Too bad Tarantino didn't write it as well as produce it.

Rating: 4/10 (12 September 2006)

I put off seeing this movie for some time, not because I thought it would be poor (which it is), but because it seems that 8000 horror movies come out every month these days, and hardly any of them are worth mentioning. I finally rented it it earlier this evening with the hopes that Tarantino's connection and Roth's humorous touch would make it at least a half-decent viewing. Unfortunately neither proved to be true. On the plus side the picture does have the "hard R" gore that has been lacking in horror movies for quite some time, but it all feels utterly inconsequential because the writing is so thin that it is hard to give a damn about what happens to the characters. None of the bizarre, yet entertaining humor of Cabin Fever is present, instead we get a good deal of nudity and sex, followed by a dragging center, concluding with some fairly gory violence, none of which has any real impact due to the slipshod writing. In all honesty I found Saw to be a better film, and that wasn't exactly a mind-blowing movie either. It seems no one is interested in putting out good horror movies anymore, there seems to be only two good types of horror movies; those with elaborate death sequences and campy humor, or that rare breed of psychological thriller whose fear inducement lies not in bloody scenery, but sharp writing which creates tension. Hostel is neither. Save your money and watch The Descent.