Hostel (DVD)

Not neccessarily one of the goriest films out there, though I must admit I did buy it just for the gore and cringe factor. The special effects are not all that great throughout either. Some parts are super, others... not so super. If you're wanting blood and guts then this film has it, if you're wanting a cringe-worthy film then this film also has it... particularly if you like your achilles tendons...

What makes this film even better is the way it is set, normal people like you and I snatched from the streets. Being bought for torture - pain, one of the biggest fears of any human being... and this film is pretty much all about it!

The downside of this film for me was the build up to the action. For the first 15-30 minutes of the film there is nothing much happening, but then the fun begins. And what follows makes up for the boring bit at the beginning...

This was billed as being gory beyond belief, and while it's true that there are some very gory scenes in it, they're not necessarily any worse than some in other movies. However, the gory scenes in themselves are actually, unfortunately for viewers, the best part of the film. Because the plot is virtually non existent.
The film begins on an interesting note in the first scene, where we creepily hear someone whistling in a torture chamber, but the entire build up to the actual torture and murder scenes themselves is both boring and confusing.
For far too long in the film, nothing of any real note or relevance happens- the characters are young people who are in Holland to get prostitutes. And that really is it. Nothing expands on this or shows anything exciting happening. The attempts to be mysterious in terms of the plot backfires, and leads to confusion, leaving people thinking "What's going on?"
After the mind numbingly slow pace of seemingly meaningless events, the film suddenly changes pace and this time, goes too fast, rushing through the main event of the torture scenes, before the film suddenly ends. The characters depths are paper thin and diluted, which is annoying as the film drags on for so long you'd think they'd have spent the time explaining the characters and building a better structure to the chain of events leading up to the end of the film.
However it's not all doom and gloom. The characters, despite being shallow, are portrayed for exactly what they are- kids on a holiday having fun, drawn into a horrific nightmare beyond their control and without knowing why. The film doesn't pretend otherwise, or shy away from showing this. Also, once the film reaches the torture scenes, it's a good watch from then on in. And admittedly, although they are rushed, the torture scenes themselves are certainly gruesome. There is also a bit of a twist at the end, adding to the end of the film.
But overall, that really is the problem-it's the end of the film where everything happens and even that doesn't make up for all the pointless confusion and tediousness you have to sit through before it reaches anything worthwhile. Once it has started getting good, it's all over.
It's not the worst film ever made, but it's not great either. A nice idea should really have come off better. Overall, there's some scenes well worth watching, and from these scenes to the end of the film, it picks up somewhat along with the pace. But as a film overall, it's not that good. When you put the good bits against the bad bits, the result is a very average film..

This film was, frankly, very disappointing. Hostel was hyped as incredibly frightening and so disgustingly gory that you wouldn't even be able to look at the screen. This may have been the case if you are 12 years old or have spent your life watching Disney films. If, however, you have ever seen another horror film in which people get killed, this will bore you rigid. There is nothing new, dangerous, exciting or even interesting in this film. The story takes forever to get going, presumably to allow the characters to develop and to create a sense of the scene and the context. This fails dismally as the characters are all 2 dimensional and the context could be explained in about 45 seconds. By the time the 'action' starts you simply can't wait for them to be despatched, just to get it over with. There was no tension, no suspense and absolutely no interest in the thoroughly bland storyline. I would also love to know what any Eastern Europeans thought of the film as all the countries further East than France were portrayed as being populated by juvenile, sex-obsessed, drug-fuelled charicatures.
I was also stunned to discover that Quentin Tarantino had anything to do with this film. He is well known for his originality and ability to shatter emotional boundaries. Unfortunately the only thing that was shattered following this film was my will to live. If you haven't yet watched this turgid pile of fake blood, I suggest you don't waste your time.

ANOTHER FILM WHERE THE TRAILER (AND QUENTIN TARANTINO) EXCEED THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE FILM. LOOKS LIKE AN EXCUSE TO WASTE LOTS OF MONEY BY STRINGING SOME SICK THOUGHTS AND URBAN LEGENDS TOGETHER TO CATER FOR ALL THE GORE HOUNDS OUT THERE. AND WHY OH WHY DID OUR HERO MANAGE TO LOSE TWO GUNS, EVEN IF ONE WAS EMPTY NO ONE KNEW IT WAS ! ALSO I DON'T THINK THAT IF YOUR EYEBALL AND HALF YOUR FACE WAS BURNT OFF WITH A BLOWTORCH THAT YOU WOULD LIMP AWAY - YOU WOULD DIE OF SHOCK. WHAT A WASTE OF A POTENTIALLY GOOD IDEA.