Why the hype?

Rating: 2/10 (15 January 2006)

Having heard that Hostel was one of the most successfully frightening and atmospheric additions to the new wave of horror/grind-house influenced movies, I was excited to see this. Reading reviews online which noted people vomiting and being unable to sit through the movie comfortably only added to my expectation for a satisfying film.
The movie did not deliver on any this. No cringes (save for a third-act "artistic" decision where the protagonist cowboys up with a gun and exacts revenge), no real connection to the story, and honestly two moments where I felt even a frisson of fear.
SPOILER The first moment that worked for me was when Josh comes to in the factory, hooded and the viewer is provided a POV shot. Very atmospheric and well done. The subsequent torture scene gave me hopes that the movie was going to commit to the premise and pay off after a slow build. Roth cuts away from moments and allows the audience to imagine the torture instead of seeing all of it, a smart move if the audience is later rewarded with a scene that is truly horrific. Sadly, we don't get to see this. Only flashes of other nameless characters being tortured and flogged as Paxton is being taken into the factory.
The second bit of business that worked was the severing of the optic nerve. A nice bit of old fashioned gore where the camera doesn't back off. END SPOILER
Overall, Hostel didn't engage me. Granted, part of the fun of these movies is seeing the characters picked off and waiting for it to happen. These characters, with the exclusion of Josh, are so unlikeable you end up waiting for them to die so that the story will progress and the movie will finally be over. Apologists might argue that Roth is taking the staples of the genre and reworking them--if this is indeed the case, it's a tactic that does not pay off.
Throughout the movie the are moments where I thought the film might gain some momentum and really deliver. This never happens. During the opening credits I was excited to see that Greg Nicotero was in charge of effects make-up. Having recently watched Land of the Dead I was anticipating the possibilities of what he might deliver. The make-up effects are overall ineffective. And in the third act there is a remarkably unrealistic facial effect. What works in a dimly lit environment in daylight reads as grotesque as a kid playing with ketchup or maybe dyed Kayro syrup.
For me, Hostel is a fascinating failure. You're presented a well-made movie that has potential to be disturbing. Sadly, the movie never delivers on this.