The Less You Know...

Here’s the official press release on HOSTEL. It’s the only plot I will divulge.

“HOSTEL is about two American friends who go on a trip to Europe, and they’re looking for excitement, girls and drugs and all the stuff that you can’t find in America. Someone tells them about this hostel where there are tons of beautiful girls who’ll have sex with anyone who’s a foreigner. So these two guys and their Icelandic friend go to this place, and it turns out to be true; but they find themselves in a whole lot of trouble.”
I liked HOSTEL quite a bit, and if that was all the plot you knew, you might agree. Unfortunately, you will never get the chance to enjoy HOSTEL because its advertising campaign centers entirely on revealing the film's big secret. Anyone who sees the trailer and buys a ticket for the experience, will get an hour of T&A and lots of 'zzzzzzz' because they're way ahead of the movie. With the big secret revealed, HOSTEL is nothing more than a giant "so what" pumped up by ridiculous amounts of sex and gore.

The film contains heaps of nudity and gallons of gruesome carnage. But filmmaker Eli Roth has an opinion about the material, and knows that eventually it all goes up on a 40ft. screen for an audience to watch. He never holds back, but he never rubs your nose in it either because he wants to keep your attention. He wants you to like and hate the characters and the situation, not be the director who makes you watch. While this film is even more adult than THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, it gets the tone right and I had a good time.

I have to admit, I liked Roth's previous film, CABIN FEVER, but I'll never defend or recommend it. The tone is all over the place and the film runs out of story about an hour in. But I loved the original idea of the villian being a flesh eating virus and scenes like when the diseased guy tries to steal their truck and spews blood all over the place.

HOSTEL is a huge improvement over CABIN FEVER. (A discussion group following the screening unanimously confirmed the same.) One reason may be that good ol' Quinten Tarantino helped Eli with the script on this one. (In exchange the film is being "Presented" by Q.T., much like HERO was.) Plus there's actual acting this time.

HOSTEL is a very special type of horror movie. It’s not all that scary, and while the film is ridiculously violent, it isn’t trying to be gross like DEAD ALIVE, RE-ANIMATOR or the EVIL DEAD movies. Roth doesn’t keep the violence off screen, but he doesn’t try to make you vomit. Of course, everybody has their own level of what they’re willing to watch, but most of the discussion group felt that the movie was extremely violent and gory, but not excessively so. My opinion is that it’s one of the most violent and graphic movies ever made, but, unlike THE DEVIL'S REJECTS it didn’t cross the line into bad taste.
So what type of horror film is it? HOSTEL achieves its terror by creating a great amount of unease. This film really exploits the “stranger in a strange land” feeling of being in a foreign country. A lot of the Europeans in the movie seem just a bit off center. Not all out David Lynch weird, but quirky. And Roth’s best trick here is the way he makes you feel uneasy while he slowly springs his trap.

There is a jaw-dropping amount of nudity in the opening half-hour. This movie is gratuitous product placement for breast implants as nearly every scene in the opening section has some form of nudity (the specialty being a topless girl, but the film isn’t lacking for ideas and combinations). And this isn’t artistic or gritty nudity. It’s silicone-enhanced, in your face, casual rampant nudity.

So the film wins points for sheer brazenness even if it ensures that only a small group of people will actually want to see it. What finally won me over is the story. You see as the plot shows its secrets, HOSTEL unveils a truly unique idea. Roth makes you wait for it, but it’s a great revelation. I was feeling like the sadism was pointless and aimless, and I thought in the end the whole structure would collapse in a heap of meaningless violence. But, HOSTEL has a reason for being, and in that reveal the film immediately became something I would recommend.
[In the Discussion Group, everyone’s favorite aspect of the film was its originality.]
In interviews, Roth states that HOSTEL is a tribute to one of his favorite filmmakers, Takashi Miike (pictured with Roth above). Having seen a lot of Miike’s work, the comparison fits. (Miike even makes an interesting cameo in the film.) If you know of AUDITION and ICHI THE KILLER, then you might know what to expect here. And if you’ve seen either of them (or if you think the SAW films are too tame) I would feel safe recommending this to you. Otherwise I suggest you stay far away.

[For The Record: of the 25 people in the Discussion Group 8 loved it, 14 liked it. 22 said it was better than they were expecting.]