Hostel Reviews

awsome

This movie makes 'devils Rejects' 'Wolf Creek' and all the other nex-gen video nasties look like fluffy cuddly kids films.

The 1st half of the film is a bit of a confusing mix of american road trip comedy films and soft porn but gradually your smile will drop as the film decends into a squalid,depraved nightmarish world of unthinkable torture and violence.

And this is where it gets good its one of those films thet is so disgusting that you find yourself laughing and reaching at the same time and when the end credit finally role your left staring at the screen in disbelief trying to comprehend what you've just seen.

It goes with out saying this is not for the faint hearted but for anyone else who grew up intrigued by banned video nasties of the 70's and 80's strap your self in your chair and prepare to witness the most unflinching grotesque powerhouse of a horror movie your ever likely to see.

it's a bad bad bad bad world

For any fan of the horror genre this really is worth a look.The two male leads are convincing in their roles and it's hard not to develop empathy in their predicament.

This is not without fault however as it seems the middle part of the film is rushed and maybe needed 10 minutes to pad out the story.There were also times in this film when i really felt uncomfortable watching in the cinema,but i suppose that was the point!Definately not for the squeamish.this would've been banned during the 1980's video nasty era.

All in all well made,well acted by the whole cast, just very very wrong.

Sickening!

I have to say that is the only horror film ever (and i have seen a lot), to make me physically feel sick! This is credit to the film to make the events sickening and realistic. This really is pretty gruesome, but its not one of those silly unbelievable horrors. It starts off pretty run of the mill but keep watching for the gore in a similar vein to Saw. If you liked that you'll like this.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Not For The Faint Of Heart

Ok, here it is. I love horror films. The Exorcist, The Shining and The Dead Trilogy all sit highly in my all-time top twenty. The first time I saw John Carpenter's The Thing was when I was nine years old, sat in a giant carboard box I'd painted to look like a robot in the corner of my dad's lounge. I'd not seen anything quite like it. This was followed by such delights as An American Werewolf In London and The Howling. And from then on, Dr Who just didn't cut the mustard any more.

A deep love of horror films has remained with me my entire life. Perhaps it stems from serious de-sensitisation from an early age. After the absolute hayday of the horror film in the seventies, and into the eighties, unfortunately I feel that in the last decade or so Hollywood has been responsible for the serious dumbing-down of the modern horror film. Presumably money is at stake - a film will make more cash with a 15 rating than an 18 simply because more people will get in to see it. I know that these days you can get away with a lot more in a 15, but still. This has been compounded by a serious creative block, with the endless stream of rubbish dumbed-down re-makes of classic 70s horror films instead of fresh new ones.

But then, every once in a while, an independently financed gem comes along. Something truely original that grabs you by the balls and squeezes. Recently, often these now come from Korea, or Japan. Here's one that's American. Hostel is hostile. A deeply unsettlingly disturbingly brilliant horror. Perhaps even the most disturbing film I have ever seen, and i've seen them all. If you like this genre, I implore you to see this film. Just beware that it might linger on in your head for weeks afterwards. The horror, the horror...

A Great Movie I didn't enjoy watching

Now let's get one thing straight, I didn't enjoy this film one bit... but that is not too say it was an outstanding film. The film is about 3 backpackers, in search of some women, they are told about a Hostel in a Slovakian city and head there, woman wise they are far from disappointed. But there is a darker side to this film, that comes out half way through the movie. Basically without giving too much away - you are witness to several tortures, several grotesque and cringe-worthy sickenning and disturbing acts of pure evil, and before you say, who in the right mind would pay for that, well, have you not just paid to see the film? Believe me, this film is not for everyone and although it is a good movie it is very disturbing and some extremely tense moments, the music also adds great tension throughout the film, you are literally so far towards the edge of your seat you have fallen off it. This is like nothing I have seen before. You have all been warned!

Proper horror

This is definately a movie of two halves starting off with 3 guys offered it on a plate in Eastern Europe where the girls are easy and beautiful. What twenty something single male wouldn't go! When the gore kicks in it is truly sick though, if you thought Nightmare On Elm Street was too much you will be in therapy, I can take a lot of gore & even I was squirmimg in places. This is a truly original & scarily believable plot way above the usual horror offering. Not for the faint hearted, kiddies or Tarantino lovers out there cos this isn't Tarantino, just his cash & money well spent I reckon.

Good Concept, but hyped up

Hostel was hyped up beyond what it really was.

It was a good film concept, but at times seemed to be rushed and not really thought out.

It half shocked me, and the other half of the time I was thinking "what ridiculous nonsense".

The main reason I watched this film was because I like Jay Hernandez, from since I saw him act in Crazy/ Beautiful. You should definately see this film for the hype it drew about and some of the disgusting scenes, but be warned you'll either like it or totally dismiss it.

THIS ISNT A TARENTINO FILM!!!

OK...I'm angry now! There are so many ignorant morons in the film scene at the moment! Was just reading a couple of reviews on here, whining about 'Oh cos it was Tarentino I thought it would be better' or 'I loved all of Tarentino's other flicks but was dissapointed with this one!'

ITS NOT A TARENTINO MOVIE!!! He had very little to do with it, he literally approved Eli Roth's idea (who, by the way is the writer/director) and threw a few million his way...thats it!!!

It is such an insult to have an extremely talented writer/director being upstaged by a moronic, generic filmaker who thinks because his name is on a project that people are going to lap it up...and by golly he was RIGHT!!!

I think this movie is without doubt one of the best so far this year but I would still be defending it even if I hated it because there is nothing that ifuriates me more than ignorance in the way of films...

Guess what... Brokeback Mountain is about GAY COWBOYS!!! BET YOU DIDNT SEE THAT ON COMIN?! MORONS!

Don't believe the Hype

Having heard many people talk about ‘Hostel’, often whilst wincing, just talking about the graphic violence and torture in it, I was slightly nervous just turning this DVD on.

It starts off light-hearted enough, similar to many teen comedies, as three young travellers party in Amsterdam. This part of the film although funny, merely delays the inevitable, as you are left tensely waiting for the film to turn scary.

The hype of this film made me edgy whilst watching it and I was expecting the worst. However it really isn't that bad. A lot of the violence is not shown, and when it is, it looks so fake it made me laugh.

A good storyline that could have been truly disturbing but it's so hyped up it won't live up to your expectations.

Scary? No.

I was so disappointed by this film. I love horror films, and I'd been assured by several people that this would scare my socks off...not so.

The film starts off very annoyingly by seemingly cramming as many naked female bodies as possible onto the screen and it's ages before there's any story or plot happening. I found the nudity and explicit sex (which I don't object to on any moral grounds, indeed, if it's done well, I enjoy it as part of a good story) to be entirely gratuitous and it gave me the queasy feeling that I was watching amateur porn. No story, no plot, just lots of titties and very silly, stereotyped american teenage boys. If this is the quality of youth being squeezed out of the good old U S of A, then America does indeed need to be blessed.

When the story does kick (should that be wander?) in, it's dreadfully predicatable and if you don't spot the 'surprise' baddie in the flick when he makes his first appearance, you're either not old enough to be watching it or youve been on another planet for quite some time.

It's not a bad idea, it's just badly executed. I expect anything with Mr Tarantino's name on it to be at the very least original. Hostel takes a half-decent idea and unfortunatley, ends up with a half-baked film. Yes, the special effects are good, quite realistic (I would imagine.....I hope I never have to find out for myself what any of that stuff looks like in real life!), the acting's OK, there's a discernable story....but there's nothing frightening here. No chills down the spine, no atmosphere so tense you can barely stand to watch what's going to happen next and no need to hide behind a cushion. A gore-fest it may be, a horror film it ain't.

I bet the vast majority of the positive reviews for this film have been written by exactly the type of goofy male teenagers as are featured in the film. Go on, check. I dare you.