It's Like Saw With Some Talent

Rating: 10/10 (7 January 2006)

Hostel is similar to the overrated Saw movies in the sense that it is not afraid to show excessive gore or mutilation. While Saw prides itself on the violence, Hostel prides itself on the characters. I've read many reviews of Hostel who hold it to the same level as movies like Saw. Calling it typical, clunky, or nothing new.
Hostel is nothing like Saw. Hostel is a well-made film about the terror of being in an unfamiliar place. Pair this with the typical American mentality, and we see our asshole American backpackers travel deeper and deeper into a nightmare that they won't be able to escape.
I am a huge horror fan, whether it be old American horror or modern Japanese horror, I love horror films. I heard so much about this movie, how great it was, how original is was, how good the acting is, everything. And it's all true. The only thing I found to be untrue was the amount of gore. If anyone thinks this is the goriest movie ever made they got some renting to do. This movie does feature some brilliant effects and scenes of violence, but it's not as brutal as I had hoped.
If you're a Hollywood horror fan looking for a date night scare, you'll come out disappointed as this movie builds up its characters before letting anything remotely dangerous happen to them. But if you're a horror fan looking for something more along the lines of the Devil's Rejects then Hostel may just be the flick for you.