There is a stigma attached to most horror movies, and depending on your ethics could be amazing or offensive. Tits, drugs, and sex wow the three commandments of horror. Put these three elements in and you have a automatic b movie status. Eli Roth is not only a student of horror, but a student of film as well and it shows through on Hostel his second directorial effort. The first half of the film has the three commandments all but thrown in your face. Students backpacking, dong drugs and ultimately persuaded to stay in a town that loves American cock. As silly as all that is in a tongue in cheek way it works, because when shit hits the fan the guts start to fly. I do not like the word torture porn when describing horror films but the phrase does oddly come to mind while watching Hostel. The film is easy and fancy free in the first thirty-five minutes setting up a darker climax that no one has attempted in a major motion picture in some time. It is easy to put off some horror as over the top or just plain gory for gores sake, but Hostel never felt like that to me. The story and torture scenes are played out brilliantly by sick minded actors and Eli's twisted wit. Released years ago I still love Hostel as it reminds me that not all directors are cookie cutter assholes, it takes chances. Personally it is my favorite horror story of the last decade. It contains no popular actors, no huge music soundtrack and at the time a no name director who Quentin Tarantino believed in. I believe every horror fan should own Hostel on dvd it's a film that surprisingly ages well with more surprises around each viewing. There is something in Hostel for every horror fan give it a whirl and find out what it has in store for you.
There is a stigma attached to most horror movies, and depending on your ethics could be amazing or offensive. Tits, drugs, and sex wow the three commandments of horror. Put these three elements in and you have a automatic b movie status. Eli Roth is not only a student of horror, but a student of film as well and it shows through on Hostel his second directorial effort. The first half of the film has the three commandments all but thrown in your face. Students backpacking, dong drugs and ultimately persuaded to stay in a town that loves American cock. As silly as all that is in a tongue in cheek way it works, because when shit hits the fan the guts start to fly. I do not like the word torture porn when describing horror films but the phrase does oddly come to mind while watching Hostel. The film is easy and fancy free in the first thirty-five minutes setting up a darker climax that no one has attempted in a major motion picture in some time. It is easy to put off some horror as over the top or just plain gory for gores sake, but Hostel never felt like that to me. The story and torture scenes are played out brilliantly by sick minded actors and Eli's twisted wit. Released years ago I still love Hostel as it reminds me that not all directors are cookie cutter assholes, it takes chances. Personally it is my favorite horror story of the last decade. It contains no popular actors, no huge music soundtrack and at the time a no name director who Quentin Tarantino believed in. I believe every horror fan should own Hostel on dvd it's a film that surprisingly ages well with more surprises around each viewing. There is something in Hostel for every horror fan give it a whirl and find out what it has in store for you.
