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 reative
advances in the use of gore, a plethora of perky
breasts and entrepreneurial spirit gone horribly
wrong all intermesh to form "Hostel",
the backpacking sophomore effort from
writer/director Eli Roth ("Cabin
Fever"). In an attempt to nudge ticket
sales in the upward direction, Quentin Tarantino
is acknowledged front and center as
"presenting" the film. Tarantino's
influence can be felt in the film's overabundance
of blood, unique violence, truly memorable
characters and sex, but Roth lacks the other
director's strength for catchy dialogue and
innovation. Roth does explore his own distinctive
set of themes in "Hostel", many of which
were also present in "Cabin Fever",
though here the ideas are better connected and the
plot much tighter and more coherent.
Warning: if you are a single
male and planning to take a trip to
Europe
any time soon, specifically with the design of
looking for easy women, backpacking, taking
illicit drugs and staying in cheap lodgings, you
may want to think twice before seeing
"Hostel", which is supposedly based on
true events. My advice would be to sit in for the
first half, as Roth's film is the closest thing to
porn I have seen in a movie rated R. It could
serve as some inspiration that the average guy can
go to another country, sleep with women out of his
league, and not have to pay for it; except just
walk out of the theatre before the sketchy shit
starts happening.
The beginning of
"Hostel" is so cliché that the only
thing you retain from watching it is the beautiful
and willing female cast. The smooth, even wake in
this sea of breasts and nipples carries us through
thirty minutes or so of goofy masculine college
grads in
Amsterdam
talking about chicks, paying for them, and smoking
weed with a fellow sex crazed backpacker from
Iceland
named Oli (Eyther Gudjonsson). Paxton (Jay
Hernandez) and Josh (Derek Richardson) are on
their last binge of irresponsibility before
entering the real world, and their hedonistic
journey leads them right into an extraordinarily
sadistic trap.
"Hostel" slowly
begins to earn its horror badge after the friends
make a fateful encounter on returning from a night
of debauchery. The trio meets a herpes laden back
alley type tourist guide who entices them to visit
Bratislava
, a small area within
Slovakia
where sexy women are plentiful and love to do
American guys. Take notice as Photoshop is used
comically throughout the movie, especially in this
sequence as the creepy "pimp" shows
pictures of himself cut and pasted next to hot
models while giving a thumbs up. Of course they
follow the pimp's advice, though the hesitant Josh
has to be convinced with a hokey cost/benefit
analysis by Paxton.
On the train to
Bratislava
, we get the most Tarantino-esque line of the film
from a sinister businessman who, when asked why he
eats with his hands, tells the boys, "I feel
that people have lost touch with their food".
"Hostel" offers more youth horror
standbys as the three adventurers check into the
hostel aforementioned by their
Amsterdam
guide. The staff is suspiciously over-friendly,
and flirtatious naked women are everywhere. But
people soon start disappearing, and it's revealed
that the girls and the hostel are just a front to
lure in tourists for something much darker.
"Hostel's" second
act is partially salvaged by outlandish characters
like the reappearing blood thirsty gang of
small children, acute suspense, last second
getaways and a frightening plot revelation that is
hauntingly possible. When Josh cannot be found
after a night of clubbing, Paxton is left to the
devices of
Bratislava
and comes upon a hell on par with a facility for
Nazi doctors and their experiments. The
culminating visuals are extremely gruesome, and if
you are a fan of torture or novel ways to inflict
pain on people, "Hostel" offers up some
truly sick alternatives to the everyday hum drum
of finger breaking, electrocutions and beatings.
The similarities between
"Cabin Fever" and "Hostel"
hopefully shows Roth trying to develop a style
rather than just sticking with what works. This,
combined with the overuse of standard horror
tenets, makes Roth's second foray into horror
teeter on mediocrity. At the very least it is
entertaining and a worthwhile see for horror fans
or those that enjoyed "Cabin Fever". In
brief glimpses "Hostel" shows the
potential of its creator, and its gore scenes are
unparalleled. If the movie is indeed based on true
events, then I'm sticking with prostitutes on my
next sojourn in
Europe
.
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