SA MOVIE & DVD MAGAZINE

INFORMATION

Director: Eli Roth

Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jana Kaderabkova, Jan Vlasák, Jennifer Lim

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Hostel is the follow-up to writer-director Eli Roth's hit debut, 2002's Cabin Fever. It tells the story of two adventurous American college buddies Paxton and Josh who backpack through Europe eager to make quintessentially hazy travel memories with new friend Oli, an Icelander they've met along the way. Paxton and Josh are eventually lured by a fellow traveller to what's described as a nirvana for American backpackers – a particular hostel in an out-of-the-way Slovakian town stocked with Eastern European women as desperate as they are gorgeous. The two friends arrive and soon easily pair off with exotic beauties Natalya and Svetlana. In fact, too easily...
Initially distracted by the good time they're having, the two Americans quickly find themselves trapped in an increasingly sinister situation that they will discover is as wide and as deep as the darkest, sickest recess of human nature itself – if they survive.

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REVIEW :HOSTEL

Hostel (2005)

Hostel is depraved, sick and disgusting – which means teenagers would love it.

Review by : James O'Ehley

"Hey! Who said this movie stinks?"

Hostel is depraved, sick and disgusting – which means teenagers would love it.

The rest of us should however give it a wide berth, unless you are into scenes of extreme bodily mutilation and sadistic torture in which helpless victims pathetically scream and beg for mercy. (In such event it is recommended that you seek out psychiatric help in any case.) High on gore and low on actual scares, Hostel is littered with severed body parts and splattered with blood.

If the aim of the movie is make you throw up in your popcorn, then Hostel probably succeeds admirably. In one scene for instance a woman's severed eyeball is left dangling from its socket after being tortured before it is cut off with a scissor by a benefactor. Bleeuugh!

Some horror movie fans like this sort of thing, but this reviewer just found himself looking away from the screen in disgust during quite a few scenes and little else. Compared to some recent horror movie offerings such as The Ring, Hostel simply isn't scary.

Also, as the movie progresses one realises how many plot unlikelihoods there are. There is a conspiracy at the heart of Hostel, but the movie would make us believe that the entire country of Slovakia is somehow in on it.

Afterwards you'll feel dirty for having watched Hostel and wish that you can somehow unwatch it – alas, this not to be.

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