Whether or not this kind of horror movie is your cup of tea, you have to at least admire Roth for the daring and creativity with which he illustrates that concept.
Hostel (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:16
Fresh:6
Rotten:10
Average Rating:5.6/10
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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Reviews for Hostel
Although I spent much of the second half staring into my lap while listening to a cacophony of screams and shop tools, I processed enough of the first to appreciate Roth's sinister evocation of a Slovakian provincial town.
The film is too casually misanthropic and enamored of its expulsive prosthetic virtuosity to be politically relevant, and it's not clear what response -- shame? outrage? titillation? -- Roth is after.
The tone is too schizophrenic for the movie to be great, but writer/director Eli Roth is showing serious potential.
Let's hope 2006's first horror film isn't an indication of where the genre is going this year.
Roth doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. Piling the gore on without benefit of artful tension, the film ends up approaching parody.
It's a clip reel of sicko tableaus. The torture scenes are inventively disgusting, but the narrative linking one murder to the next is sketchy.
The thing is just a clunky and tasteless and dumb scare picture, isn't it? Clunky, yes. Tasteless, for sure. But not so dumb I fear.
[The film] willfully takes us someplace cruel -- and deeply unfunny. Just because that's Roth's intention doesn't mean his movie is any good.
Even after an outré punch line is revealed, the film is neither shocking nor adequately terrifying.
Eli Roth turns to modern-day Asian fright filmmakers as inspiration for his latest blood-soaked effort while demonstrating an intriguing, original voice of his own.
The calculated outrages of Eli Roth's brutal exploitation film prove less shocking that its relentless bigotry.
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.
Roth, by presenting his characters as victims of the same world of flesh-for-fantasy they were grooving on in the first place, digs deep into the nightmare of a society ruled by the profit of illicit desire.
Latest News for Hostel
June 30, 2008:
A Writer/Director for Hostel III? ![]()
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 ![]()
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" ![]()
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...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
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