Hostel
Torture porn may be a more prominent sub-genre of horror but delighting the sadistic killings on screen has largely been a staple of the horror fan diet since Last House on the Left and I Spit On Your Grace lavished in the gore. The reason it’s become highlighted very often in modern age cinema is because it is over saturated like lady products in the blood and perverse. If they aren’t aiming for cheap shocks as ghoulies linger in the shadows, they are trying to remove finger nails, grind bones and split skins like a giant’s lunchtime. It’s become so tiresome that if done well, those who enjoy the subversive bloody treats can lap up the crimson flood in massive scoops.
The Hostel, however, is one of those movies that will appeal to those who enjoy extra helpings of fore but if not, you’ll be squirming in your seat.
Eli Roth, back in 2005, was determined to pervert the innocent ideals of backpackers hoping from hostel to hostel throughout Europe. Paxton and Josh (Americans, if you couldn’t tell from those ridiculous names) are travelling through Eastern Europe with their Icelandic friend Oli. Drunken, loutish and everything everyone hates about tourists, they are thrown out of their place of stay only to be enticed to another one by Alexi, stating it is filled by gorgeous girls. Of course, there are, willing to give many a sexy time to our plucky protagonist. Except woops, not really, it’s just a lure so that rich customers can kill every customers that enters the door of The Hostel.
That’s made you think twice about cheap accommodation.
Why is it Bad?
This is one of those cases where it is based entirely on audience perspective. I mean, sure, it ain’t no Saw or I Spit On Your Grave. But if you don’t like human’s pulvarising humans in the most revolting ways, it could be the horror equivalent of Shakespeare and you still aren’t going to like it. To many, the plot is as loose as flabby skin and it’s only narrative point is to seemingly hammer in the violence as naturally as possible which if you have a shred of human decency, you’ll find unnervingly wrong. There will be no convincing you, no matter how eagerly, to enjoy this if it’s not your cup of tea and while I don’t want to base my review on our ever fluid opinions, it’ll mar your experience here. Oh and there is some really off acting that sometimes, you wish they’d succumb to their torture.
Why is it Good?
There are so many themes undercurrent here that Eli Roth is nearly making a statement by flicking specs of platelets at the screen and breaking bone. He is lavishing in the world of consumerism gone too far and how tragic it is to place the rich in a God-like position over poor or average lives. The ideas present here may be masked by screams and shouts, but Roth doesn’t give in on saying that if the affluent could do this, they probably would. The world of Hostel is teetering with desire and disgust which makes it all the more delicious to swallow, unlike its subsequent sequels that took the bad parts of Hostel and made them worse.
If you love gore – the twitchy toe curling kind – then you’ll adore Hostel.