Hostel is a rock-solid sophomore effort from Eli Roth.
Hostel (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:98
Fresh:58
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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Reviews for Hostel
A stern moralistic rebuke to ugly-Americanism. The movie is in-your-face but not pointlessly so.
Roth is able to change the focus from frolicking raunchiness to extreme chilliness in a way that's quite sobering.
A steady, grueling, suspenseful march to a raucous finish that is likely to give it a devoted cult following.
Audiences either will embrace "Hostel" or they'll feel, well, hostile toward it.
Hostel disturbingly explores the gray area behind people's perverted lust for power through both sex and violence.
A disturbing, uncompromising descent into the blackest corners of human nature.
Eli Roth has made the sickest movie to ever be called enjoyable. Quite a ride.
It's an extreme film with its eye on a general audience, and it can't serve two masters. Still, I recommend it to people who think there aren't enough eyes being snipped out in films these days
A horrifying excursion into a nightmarish world few of us would ever want to experience firsthand
...un vrai de vrai film d'horreur américain. Mordant, méchant, cruel. Et donc recommandé.
Eli Roth may not be re-defining the horror genre, but he has certainly infused it with a welcome dose of old-school sensibilities and new-school flair
This is a grim, gory, and unapologetically grungy piece of "survival horror." I dug it.
The skill with which Eli Roth has constructed his film, especially its first 40 minutes, leads me to give it the benefit of the doubt. It's creepy, gripping, horrifying stuff.
A thrilling high-water mark for an inherently dumb sub-genre, and that's only back-handed praise to those who wouldn't have even considered buying a ticket.
When extreme, body-crunching violence is inflicted on these pigs, the playing field gets leveled.
Hostel is more artfully horrific than the usual gore flick, and more truly scary. It's a small classic of its awful kind.
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...
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