Great Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2006)

Yes! I said Thriller.
The word of mouth about this flick from the man who made our stomachs turn in Cabin Fever, was that it was all about the gore.
Sure this movie has its gory moments, but really, this movie is a classic thriller. Starting off as your typical buddy buddy road movie, the film takes a horrific turn when members of the group start disappearing. The audience knows what is happening to them of-course as that part has been well advertised. The interesting twist is when Paxton escapes and makes his way out of the torture fun park. This is where the movie takes off and keeps running. The uncomfortableness of the previous torture scenes make the getting away sequences all the more never racking and enjoyable.
Who is not on their seat screaming at Paxton to just get the heck out of there? When he goes back in to save Kana, you can hardly watch.
This movie reminded me in many ways of Mute Witness. Also shot in a bleak Eastern Europe, it starts off as a horror slasher film and before you know it, gets you caught up in a suspense filled thriller.
I have never been a big fan of the just straight out gore movies. Carpenter did not need excessive blood to make Halloween frightening; Craven did not turn the screen red to create masterpieces such as the Hills Have Eyes or Nightmare on Elm Street. Still, somewhere along the way, directors made the equation that blood and gore equaled suspense. Unfortunately, it seldom does.
Hostel is a great movie because it scares the crap out of you and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Eli successfully uses the gore to make you feel uncomfortable; once off balance, he takes you on a roller coaster ride.