Turistas, Hostel, Hostel II...

Okay... So I rented Turistas last night. Its another in the American tourists visit the wrong town & get systematically murdered series. The only other I can think of right now is the two Hostel movies.
A strange thought occured to me...
In the 50s they used the cinema to allay peoples fears of atomic war, & power. They also used them to show how powerful America was against such threats, even aliens, both foreign & other-worldly...
You may recall these flicks: Them!, Forbidden Planet, War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Atomic Submarine, the original Godzilla, The Hills Have Eyes & sequel even (70s). They even continue into more recent years: The Night of the Comet, Twister, Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow, I, Robot...
Now, don't get me wrong, these were primarily entertainment. They simply used the fears of the day, & showed how fantastical & unlikely these threats truly were. We as humans enjoy being scared in the controlled environment of the cinema. I'm not going conspiracy theorist on you here. Hehe
It just kind of makes me curious about these films. What fears do they allay? Why would we be afraid of travel?
Bush has destroyed what shaky good-will we had with other nations. This is fact. Horrible atrocities happen everywhere, even here. Man's capacity for violence against one another is limitless... How far could our American spirit, often mixed with an astounding arrogance, push people of other nations?
I just kind of wonder if maybe there isn't still a little; 'Dont worry... Like this could really happen to you? That's crazy talk.'

Turistas, Hostel, Hostel II...