04/27/06 Hostel

Hostel (2005), directed by Eli Roth

watched solo; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home; suggested by Garrett

One of the most talked about horror movies in awhile (although there has been a glut of scary movies of late). It should have been the most talked about anti-tourism marketing plan ever. "Hostel" was tagged by many to be the scariest movie ever. With such lofty expectations, I'm going to have to say it fell a bit short of that, but was still a good scare and very very messed up. What did you expect from a film that was done by the guy who did "Cabin Fever" and co-produced by Tarantino? The film begins with the backpacking adventure of two American kids and one nomad Icelander they befriend along the way through Europe. The trip is one of hedonistic excess for the three men, which further demonstrates the foreign view of the "ugly American" tourist as all three decide to be rude, crude and socially unacceptable to the locals. After ticking off locals in a club, the guys stumble across a fellow stoner who tells them tales of a pleasure-filled hostel in Slovakia that will cater naked women to serve all of their fantasies. Of course intrigued, the guys search against all the warning signs to find this pleasure-dome. Along the way they meet a creepy Dutch businessman, hot Czech and Asian chicks, co-ed saunas, Bubblegum gangs of children who jack tourists, and torture museums. Yeah, it gets weirder. So, they break all rules of foreign travel...stay together as a group, never take drugs from mysterious hot foreign girls in rave clubs, don't get drunk & pass out anywhere, etc. The story begins in a T&A fest a la "Eurotrip", then quickly spirals into a hellish underworld of brutal murders by locals a la "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Just when you think travel is safe, it's not. I won't go into the goriest of details, but there is lots of mutilation and sick stuff. Some may say the pranksters got their just desserts, but why is that the most ignorant of the group becomes the hero? Anyway, this film does for the Slovakian tourism industry what SARS did for Asian countries. Keeps people the F away. Look for the cool cameo by Takashi Miike in the elite "Club."

3 out of 5 stars