A throw back to 70's style horror films

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2006)

I was born in the 70's. I began watching horror films at about the age of 8. Of course horror films are scary when you are that young, no matter what they are. But then I grew up and began watching those same films over again, and to an extent, they were still scary. Those were the films from the 70's and early 80's. Leatherface will always incite that incessant trepidation in me. How can he not? Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the all time greats and I don't really think another film can duplicate the raw intensity of that film. There were others of course, and anyone who knows me even slightly knows that Last House on the Left is what I consider to be the most disturbing film ever made. Horror films, the good ones that is, can affect you in ways that other films can't. They get inside you. Hostel does that. It is a nightmarish film that takes a grim look at the underbelly of society. There is no other way to put it. This film is scary because of what happens in it but it is even scarier because what happens could be true.
Like any typical horror film, everything is great in the beginning. Josh and Paxton and their Icelandic nomad are in Europe seeking out all the best parties and the best women. They are in heaven at first as the women and drugs and parties are as abundant as they first heard. And then they meet another man their age who tells about a city in Slovakia where the women are better than you could imagine. Our three adventure seekers are off the Slovakia and upon entering the hostel, they meet two half naked women in their shared quarters. Clubs, drinking, drugs and sex ensues. This is paradise. What could be better? Up until now the pacing of the film is fast and furious. There is enough character development and eye candy to please those waiting for the horror. And the horror is never far off. The interesting thing about a film like this is that even though the naked women and the bongs and the festive atmosphere is abundant to the viewer, there is always that pernicious overtone, that feeling that something isn't quite right. You can attribute that to knowing what's coming up or to the fact that the marketing for this film, including the trailer is very effective. For me, I knew this happy atmosphere that the boys were a part of was going to end, and that scared me. One friend goes missing and then the plot gets twisted. He doesn't leave them a message as to where he's going, who he's with or an explanation as to why he left. The two boys are leery of this but decide to stay in the hostel one more night to have a bit more fun. Big mistake.
By now the film had me intrigued. And when the torture scenes finally happen, although the gore wasn't as graphic as I expected, the situations that are presented and how everything transpires is enough to scare the hell out of you. What is bothersome is that these situations, while ostensibly fictional, are in fact completely realistic and utterly possible. Just like Last House on the Left had three would be regular people doing heinous things to two innocent teenage girls, this film is almost more macabre in the sense that it explores an element to the human psyche that enjoys the kill. It seeks the thrill of inflicting pain. The scariest thing about this is the notion there are people that are so sick, so depraved and so inhumane that they actually have to pay to inflict bodily harm to others. Far fetched? Hardly. Look at the news from any given city in the world and you'll see the heinous and disgusting things that people do to one another. This film is disturbing because it is a reflection of society, no an aberration. I'm not saying that the majority of people want to be able to pay to murder someone, but what I am saying is the realm of possibility is there. That in itself is about as scary as you can get.
Eli Roth is imaginative. He is a visionary and he is adept at exploring the darker side of humanity. Cabin Fever was a great horror film, a little off the wall, but quite disturbing. Hostel is a work of art, it is as close to the 70's style of guts on the wall horror as you can get in today's horror climate. I was terrified watching the film and at the end by the end of the film, when you are screaming for revenge, Roth even gives you what you want. Hostel is a brilliant film. As much as I love movies like Scream and Sixth Sense, the true gusto of horror has also been omnipotent in recent months with films like Saw 2, Wolf Creek and High Tension. Hostel is better than the rest. It builds the tension and then boils to the point where the horror is almost too real. This is a very effective horror film and I look forward to the sequel.
10/10 A truly terrifying masterpiece.