Daft American tourists in a European wonderland

Rating: 8/10 (27 March 2006)

You can say what you like about Eli Roth, but you can't say he doesn't have vision. Roth has said on numerous occasions that he wants to bring the old-school grindhouse style back to cinema, and while Hostel is no masterpiece - it's safe to say that Roth has achieved his aim. Hostel is one of the grisliest films to come out of America in years; and what it lacks in originality is made up for with in your face gratuity. I'm actually one of the few that rates Cabin Fever as both a good film and a promising debut, and it's safe to say that Roth's prowess has a director has grew in the three years since the release of his first film. It's also safe to say that he's targeted his audience well, and Hostel is sure to appeal to fans of grisly, gory horror that leaves nothing to the imagination. The simple plot follows two Americans and their Icelandic friend on a backpacking trip through Europe. We first meet them in Amsterdam where they are directed to a Slovakian hostel on the promise of beautiful and easy girls by a stoned Dutch man. Everything is going well for the trio...until they start getting killed.
Roth shoots on location in Europe, and this brings a great style to the film. We start off in sleazy Amsterdam, where drugs and naked girls are the order of the day. From there, we move onto a beautiful village in Slovakia, upon which Roth creates a great sense of wonder. The central location is an abandoned hospital, and this setting provides the scene for all the ghastly action once the movie turns into a horror film. Hostel is a film of two halves; we start off with a scenario that reminded me a lot of 'An American Werewolf in Paris', in that wide-eyed American tourists are seen taking in the sights of Europe. There's no horror early on, but there's lots of comedy and this allows Roth to build his characters and show the audience a good time. Once it becomes a horror film, the shocks come thick and fast and the second half of the film is very different from first; but also very good. The characters and acting are both surprisingly well done. Although they're not exactly deep, Roth's teens are easy to like and it actually is a shame once they enter the chamber of horrors. The horror scenes are more along the lines of cringe-worthy torture than any real scares; but Roth makes good of it, as mystery is created early on and then the film breaks into a thrilling climax towards the end. The ending itself is really good, and provides the perfect finale to a grotesque monster of a film. Well worth ninety minutes of your time.