HULK SMASH!

wow. it's been a long time. i felt inclined to post this because i've been a long time defender of eli roth and his work.

i'm bitterly disappointed with this film, though. the extremely entertaining second half does not make up for the incredibly juvenile first half that is filled with relentless bigotry and misogyny. you'd be hard pressed to find any words in the film used more than "pussy", "fag", and "gay". add that in with some surprisingly terrible direction (if cabin fever was anything, it was artistically accomplished), average acting, and a general been there, done that feel to the whole thing (the scene with the girl with one eye and the train station is almost directly lifted from the great asian film suicide club), and you're left with a huge letdown of a film. the hype surrounding the amount of gore is unwarranted, too. the cameo of director takashii miike is just a reminder of exactly how tame this film is in comparison to the films it's striving to be.

Wow, makeshift. Long time.

The first half, in terms of dialogue, didn't bother me at all because that's how just about how everyone I know talks. There's a scene where Josh and Paxton are walking around the city (I think it's the bit where the out of nowhere drowning story comes into play), and their dialogue with each other is almost exactly how I talk with my best friend. I don't tend to use "pussy," "gay," or "fag," but he does.

I like the retribution section of the film, but wasn't it funny that EVERY PERSON INVOLVED IS STANDING RIGHT IN THE FUCKING STREET HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH EACH OTHER?



The film was as intense as The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.

At least Saw has an interesting story that put many people on the edge of their seats. I was bored with Hostel until the end and I wouldn't say that I was on the edge of my seat for the ending either.

Possibly one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. The very fact that some people proclaim this to be "good" or "entertaining" is the epitome of what is wrong with society. The violence is so gruesome, so disgusting, so gharish that it really is not something that can be justified as remotely entertaining.

It not only does not have a point to the film other then the mindless exploitation of endless amounts of gore, but it fails to even provide a reasonable follow through. For a film that tries so hard to be utterly realistic, it has far too many plot holes to be taken seriously.

And then there is the gore. It is so overblown, so gratituous, so utterly mindless that is probably one of the worst uses of violence and gore ever put on screen.

Unlike Saw which at least had somewhat of a social context, "How far would you go to save your life", this film is completely lacking. It is gore for the sake of gore. Nothing more.

In the end, Hostel is probably one of the worst films ever produced in the history of cinema. It is neither enjoyable nor even endurable. It is a film, that if one has any remaining shred of humanity, will be seen as utterly repulsive to the viewer. A film that I cannot and will not recommend to anyone. Ever.

No Grade

Why did you see it?

I thought it would be good.

After a night of reflecting on it, its impact wasn't as bad as my initial shock.

I guess my biggest problem is that there wasn't a point to the gore, it was just violent and gharish for no reason.

I was born in the 70's. I began watching horror films at about the age of 8. Of course horror films are scary when you are that young, no matter what they are. But then I grew up and began watching those same films over again, and to an extent, they were still scary. Those were the films from the 70's and early 80's. Leatherface will always incite that incessant trepidation in me. How can he not? Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the all time greats and I don't really think another film can duplicate the raw intensity of that film. There were others of course, and anyone who knows me even slightly knows that Last House on the Left is what I consider to be the most disturbing film ever made. Horror films, the good ones that is, can affect you in ways that other films can't. They get inside you. Hostel does that. It is a nightmarish film that takes a grim look at the underbelly of society. There is no other way to put it. This film is scary because of what happens in it but it is even scarier because what happens could be true.

Like any typical horror film, everything is great in the beginning. Josh and Paxton and their Icelandic nomad are in Europe seeking out all the best parties and the best women. They are in heaven at first as the women and drugs and parties are as abundant as they first heard. And then they meet another man their age who tells about a city in Slovakia where the women are better than you could imagine. Our three adventure seekers are off the Slovakia and upon entering the hostel, they meet two half naked woemn in their shared quarters. Clubs, drinking, drugs and sex ensues. This is paradise. What could be better?

Up until now the pacing of the film is fast and furious. There is enough character developement and eye candy to please those waiting for the horror. And the horror is never far off. The interesting thing about a film like this is that even though the naked women and the bongs and the festive atmosphere is abundant to the viewer, there is always that pernicious overtone, that feeling that something isn't quite right. You can attribute that to knowing what's coming up or to the fact that the marketing for this film, including the trailer is very effective. For me, I knew this happy atmosphere that the boys were a part of was going to end, and that scared me. One friend goes missing and then the plot gets twisted. He doesn't leave them a message as to where he's going, who he's with or an explanation as to why he left. The two boys are leery of this but decide to stay in the hostel one more night to have a bit more fun. Big mistake.

By now the film had me intrigued. And when the torure scenes finally happen, although the gore wasn't as graphic as I expected, the situations that are presented and how everything transpires is enough to scare the hell out of you. What is bothersome is that these situations, while ostensibly fictional, are in fact completely realistic and utterly possible. Just like Last House on the Left had three would be regular people doing heinous things to two innocent teenage girls, this film is almost more macabre in the sense that it explores an element to the human psyche that enjoys the kill. It seeks the thrill of inflicting pain. The scariest thing about this is the notion there are people that are so sick, so depraved and so inhumane that they actually have to pay to inflict bodily harm to others. Far fetched? Hardly.

Eli Roth is imaginative. He is a visionary and he is adept at exploring the darker side of humanity. Cabin Fever was a great horror film, a little off the wall, but quite disturbing. Hostel is a work of art, it is as close to the 70's style of guts on the wall horror as you can get in today's horror climate. I was terrified watching the film and at the end by the end of the film, when you are screaming for revenge, Roth even gives you what you want. Hostel is a brilliant film.

10/10 A truly terrifying masterpiece.

Why?! Why did I not heed my friends' warning?! "It's a waste of money. It's completely stupid." Their warnings gave no justice for the trash I was about to experience. I wasn't expecting art. After reading the comments here, and just the genre expectations in general, I was not expecting anything remotely close to Oscar calibre. I was expecting 40 minutes of softcore porn, followed by another 40 minutes of intense gore. Neither were lived up to. The beginning did a decent job at setting up the characters. Once the gore started, there were maybe two intense parts. Not enough to justify $7. I wouldn't mind a movie filled with gore and torture for the sake of gore and torture, as long as it's satisfying. There wasn't enough to satisfy. And the ending? Perhaps the single most anti-climactic ending in the history of life, the universe, and everything. Believable performances and intersting music though.

Do yourself a favor and save your money. Go watch someone pee on themselves for twenty minutes. It's the same mindlessness, but at leats it didn't waste another hour of your life.

Hostel

I left this movie very bewildered. This movie was weird and quiet enjoyable at the same time. The first half of the movie is pure softcore porn to the point that it was just ridiculous. The acting was great and the scenes were gruesome, especially the eye scene! However, I felt that they could have easily gone more gruesome with the death of the blonde backpacker. The ending seemed a bit rushed, but that car scene was easily one of my favourite death scenes in a movie Really sympathized with the character, and I could easily have seen myself doing that, or wanting too anyways I thought he was going to run over the kids, and that (while being disturbing) would have really made the movie original

Great Scary Movie, but it certainly is not Saw status.

7/10

Caught this picture last night...very good and gross, 8/10
full review later

I was pleasantly surprised by Hostel. Unlike the marketing depicted, it wasn't just a bit long snuff fest. I mean really guys, who WANTS to see people get tortured for two hours? Yeah, it could've definitely been gorier, but I really liked how the film played out. Also, what's so offensive about the main characters? Other then the reaction to that German guy grabbing the dude's leg, which wasn't too far off from how 95% of people I know would react, I didn't catch anything the leads did that was so evil and fucked up of them. They all seemed like good guys to me. Anyways, even if it was much more of a thriller then a horror, I was definitely impressed, although I think I slightly prefer Cabin Fever to this. B

If your goal is truly to discourage people from seeing the movie Hostel, you probably couldn't have come up with a more counter-productive campaign. Horror fans read your sig as high praise for the genre. Curious outsiders read it as a challenge. I'm certain that you have increased the number of people who have seen Hostel, because of your admonition...

Ok, I saw this on Thursday. I have to say its miles ahead of the SAW franchise, mainly because of Eli Roth. I was one of a few people who enjoyed CABIN FEVER, and I can see he is going to have a long career as a horror director, and more power to him.

However i have a few dilemmas, none of which involve the first hour. If you didn't like the first hour, then you don't understand the point of horror films. My major quarrey is that the ending lacks a decent payoff, I was expecting something far more sadistic, yet all Paxton does is drown the bastard in his own shit. The other conundrum is how poorly Slovakia is depicted. I also detest the fact that the film is advertised 'based on true events', because none of that has never happened in Slovakia. Having QT's name on it should of been enough.

As for the torture scenes, i was in heaven. Thats the shit you pay for, you stupid SAW cowards.

B

well, i was expecting more torture and a lot more gross stuff.... which i didnt find it gross at all, just another "horror" movie. The marketing was very misleading but thats not the reason i didnt like it.

Lets see.... first of all it was very bad, couldnt been more pointless, the story wasnt interesting at all, the dialogue was shitty crap and this one has one of the worst endings ive ever seen in my life!. It wasnt "intense" at all nor exciting. The only thing "good" i saw was the gore i guess.

Was it really that porno like at the beginning?!?... i just saw three girls showing there boobs and having sex with guys and plus you didnt see anything at all, you see that in R-rated horror movies you now?! thats nothing new.

D+

BTW, i think you are overreacting Jeff, i understand what you are trying to say but the movie was so bad it was laughable you shouldnt take it to seriously. im pretty sure there are far more gruesome and disgusting movies out there than this one

B


Hostel must be one of the most unsettling films I have seen in a while, but it is loaded with several problems and one things that, to be honest, bothers me a bit. I will get to that one right away. I think all of you know that I am not squeamish and that I enjoy my blood 'n gore in horror movies. However, it really bothered me a bit in this film because it honestly seemed like the movie just took its pleasure of showing torture. Now they certainly did succeed in making the torture scene look realistic and disturbing. It was not overly violent per se, I have certainly seen movies with way more blood and guts content. However, alone the idea of the whole torture in the film and the way it was depicted is quite sickening. My problem was that a lot of it seemed...gratuitous. Now I don't mind gratuitous gore in films like Final Destination or Freddy vs. Jason at all. But in this film, it seemed like the filmmakers were making a porn film in which sex was replaced with torture. It's like "the more violent torture, the better". This is probably the first film where I had such a reaction, but I feel that it is different from the Saw films for instance in which the violence is used better in the plot context and is not as dehumanizing as in this film. The viewer was supposed to derive pleasure from watching torture.

Having said that, it does succeed as a horror movie because it does what it sets out to do - it horrifies. It certainly shows the middle finger to the PG-13 rated horror nowadays. The violence in the film is not as present as it was hinted at in the trailers, but the psychological torture effect is strong nand the violence that you do see is still pretty harsh. The most brutal bit is probably the guy cutting off the Japanese chick's eye. Now that made even me cringe a little.

The plot of the film itself is rather irrelevant. I don't understand the comments of people who compare the first half of the film to a softcore porno. They must have never seen one, heh. It had gratuitous nudity, indeed, but it was nothing like a porn film, not even close. There is some nice humor in the film too. Despite the long beginning of the film, I still didn't feel that the characters were set up well. To be honest, none of the main three characters was in particular likeable. The only reason I was rooting for them is because the villains were obviously so unlikable.

Once the action gets going, the film gets pretty tense. As I mentioned above, the torrute scenes seem pretty realistic, gritty and harsh. The location where it all takes place is a very fitting setting. The use of music in the film is pretty good too. Paxton's escape is admittedly quite unrealistic with his tortuer slipping on his vomit and all, but then again, otherwise I don't see a chance how he could have excaped. From the moment he starts his escape up until the very end, my eyes were glued to the screen. Some things like the insane street kids gang beating the gangsters to death and all the two girls standing together with Alexei in the street just to be rolled over were rather ridiculous, but added to the fun of the film. The film certainly relies a lot on coincidence, a whole lot actually, but that's what happens in most horror films anyway. Among those coincidences are the three bad guys standing in the street right where Paxton passes, the Dutch businessman being on the same train, Paxton's escape etc. I kust say, though, that Paxton's revenge at the end was quite sweet and understandable too. Certainly a corwd pleaser, that scene.

The last, but not least, Takashi Miike's cameo seemed a bit forced, but it was very cool nonetheless. On the whole, the movie was a gritty and harsh, albeit somewhat unrealistic experience that just seems to derive a bit too much pleasure out of its torture theme. But it IS a true horror movie.

Completely shocked by this.

I was expecting this to be great, and thought i would really enjoy it. I was expecting it to be unwatchable and disturbing.
After wading through the first hour of nothingness, i realised, i didn't care if any of the characters dropped off the planet in the next minute. I didn't care for anyone in this film.
Then when it EVENTUALLY got to the torture scenes (after an overlong, dreary, boring, pointless "build up") i felt "So what?" and "Big deal". There were 2 gross bits...TWO....in a film about torture.

Eli Roth loses again, Cabin Fever & Hostel, two of the most overhyped, ridiculously boring letdowns.
Utterly dissapointed, and annoyed that i was ever, ever hyped.
Dreadfully overhyped.

D-

I watched the Unrated DVD today. I've not seen the R rating cut, and after watching this, I don't plan on watching that cut, ever.

I'm not a big fan of horror films, but I respect the classics and once and awhile a horror film comes along that I do enjoy, such as Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Saw II. That saying, Hostel is a fantastic horror film and fantastic is not a word I just throw around, especially when it comes to horror films. Hostel is gleeful when it comes to the sex and the violence and there is plenty of both.

Also for anyone who has only seen the film once, it's good to go back and watch the film build up from the beginning. The plot does a very good job at unwinding itself and unfolding at the end.

As for the ending, I really liked it. I would've been extremely depressed if it didn't end this way. And to the film's credit, it turns into a nice revenge story in the last 20 minutes.

Great film.

A

Well, this movie was a little different than the norm.

I wouldn't go as far as to say I loved it. It just wasn't all that. It was an ok movie with a moment or two of sick. I felt bad for that chinese/japanese girl.

All the soft porn was just too much. I have to agree. It really did feel like a porno for the first hour. It did get annoying after awhile. I just thought when is something going to happen?

I mean this is a horror film. Do we really need an hour of nudity? A few moments, maybe. I don't really care either way. But, not to the point where it dominates the film. I am so glad I didn't see this film theatrically. I would have had no interest in listening to lonely guys and that quiet, but strange goth girl in the back of the movie theater jack off.

C

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The scene with the kids came across as dumb to me. It was such a cop out scene. I really thought the guy was going to plow them with his car. The scene wanted to do this. It was aching to do this. It would have made the movie bolder. But, of course no one can ever do anything that's right.

Jay Hernandez was not tortured enough. He should have been put through a little more after having made the movie "Torque"

Also, his release scene seemed force. The chainsaw just happened to hit the exact spot where the handcuffs were. Too forced. The strange ugly guy with the chainsaw really wasn't qualified for this position.

Eli Roth has a lot to live up to. Dubbed "the new master of horror" by film great Quentin Tarantino, he already has no fewer than five projects already in development with various studios. Ever since his breakout horror hit Cabin Fever he has been a hot commodity - for studios know that he can make films on a tight budget and therefore make them a massive profit. Even better yet, they know his directorial style equals surefire success. With the smash hit Saw films under their belt, Lions Gate Films collaborates with Roth once again in an attempt to create a new horror franchise. Together, they bring us Hostel, a film which offers much in the realm of gore and brutality but little in terms of story and character development.

The film essentially follows three best friends as they venture across Europe looking for a good time. There is Paxton (Jay Hernandez), the self-appointed leader of the group, Josh (Derek Richardson), the aspiring writer, and Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson) the carefree foreigner. After a failed trip to Amsterdam, the trio comes across a mysterious stranger who tells them of a place in Slovakia filled with beautiful women. This "hostel" will satisfy their every fantasy. Without any further explanation, they decide to venture to this mysterious location. But what was supposed to be a trip full of sex, drugs and partying soon turns into their worst nightmare when they are captured by strange individuals and then offed one by one.

Hostel begins on a major off note. The first forty minutes that could have been used for plot development instead focuses on gratutious nudity and crude language, making the lead characters seem incredibly shallow and mean-spirited. However, once the horror of the tale kicks in (and it does) the film almost immediately improves - becoming incredibly brutal and even hard-to-watch. The scenes near the film's climax are incredibly intense and well-shot, almost making up for the disappointing first half.

One thing that serves as an annoyance in Roth's directorial style is the use of many comedic elements throughout the terror. Some of the gory sequences are done in a way that makes them seem incredibly over-the-top and laughable rather than disturbing. There also proves to be a useless comedic element in the form of a Slovakian gang made up of young children. These scenes are mediocre in every way and detract from the viewing experience. While these sequences disappoint, the intense scenes are very well-done. Roth successfully conveys the clausterphobic environment and makes the villains seem incredibly malicious and evil.

The performances here are alright, but incredibly average. However, not much else is to be expected from a mainstream horror film. Jay Hernandez does the best in the lead role, with his character transitions being completely believable and the terror in his face in the climax feeling incredibly real. Derek Richardson is decent enough, but nothing special. Most of the other actors barely register, with the majority of the foreigners turning in flat, one-note portrayls.

Overall, Hostel is a decent effort and is enjoyable to a certain extent. Much like the original Saw film, it suffers greatly from pacing problems and overacting from many of the leads. But it is certainly worth seeing for the brutal and undeniably creepy horror sequences. Let's hope that the sequel proves to be a much more terrifying experience.

6/10 (C+)

C+

A decent movie, nothing more. The first hour was just pointless and unneeded, a huge waste of time. In Wolf Creek the setup worked wonderfully, because of the character development and the attachment it brings to them. In this movie, even after an hour, they're still the regular dumb teenagers. There's nothing in-depth brought to them at all, there is nothing changed from the start of the movie. I don't see what the point of having them walking around and fucking people for AN HOUR was, I just don't.

But anyways, once it get's to the gore, it's not too bad. Even in that aspect though, it doesn't really do as great of a job as it should. That aspect is quite overplayed a think, the scenes don't last very long, and in a lot of them there's terribly annoying cutting away, they don't even show you the gore. Plus, some of the scenes, like a man slipping in the puddle of blood and chopping his own leg off, or the kids jumping and killing the chasers, are just dumb and laughable.

There is a good concept to Hostel, the idea behind this horrible business and the set-up of it all isn't a bad one at all. It's just that Eli Roth isn't a good director, and he never really makes the film into anything special. There was an aura of "regular horror flick" to the entire thing, a lot of it feels MTV like and bland.

Through it all though, there is 2 or 3 memorable scenes in the movie that stand out above anything else. They were to me, the eye getting pussed out, the car retribution, and the kill at the end. Otherwise, the movie didn't strike me as anything special at all.