Release Date: January 6, 2006
MPAA Rating: R for brutal scenes of torture and violence, strong sexual content, language and drug use
Written and Directed by: Eli Roth
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jana Kaderabkova, Jan Vlasák, Rick Hoffman, Jennifer Lim
Plot:
Two adventurous American college buddies, Paxton and Josh, backpack through Europe eager to make quintessentially hazy travel memories with new friend Oli, an Icelander they've met along the way. Paxton and Josh are eventually lured by a fellow traveler to what's described as a nirvana for American backpackers--a particular hostel in an out-of-the-way Slovakian town stocked with Eastern European women as desperate as they are gorgeous. The two friends arrive and soon easily pair off with exotic beauties Natalya and Svetlana. In fact, too easily. Initially distracted by the good time they're having, the two Americans quickly find themselves trapped in an increasingly sinister situation that they will discover is as wide and as deep as the darkest, sickest recess of human nature itself--if they survive.
Review:
Written and Directed by Eli Roth, Hostel is disgusting, useless, poorly acted and unintentionally laughable. These are the major problems with modern horror films. Sure, each year there are quite a few surprises for the horror genre, but with Hostel its cliche after cliche. The first half of Hostel has some of the most unnecessary sex and nudity ever put on film. The nudity is mainly there for those boys who are beginning to hit puberty. It is ridiculous and one can argue that Hostel could have begun after the first half, meaning Hostel could have easily been just a forty five minute short film.
While director Eli Roth has some interesting style, he has no idea how to build suspense and fright. Instead, he results in making torturous scenes and torturous viewing. Roth has Cabin Fever in his filmography which also featured a haunting and original plot, but it went to waste. With Hostel Roth has dug himself deeper in a hole where the trashy horror films belong.
Hostel stars Jay Hernandez as Paxton and Derek Richardson as Josh. These two guys are young, horny and ready for whatever Europe will offer them. They indeed get the sex they want easily and also different body parts being cut off and dismantled from their body. In a summary that really is all there is to Hostel. While watching the film, there is no feel of tension or anything horror, its an emotionless run with this film. Both of the lead characters are one-dimensional and lame. Hernandez delivers the better performance of the two, but not a performance that stands out at all.
Creativity never comes into play with this film because Hostel has no intentions of being scary. Its a film you'd expect a teenage filmmaker to experiment with. Besides failing in almost every aspect of horror filmmaking, Hostel's script features horrific and irrelevant dialogue. How intriguing is it to hear about guys wanting to smoke pot and have sex, not one bit. The dialogue presented here will make you rolls your eyes and cringe your teeth if you are the average adult, for those in the fifteen to eighteen range, you will have a blast.
Hostel doesn't tie up its many loose endings either. It has scenes involving a child mafia engaging in brutal attacks. If that isn't laughable than I probably don't know humor. We start off with nothing watching hostel and we end up with something beyond a disappointment. Hostel is a mess that could have never been repaired with Roth intact. This film is the making of a camp horror film junkie, not of a skilled director.
The most Hostel has to offer is very little. This won't do much of anything for someone looking for some frightening jump off your seat moments. Even those looking for a creepy mood and atmosphere will find nothing here. This film belongs in the straight to video release rather than what it got, a theatrical release. This is a misfire for Roth and Cabin Fever is a better film, which isn't saying much. The year has just begun and similar to last years White Noise, Hostel is the first bad horror film of the year.
