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Released in 2006, 'Hostel' was the third film directed by Eli Roth. Having heard good things and previously loved 'Cabin Fever' which Roth also directed I had been really looking forward to seeing this film, when I saw it however I felt nothing but disappointment. Many had praised the film for its gory and grotesque nature, and yes Eli Roth does indeed forefront blood and guts quite freely here but really there is very little substance to this film whatsoever. I like my horror films to have a bit of depth, something about them that makes them stand out as sensational; nothing of this sort is apparent here and 'Hostel' is a purely visual display of disgusting deaths.
Three men are here backpacking through Europe, two of which are American and the other is from Iceland. Paxton and Josh are the two Americans, and Oli is Icelandic. They're all enjoying a life of sex, drugs and alcohol quite happily and have a route planned out of which destination they will next visit. We meet the three of them in Amsterdam and it is here that they are told by a Russian man of a hostel in Slovakia where the women go absolutely crazy for American men. The three backpackers get on a train to Slovakia and make their way towards this hostel they have been told of, discovering when they arrive that it is just as perfect as they have been told (or so it would first seem). The morning after
they arrive at the hostel Paxton and Josh discover that Oli has gone missing, he's nowhere to be seen and they learn that a Japanese girl has disappeared also. The pair begin to panic when he does not come back and from here on in things just continue to go from bad to worse.
Certain aspects of this film I quite enjoyed, the gore element of 'Hostel' is really quite brutal and Eli Roth certainly doesn't hold back in his display of it all. Certain scenes are horrible and the use of sound really heightens the agony of the on-screen events. You genuinely feel for the individuals on screen and really feel the pain that they are going through. It's a disgusting display of gore but really there is little more to it than this. As much as I wanted to enjoy this film I couldn't help but feel let down by the way that the film has here been put across by Eli Roth. Many people hated his 'Cabin Fever' film, I however absolutely loved it; here however the tables most certainly turned. Whilst many hold a strong appreciation for this film I don't rate it very highly at all, it's purely visual and requires for no thought process whatsoever. Sometimes films of this sort can work well, I just find 'Hostel' a little stagnant and supremely disappointing. The plot line does not move along particularly well at all, Eli Roth here tries to win you over on shock value alone and for me this just doesn't work.
The performances of those involved are not particularly impressive at all, the acting comes across as quite cardboard and I personally find it incredibly hard to relate to those involved in the films progression. Sometimes with the horror genre this works quite well, with this film however the brutal torture of it all is less effective as we feel very little for those that are being tortured. We don't mind too much about what is being done to the films key protagonists, if they lose their lives we really don't mind as there is no emotional attachment whatsoever. Had the cast been better chosen then it is my belief that 'Hostel' would be a much more effective film, the brutality of it all would be more sickening and vastly more emotionally scarring. The situations are scary, the way the film is worked however is not. There's a lot of blood, a lot of gore and some of the scenes make you feel a little sick; ultimately however most of the film is all too uninspiring to ever hold your attention for prolonged periods of time. When I watch 'Hostel' I find my mind quickly drifting, I have a short attention span and this film does nothing in order to capture and sustain my interest. There are a few times throughout the films 90 minute run time that the events do impress, interest is soon lost however through the poor acting and terrible progression of the film. Sometimes it can all be a bit too disgusting, the film is therefore quite off putting as there are times when you really don't want to look as the gore truly is that graphic and horrible.
The best horror films I feel are those that effectively build suspense, they have you on the edge of your seat with anticipation and are therefore greatly scary. At no point in this film does Eli Roth ever build suspense, the film plods along and energy is here greatly lacking. The film does not make you want to watch on, the poor performances in fact make you want to switch off, and the plot progression is nothing short of tedious. 'Hostel' has the potential to be excellent; it is however ruined by a number of contributing factors and is therefore an absolute bore of a film. Sometimes you'll squirm but not at all in a good way, more in the sense that you wonder why Eli Roth felt the need for such disgusting scenes to be included; it's not necessary and it's certainly not entertaining.
'Hostel' is a horrible horror film from Eli Roth, there is no build-up here and nothing about the film is particularly enjoyable. Had an element of tension been built up throughout the film then it would all be a lot more entertaining, the performances leave a lot to be desired, and nothing about this film shines in the slightest. In my opinion 'Hostel' is hugely overrated and the fact that it has grossed over $80 million worldwide really is quite ridiculous. The gore is often unnecessary and other than the explicit display of this there is really very little else to take from this film. Greg Mclean's 2005 film 'Wolf Creek' also focuses on backpackers and is in my opinion a far better film. Everything about 'Wolf Creek' is superior and if you want a gripping horror film then my advice is to watch this instead. Whilst 'Wolf Creek' builds brilliantly and is intensely psychologically scary, 'Hostel' relies purely on providing a visual shock and for me is all too often an unexciting and truly tedious tale which does very little in order to impress. My best advice is to bypass 'Hostel' and instead make better use of your time in giving 'Wolf Creek' a viewing.
Director: Eli Roth Year of release: 2006 Genre: Horror Language: English Runtime: 90 mins BBFC Rating: 18
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Production Year: 2002 - Horror - Director: Danny Boyle - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Cillian Murphy, Megan Burns, Noah Huntley, Christopher Eccleston, Marvin Campbell, Brendan Gleeson
Production Year: 1984 - Horror - Director: Joe Dante - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, Frances Lee McCain, Judge Reinhold, Corey Feldman
excessive-skin-displayed-before-gruesome-bloody-to rture-begins genre--Hostelfollows two randy Americans (Jay Hernandez,Friday Night Lights, and Derek Richardson,Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd) and an even randier I...
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excessive-skin-displayed-before-gruesome-bloody-to rture-begins genre--Hostelfollows two randy Americans (Jay Hernandez,Friday Night Lights, and Derek Richardson,Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd) and an even randier I...
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A trio of teenagers two American one Icelandic backpack around Europe looking for a ... more
good time. While in Amsterdam they are told of a youth hostel in Slovakia where all their wildest dreams will come true. Jumping onto the first train there the thr...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Decent production standards which save it from being horrific Disadvantages: The cross genre fails to gel, and the gore is not scary enough
Advantages: Realistic gore, note worthy cinematography, and cleverly edited. Disadvantages: Average performances, not as much gore as I expected and weak characterisation.
![Quentin Tarantino Presents : Hostel [2005] [DVD] [2006]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78487819.jpg "Quentin Tarantino Presents : Hostel [2005] [DVD] [2006]")
Apr 16th, 2008
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