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“Hostel” is the best film of 2006, so far. And, it’s also the only one I’ve seen so far, making it the worst as well, technically. Seriously, though, this is a good start to the year. Being a huge fan of “Saw” and “Saw II,” “Hostel” instantly made its way onto my anticipated list with its extremely sick trailer, Quentin Tarantino’s name attached, and “from the director of ‘Cabin Fever’” near the end of the trailer. If you know Eli Roth, you’ll know that he doesn’t make normal films. Eli will go above and beyond at times with the amount of blood, gore, and sexuality packed into one film, and “Hostel” pushes the envelope to an NC-17 level. You’ll never see anything like this on the big screen.
Paxton and Josh are your typical, hard-working college students who need a break after a stressful time at school. These two Californians decide to back-pack through Europe and have the time of their life. Along the way, they meet up with a nice guy, Oli. Together, all three have basically one thing in mind – having their sexual fantasies fulfilled by European women. The three are eventually lured by a fellow traveler, who tells them of a hostel in a town in Slovenia. In this hostel, the women are beautiful and desperate (as in they’ll do anything). Without a second thought, the three hop on the first train to the great city in search of sexual pleasures. They meet up with Natalya and Svetlana, two exotic women in the hostel who become attracted to Paxton and Josh very easily. Or, maybe too easily. Hyped up in the fun of getting high, having sex, and living the life, their dream vacation turns for the worst when they become involved in a sinister situation involving the torturing of human beings for cash – and they’re the test subjects. Paxton, Josh, and Oli must survive the sick, twisted doctors of torture and their shiny, bloody tools.
Let’s not beat around the bush. “Hostel” is a tough film to watch. In fact, in some early screenings in Toronto, Canada, the use of paramedics were required. Eli Roth tests the limits of how much an average viewer (or even the hardcore horror fans) can take by going to and above the limit of what is normally acceptable for an R-rated horror film. “Hostel” has more blood, more gore, more sickening moments, and more nudity than anything other film in recent memory. The torture the characters endure can really get sick. This film is not for people with weak stomachs.
The basic setup of the film is this. The first half of the film is basically pornography with some hilarious moments mixed in. The guys meet up with women, and some of the scenes shown is bad enough to be in a HBO late night special. After about 45 minutes, the porno turns into a sadistic thrill ride that doesn’t stop at all. In this part of the film, some scenes will literally shock you, disgust you, and by the end of the film, make you cheer. Some of the content of the film can be odd and questionable, but that’s not unusual for director Eli Roth. Need I mention the pancake lovin’ karate kid with a mullet in “Cabin Fever”? Yeah, he can go that far.
Although “Hostel” doesn’t have much of a purpose other than to entertain and sicken the viewer, it is a darn good film. For hardcore horror fans, this is a must see film. I’m not sure how much Tarantino had to do with the production of the film, if anything at all, but him being a part of this film is always a good thing. If you can handle a film like this, you’ll be entertained throughout the film. It’s a great time at the movies. You won’t see many films like “Hostel.” It must be seen. Like I said, it’s currently the best film of 2006. I’m fairly sure there will be a lot of films that will be better this year, but “Hostel” was better than the majority of horror films from last year. However, in comparison to “Saw” and “Saw II,” “Hostel” doesn’t quite match up. But it’s a worthy film in the genre.
Grade: B+
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