Tags
2000's, Derek Richardson, Eli Roth, Eyþór Guðjónsson, Horror, Hostel, Jay Hernandez, Jennifer Lim
Film Title
Hostel
Director
Eli Roth
Starring
- Jay Hernandez as Paxton
- Derek Richardson as Josh
- Eyþór Guðjónsson as Óli
- Jennifer Lim as Kana
With it being October and Halloween just around the corner, I thought it well to focus on some horror movies. I chose to review Hostel, the infamous shocker that I will admit I couldn’t finish all of upon first viewing. Now being older, I decided to get a spine and finally watch it all. I have to say that watching it now it deserves its reputation of being a horrifying and stomach churning movie, but also has some rather surprising parts to it. Anyway, back to my review.
College buddies Paxton and are backpacking through Europe in search for ladies, drugs and all time partying. They are joined in Amsterdam by Icelandic Óli, who is similar in interest to them and more than happy to tag along. Around this time, in between excessive sex and drug use, the trio encounter a young man with an intriguing offer. He informs them of a hostel in Slovakia that will make all their debased and carnal fantasies come true. Being horny and only concerned with having a good time, the three friends head to the hostel in Slovakia. Gorgeous ladies, drugs and partying awaits them on arrival and it seems like the perfect time for all of them. Yet it is all too good to be true as the first indicator of something amiss is when Óli goes missing. Later on, Josh also disappears and the people around the hostel are very evasive over what they know. It is left up to Paxton to discover what sinister things are transpiring around him. Searching for answers, he stumbles upon a twisted society of torture that is gleeful in its torment. Paxton is ultimately put into this nightmarish situation and must fight in order to survive the onslaught of perverted brutality.
Eli Roth writes and directs Hostel; clearly having a sort of twisted fun with the set up and then the unleashing of horrifying content. His sense of pace is very well established with how the terror unfolds for us and the characters. A slow burn covers the first half of Hostel, with events playing as a frat brother’s hedonistic dream that will soon become a nightmare. There’s boobs, boozing and all these guys could ask for. The main characters are not the most likable bunch, but they conform well to the overall Jock stereotype Roth is going for. We are given hints of something untoward going on, with the opening titles depicting something murky that will become prominent. Hostel in itself is not a very deep movie, and yet it manages to have some commentary on the gullibility of tourists in an unfamiliar place. Plus, there are many self-referential anecdotes and instances of other horror movies coming into play in an assured way, especially at the start. The last forty minutes of Hostel are a relentless excursion into jaw-dropping horror, with no let up for breathing chiefly through the graphic and gruesome depictions of torture. A strong stomach is needed for Hostel’s brutality, though it is hard to turn away despite the horror on show. Gore is the order of the day and in high supply, with Roth obviously enjoying grossing the audience out with what he depicts. It’s not all mean-spirited, just rather nasty in its unapologetic refusal to compromise on the blood. Twisted is the best word for Hostel, with many of its scenes cutting close the bone(literally and figuratively). One particular scene involving tendons is bound to induce feelings of sickness, along with the appearances of feral children who want more than money from you and will turn violent if you don’t provide it. And while it’s a horror, various thriller elements are on call for a tense finale that is gruesomely and shockingly satisfying( if that is the right word for it.) The visual style, that progressively becomes bleaker as the picture goes on, excellently mirrors the descent into depravity experienced by the characters, and chiefly us. Suspense is handled by the music, that knows how to ratchet up the atmosphere.
The cast is competent and works well within the framework of Hostel. They aren’t there to be the deepest characters going, but once the horror starts you do feel something for them. The three main men at first blend in together because of their attributes, but later one emerges in particular as very effective. Jay Hernandez is given the most to do here as the main frat boy falling into a horrific situation. He starts out as a lady-mad guy with only one thing on his mind, but once the terror hits, Hernandez finds a desperation and determination to survive the torturous world he’s thrown into. Derek Richardson is well used as the not so convinced of the journey member of the group, while Eyþór Guðjónsson lives it up as the Lothario with the gift of the gab. Jennifer Lim, out of the women in Hostel, has the most to do as the rather unfortunate traveler who also falls prey to the horror.
A movie of extreme violence and horror, Hostel is worthy of shocking credentials and title as a work of twisted depravity. Not for everyone, but a memorably brutal movie nonetheless.
sonofabeach96 said:
Never seen this one. Worthy of a watch?
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vinnieh said:
I’d advise you not to eat when watching this movie.
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sonofabeach96 said:
That bad, huh? 😃
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vinnieh said:
You could say that. Stomach churning is the word that comes to mind.
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sonofabeach96 said:
I may just pass on this one then. 😃
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beetleypete said:
This was a very competent and grisly shocker. The sequels are not worth the time though. In the genre, I think ‘*8 MM’ is darker and more powerful though
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
Yes, I haven’t bothered with the sequels as they look pretty dire. But this got the job done in grisly fashion.
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raistlin0903 said:
I love horror as you know, but this movie was really sickening to say the least. It had more to do with how to shock audience than actual entertainment. I admit Saw went that way as well at times, but for some reason I just liked those films. Eli Roth is truly a director that just wants to shock people. I saw Green Inferno earlier this year,and that one if you can believe it, was even worse than Hostel. As much as I love horror, this one just wasn’t for me. Great review though 😀
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
This movie grossed me out to say the least!!! I’m getting the creeps thinking about it!!!😨😱
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vinnieh said:
It gets under the skin and really stays there.
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
I agree Vinnie!
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vinnieh said:
I’ve still got certain gruesome images in my head from it now!
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
😨😱😨😱☠👹☠
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raistlin0903 said:
Lol, so true. And trust me on this, Green Inferno is even worse. If you thought Hostel was bad, that one really takes it to a whole other level of gross 🙈
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
I haven’t seen that one and am staying away from that!!!😱😱😱
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vinnieh said:
I know this movie is a really divisive and I can really understand. I had totally forgot however about the slow burning opener of it, before all the graphic torture begins. The Green Inferno was worse than this? It really must be something brutal.
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raistlin0903 said:
Yeah, Green Inferno is about a group of people that survive a plane crash bit the stumble across a lost tribe of cannibals…seriously grossed out by that one. And the whole story and how it ended was just ridiculous. Really avoid that one at all cost 😂😂
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vinnieh said:
I’m glad you warned me about that one, Michel. You’re a fine friend.
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
This movie was intense!!!!😱😱😱
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vinnieh said:
That’s one word for it.
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ninvoid99 said:
I’ve seen bits of this film as I enjoyed watching that one guy who was in that Dumb & Dumber prequel get killed because he fucking sucks.
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vinnieh said:
The film is a real stomach turner. I haven’t had the displeasure of viewing that prequel.
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Joy The Witch said:
Oouuh i actually love this film!!! I love the gory scenes
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vinnieh said:
It’s a movie that garners a lot of both hate and love.
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Dell on Movies (@w_ott3) said:
I saw this back when it first hit DVD. I’m a huge horror fan, but this didn’t float my boat. Eli Roth generally doesn’t do it for me, though. Most of his movies that I’ve seen are just unlikable people having bad stuff happen to them. That said, I haven’t seen it in years, so who knows. Maybe a fresh viewing might change my mind.
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vinnieh said:
I can see where you are coming from. His characters do tend to be really assholes.
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Orvillewrong said:
As I recall it was all hack and slash!
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vinnieh said:
You said it well. Hack and slash was the name of the game in this gore fest.
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Mr. Bobinsky said:
I remember watching it in cinema when it was out. Didn’t really impress me.
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vinnieh said:
It’s a movie that provokes a lot of varied opinions.
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keepsmealive said:
Saw this, you’ve said it all. I think I read somewhere that that scene where the dude’s tied to the chair and he rocks back and it lands on the floor again was real – it actually landed on and injured the actor’s foot badly but he couldn’t yell cut because he was gagged so the pain and fear is absolutely real.
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vinnieh said:
Ouch, that sounds very painful. I had a feeling that the suffering of that moment looked very real.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
As you know, I love horror, but I think this may be too much for me.😱😨
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vinnieh said:
It’s pretty extreme Kim. Intense is what it becomes as well as exceedingly graphic.
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Alex Withrow (@shiftingPersona) said:
Nice review here. I agree, this flick isn’t for everything, but it’s effective in what it’s doing. Strangely, I much prefer the sequel. I love how it dove into the other side of the process (i.e., finding “clients”).
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vinnieh said:
You know, I haven’t seen the sequels yet. Must do that someday. They sound even more twisted than this one.
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The Vern said:
The Sequel is a little better because I like how they switch from the victims to the clients. I just wish the whole movie was like that. I still enjoy the first Hostel quite a bit and think it’s better than Saw. The franchise and the first movie
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vinnieh said:
I’ve not seen the second Hostel, but may have to in the future.
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