Ridiculously under-appreciated film

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2009)

I waited 5 years to see this, but I'm glad I finally did. I can honestly say that most critiques of this film are inaccurate and unfair. "Hostel" is an intense and extremely well-made modern horror film. Comments that "the action" doesn't begin until after an hour, were obviously written by viewers with infantile attention spans, and video game addicts. The calm before the storm is known as tension building, or "suspense." "Hostel" begins to get creepy almost immediately, before the guys even leave Amsterdam, when the Slovakian guy makes the comment about being able to do anything to the girls from this remote village. By the time Paxton and his traveling companions arrive in Slovakia, it is already obvious that what will follow will be something very bizarre and terrifying. Director Eli Roth has obviously learned a lot from, not only classic horror films, but also foreign film, as he takes the familiar direction of the slower, more suspenseful style of his Euro counterparts. Beautiful and strange little touches like the murderous children, and the ambiguous suggestions of one main characters sexuality also lend this one a definite Euro feel. Those that commented on the amount of nudity and sex in the film must have led very sheltered lives, never seeing a foreign film. The nudity is very brief, and only occurs at the beginning. The abandoned building where the torture/killings take place is truly brilliant in all it's dirty and bloody splendor, and the violence is realistic, shocking and disturbing. Anyone offended or sickened by said images should have done a bit of research before looking at the film, and known enough to steer clear of it. But no, they wanted to see it, just so they could rip it apart and call it "sick." These same people paid to see it; what does that make them? Hypocrites. "Hostel" cleverly lulls the viewer into a false sense of security with an intentional light mood. The beginning portion of the film utilizes bright colors and upbeat music. The second portion sees the colors washing away, along with the light feeling. Halfway through "Hostel" observant viewers will notice that the color is gone completely, leaving only shades of black, brown and gray, with the only real color being the red of the gallons of blood being spilled. The harshest critics should watch this one again only this time they might want to switch their brains on, and maybe they will see all the little nuances and symbolism that make "Hostel" an intelligent, classic horror film. The thing that places "Hostel" in a different league from similar films like "Saw," is the suggestion of evil on such a grand scale. While "Saw" dealt with the anger and vengeance of one man, "Hostel" suggests a world where an entire village might be in on the conspiracy of murdering innocents, and not even for some moral or spiritual reason; but rather these people are in it for nothing more than financial gain. "Hostel" suggests an evil and an inherent corruption, an immorality on such a large scale, that the film can hardly fail at being one of the most evil and disturbing films of our time. As a horror film, therefore, "Hostel" succeeds and surpasses all other imitators.