Honey Trap...

Rating: 8/10 (5 May 2020)

HOSTEL is best seen knowing nothing about it. Director, Eli Roth has made a tricky movie here, w/ a lot of seemingly harmless buildup, leading to a crescendo of visceral terror and anguish. The three western tourists are likable, young males, out for a bit of fun. They are oblivious to the trap into which they've fallen. Hell has to literally open up around them, before they take notice. Part horror / cautionary tale, part sadistic blast of jet-black humor, and part social / political commentary, Roth builds the story slowly, revealing the truth in one big, shocking switch. The motivation behind the ordeal is what places this movie a step above typical, so-called "torture porn". It's ingenious really, in a sort of cynical, demonic way. Not for the squeamish or the easily offended...