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Hostel

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Hostel (2006)

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Reviews Counted:97

Fresh:57

Rotten:40

Average Rating:5.8/10

Consensus: Featuring lots of guts and gore, Hostel is a wildly entertaining corpse-filled journey -- assuming one is entertained by corpses, guts, and gore, that is.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for brutal scenes of torture and violence, strong sexual content, language and drug use.

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:Jan 6, 2006 Wide

Box Office: $47,277,326

Synopsis: The hallowed tradition of the post-college European backpacking trip turns into an unimaginable nightmare for two unsuspecting American 20-somethings in Eli Roth's (CABIN FEVER) sensational second... The hallowed tradition of the post-college European backpacking trip turns into an unimaginable nightmare for two unsuspecting American 20-somethings in Eli Roth's (CABIN FEVER) sensational second outing. Paxton (Jay Hernandez) and Josh (Derek Richardson) have embarked upon a hedonistic tour of the continent, and somewhere along the way they picked up an Icelandic lunk named Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson). In Amsterdam the trio partakes of the pastimes most dear to frat boys everywhere: weed, prostitutes, and nightclubs. But when a fellow traveler tells these thrill-seekers about the decadent scene that awaits them in Bratislava, they find themselves unable to resist its lures; enticed by the promise of a hostel full of beautiful girls who love Americans, they set out for the remote areas of Eastern Europe. There, the sex farce to which the film's first half is devoted slowly turns ominous, as the boys hook up immediately with the gorgeous Natalya (Barbara Nedeljakova) and Svetlana (Jana Kaderabkova), whose eagerness masks more sinister intentions. Soon, the disagreeable backpackers find themselves on the other side of the flesh trade, sold by the girls into an exclusive human trafficking operation that gives its customers the opportunity to torture and kill a helpless victim. Much of what follows consists of the squirm-inducing surgical horrors that characterize precursors such as SAW, with the implications regarding the capitalist system and the human soul becoming ever darker. Produced by Quentin Tarantino, the film amps up the gore factor as much as it can get away with, and, in the tradition of the best horror films, offers a satirical socially conscious commentary. [More]

Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Lenka Vlasakova, Shane Daly

Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Lenka Vlasakova, Shane Daly, Jan Vlasak, Eythor Gudjonsson

Director: Eli Roth

Director: Eli Roth
Composer: Nathan Barr
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Release:

Oct 23, 2007

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Reviews for Hostel

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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Although he damn near slanders an entire country - - expect poor Slovakia’s tourism industry to take a hit - - Roth is not an unskilled ringleader of gory crisis moments, or breathless escapes.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
01/05/06
Robert Abele
Robert Abele
L.A. Weekly

Silly, bloody nonsense that should appeal to hormonally challenged teens.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
01/13/06
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

While there are some cheap thrills to be had here, much of the movie is profoundly boring.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International

Portrayed the way Transylvania was in a 1930s vampire film, with lascivious beauties intent on seducing and drugging their unwitting American dates so they can be fed into the machinery of recreational death.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/05/06
John Anderson
John Anderson
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Intimations of Abu Ghraib and allusions to 'The Wicker Man' suggest Roth's intentions are honorable... The film isn't escapist; like 'Straw Dogs,' it demands that viewers respond to its violence.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
01/19/06
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Let's hope 2006's first horror film isn't an indication of where the genre is going this year.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/06/06
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Roth proves unable to control the tone of his premise, in the end pandering too much to the male adolescent audience that he at first seems to be satirising.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
07/09/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

Hostel is a rock-solid sophomore effort from Eli Roth.

Full Review Source: Mike Bracken's Horror Films | comment Comment
01/15/06
Mike Bracken
Mike Bracken
Mike Bracken's Horror Films

One of the characters stumbles into a chamber of horrors where the rich pay to live out their sickest fantasies of violence. Ho, hum.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/06/06
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

Quienes busquen lo más parecido a una pesadilla a cambio del precio de una entrada, saldrán bastante satisfechos.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
04/06/06
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

Viewers check in... and just as quickly check out!

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/19/06
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Truly chilling, well-acted, and tense as hell.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
02/02/06
Chris Carle
Chris Carle
IGN Movies

I may not get the DVD for the sake of the film, but rather to show my kids and dissuade them from ever backpacking across Europe.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
01/06/06
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

It's posed itself as a piece owing a debt to the Japanese shock cinema of Takashi Miike when it really owes more to the gore/schlock cinema of Herschel Gordon Lewis.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
12/24/05
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Controversial for its unnecessary, unjustified exploitation of gore, Roth’s film implicates the audience in its perversity.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/10/06
Stina Chyn
Stina Chyn
Film Threat

The PR hype machine loves Eli Roth, and I'm sure he loves it right back.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
01/06/06
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

...nothing but a reined in gorefest for aficionados of torture,, and even they won't be happy until the director's cut DVD is issued.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
01/07/06
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

There isn't really much suspense or scariness in this film, but it is seriously nightmarish

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
01/21/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Is there a point? No. Will you like it? Perhaps, but if you do... you should see someone about that.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/12/06
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

A steady, grueling, suspenseful march to a raucous finish that is likely to give it a devoted cult following.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
01/07/06
Mark Collette
Mark Collette
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
 
 
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Latest News for Hostel

June 30, 2008: A Writer/Director for Hostel III? Opens in new window
It looks like Scott Spiegel will be taking over for Eli Roth where Hostel III is concerned -- and it also looks like the sequel will be heading straight to video. More...

June 24, 2008: Eli Roth Won't Write, Direct Hostel III Opens in new window
Looks like a third Hostel movie is officially on the way -- and it'll arrive without Eli Roth writing or directing. More...

April 24, 2008: Eli Roth Going "Big-Budget, PG-13" Opens in new window
For his next film, Hostel director Eli Roth is trading in horror for a sci-fi action project said to be inspired by Cloverfield and Transformers. More...

January 22, 2008: I Know Who Killed Me, Norbit, Daddy Day Camp Lead Razzie Noms
No awards season -- even a strike-tainted one -- would be complete without the Razzies, right? Of course not. And that's why we've thoughtfully assembled all of this year's... More...

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