They’re doing something sick with Sophie!” (as our heroines try to convince the authorities) and “That Georgian fucker! He’s fucked up!” (an intelligent commentary on their spiralling situation).
Review by Steven West