Did I miss the part where it was supposed to be "gory?"

Rating: 1/10 (6 July 2007)

I saw it first in theaters and years later the unrated DVD as a Blockbuster free rental. The movie feels like a con job, all you heard was how it's just way too violent and shocking but then when you see it all you really get is lots of talking, gratuitous soft core sex, and near the end of the movie some really bad gore effects. I've seen Troma movies that had a budget of what change they could find in their couch cushions that had far more realistic gore and of course much more creativity.
The problems with Hostel are that they took a decent idea and didn't even try and go anywhere with it. You have some American tourist who end up being kidnapped and tortured by wealthy Europeans. A big problem is that there is way too much talking and sex and not enough of the "horror" element. There aren't very many kills and what you do see looks insanely fake, like the blowtorch scene where all you see is the guys back and then they cut to the girl with red plastic glued to her face. You'll be better of just hitting fast forward through most of the movie since you won't be missing much, just lots of long conversations there to pass the time that don't add anything to the story.
There just isn't anything worth seeing in Hostel. Very little plot, badly filmed soft core sex for filler, and some of the worst gore effects you'll see in a major Hollywood movie. Do yourself a favor and get something good, may I suggest getting a Troma movie like Terror Firmer which has a perfect blend of horror, comedy, nudity, and loads of gore. All I can say is that Hostel has no redeeming qualities, maybe if it didn't take itself way too seriously it could have been slightly more watchable.