as unlike Cabin Fever as you can imagine

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2006)

eli roth has come a long way since Cabin Fever, a completely underwhelming film that seemed calculated to do little more than earn roth a title as heir apparent to the legacies left by his horror forebears. playing off his newfound industry buzz and access to horror auteurs, roth has cobbled together a team of celebrities-turned-sycophants including Tarantino and Miike to champion his latest endeavor, a wanna-be Asian extreme gorror. the result? a spectacular film. roth may be calculating in his Hollywood machinations, but that same calculating mind has brought us a film of such ferocity and brutality that it's nothing short of astonishing for Hostel to be a mainstream American release in 2006. this film is as enigmatic and fearless as Cabin Fever was obvious and safe. the critics' reviews versus the box office speak volumes on this one: although the press may not be ready for an angry America, the audience certainly is.