Hostel
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, and Jan Vlasak
Directed by: Eli Roth

Released in the US: January 6, 2006
Released in the UK: Spring, 2006

Reviewed by: Adam Mast, ZBoneman.com

Hostel is an immensely entertaining thriller from the much ballyhooed horror newcomer Eli Roth, the man responsible for the sporadically entertaining but terribly uneven Cabin Fever. I had a rather lukewarm reaction to that festering flesh-fest. With all the pre-release buzz surrounding it, expectations were just too high for his clumsy “what happened to all your skin-flick” to live up to. Instead of introducing us to the newest savior of the horror genre, Cabin Fever offered up precious few scares and played more like a send-up. There were plenty of laughs, but it wasn’t at all clear whether or not Roth intended it that way. With Hostel, Roth has improved in nearly every aspect as a film maker. While his latest still blends light (and juvenile) comedy with audacious, in your face gore, Hostel does it in a much more assured fashion. Surprisingly, this is a more accessible film - trading in Cabin Fever’s tongue-in-cheek eccentricity (pancakes anyone?) for a more serious straight-forward approach, wherein many of the characters were lucky if their tongue was anywhere near their cheeks after the dust settled.

As Hostel opens, we’re introduced to Paxton (Jay Hernandez), Josh (Derek Richardson), and Oli - three wide-eyed twenty somethings backpacking through Europe and hoping to cap it all off with a few nights of hedonistic glory in the fabled land called Amsterdam. Paxton and Josh are from the states while Oli is a European they've hooked-up with in their travels. Nevertheless all three have the same goal; to sample from “Amsterdam’s world famous party favors, and get laid as many times as possible. While staying in a Danish Hostel, our three leads become somewhat put off by all the Americans competing for an insufficient amount of girls. Soon they cross paths with an Eastern bloc bloke who tells them of an amazing Hostel in a remote Slovakian village. He explains to them that this particular area boasts the most gorgeous woman on the planet and shows them a few pictures depicting the gals engaged in a number of unininhibited activities. He goes on to explain that these women are crazy for any man, but Americans - stand back! Without hesitation, Paxton, Josh, and Oli hop a train to Slovakia hoping to experience something more authentic, but still beyond their wildest dreams. For a short time, those dreams are indeed realized. Still everything seems sinister enough to keep them on edge and the audience keenly aware that what may actually await them may be something beyond their wildest nightmares.

I will not go beyond this plot description as the coming attraction trailer reveals a little too much. Let’s just say that Hostel plays like a nightmarish fusion of Eurotrip and Saw. Once the true nature of the plot is revealed, Roth takes the audience on a guided tour into the bowels of hell, but to my surprise, this isn’t really a gore-fest full of shock for shock’s sake as was the case in Saw (a film I liked, but didn’t love). Don’t get me wrong, Hostel isn’t without it’s unrelenting moments of perversely sadistic brutality and extreme violence (the eyeball scene in particular will delight gore fans the world over), but in a way, the violence in this movie serves a purpose beyond that of mere shock value.

Roth injects a healthy dose of social commentary in this fun house thriller, and I wasn’t really expecting that. As Hostel opens, we’re treated to very much the same tone exuded by Cabin Fever. You know the drill - a horny cast of characters are out to party hearty and screw. Look deeper though, and you’ll see that Hostel in a very real and unforgettable way is taking a very insightful look into societies seemingly insatiable appetite for excess. For some when indiscriminate sex and drugs lose their allure, Hostel shows us that it is possible in this world (if you have the money and the demented drive) to sate even the most insane and reprehensible urges imaginable. For the truly twisted who seek novel ways of fulfilling these urges there are always bigger, badder and sicker experiences. Hostel manages to drive this point home without losing one iota of suspense, alot of which, surprisingly enough is character dirven.

What’s more, where many horror films as of late introduce us to characters who are systematically dispatched one by one by an antagonist who ultimately becomes the protagonist (Wolf Creek for example), Roth goes a different route. He actually gives us a character worth rooting for. Not that we know this particular guy inside and out, but we know this person well enough to know that he’s our hero. Yes, Hostel has bad guys and good guys, and the tension twisted final act actually turns the film into a true crowd pleaser. And before anyone dismisses this picture as a mere “Fuck Slovakia ” infomercial, let it be known that a rather unsuspecting group of locals prove to be heroes in their own right.

Is Hostel scary? I don’t know that I’d call it scary, but it is horrific and it paints an incredibly gruesome side of human nature that probably really exists, as it is said the film is based on actual events. Furthermore, the movie does offer up a fair share of suspense, particularly in the final half hour.

The cast is decent enough, but it is the smaller roles that really give Hostel most of it’s kick. Watch for a manic Rick Hoffman as a rich American creep who’s prepared to do the unthinkable, just so that he might experience something new in his life. Equally effective is a creepy Jan Vlasak who plays a key figure that Paxton, Josh, and Oli meet on the train to Slovakia.

I really enjoy Eli Roth. I love listening to him speak (check out his energetic Cabin Fever commentary), and it’s clear that he has an undying passion for the genre. As I watched Hostel, I could see little winks at the likes of Don’t Look Now, An American Werewolf in London, the works of Takashi Miike (most noticeably Audition), and the aforementioned Saw. But never does this picture feel like a rip off. Roth has a style all his own, and he directs with a kind of energy that recalls Quentin Tarantino (who, subsequently, lent his name as a producer on the film). Even moments that feel a little forced, ultimately work in the grand scheme of things (watch for a “drowning girl” subplot that comes into major play towards the end of the movie). Roth also deserves further props for his picture perfect locations. There aren’t only spots of absolute beauty, but areas of absolute dread as well.

I needn’t address the fact that Hostel isn’t a film for everyone. It has nudity. LOTS OF NUDITY! It has drug use. LOTS OF DRUG USE! And it is unsettling in a big way. These things aside, Hostel is a surprisingly accessible horror film (much more so than Cabin Fever), and I think part of that has to do with the fact that the film does offer up a hero of sorts, and one who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Roth doesn’t shy away from allowing certain characters to engage in a little vengeance. In the end, that is a major key in Hostel effectiveness as a well rounded and thoughtfully conceived piece of work. This isn’t the greatest horror flick ever made, but it is extremely efficient and proves that Eli Roth truly is a major talent. This guy clearly loves what he’s doing and you can feel it in every frame.

Grade: B