Not the non-stop gore fest it's being billed as, but amazing nonetheless

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2006)

Before I even get to reviewing the actual film, this needs to be said: I would have most definitely given this a 10 if I would have went into this movie totally blind, without seeing any trailers or reading any reviews. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as I've been following this film for months and couldn't wait to finally see it. That being said, if you haven't already spoiled yourself(which by now is damn near impossible), don't do it. The hype will probably ruin it for you.
This was a fantastic film. No, it's not the non-stop gore fest that you're expecting. On the other hand, it's not for the squeamish PG-13 horror fan either. This is a truly sick film, and it will scare you.
Hostel centers around 3 young men, backpacking all around Europe. To put it bluntly, they're basically just looking for some action for one of the lead characters, who just got out of some kind of bad relationship or whatever. They're having a pretty good time where they are, then some guy tells them to go to this other hostel in Slovokia(sorry if that's not spelled correctly), where women will just basically throw themselves at you. This is where the story picks up...please, if you do see it, don't leave just because the horror hasn't started 10 minutes into the movie. Anyway, so they head over to this hostel, start hooking up with hot chicks, yada yada. They're having a pretty awesome time until one of the guys goes missing, they get panicky, and that's where the real fun starts.
I'm not going to explain the gore in this review, there are threads upon threads on the message board that will explain the scenes to you if you want them. I personally thought, though, that it was extremely well done. The parts that will disturb you the most are the scenes not of the actual slashing/cutting/drilling/etc., but the ones of the cutaways, the stills of the instruments that will be used, the screaming you hear from the victims. This is where Eli Roth breaks away from the mediocre horror directors and will one day be a legend.
All in all, I loved this movie. It's not for the faint of heart, it's not for kids, but if you're a fan of real horror, go see this...then go rent some Miike(loved his tiny cameo!). Don't let all the hype scare you away from this excellent film!