Deserves the Horror category

Rating: 8/10 (16 October 2006)

The horror genre spews out all sorts of films year in and out that aren't horrendous at all. They might be gruesome, bloody, sinister, etc...but rarely do they inspire horror. Hostel deserves the title. I saw the movie a few hours ago and some images from the movie still play out in my mind. I feel this is a good mark for a horror film.
The movie starts off on unsure footing. It feels more like a bad National Lampoon's movie or something. Eventually the first backpacker goes missing and the movie begins to find it's eerie groove. The rest of the movie moves at a much better pace and the story unfolds with a few twists.
I'm not going to spoil the ending but checked spoiler warning because I'm giving away a midpoint twist which I think deserves mention. The movie leads the viewer to believe a certain character is the lead. The good guy, heart of gold, doesn't want to mindlessly party guy is always the lead. And it never makes sense as this character is typically weaker and must be forced to make decisions though outside forces. The writer kills this guy off after leading us to think he's the one that'll make it out. Very good move in my opinion. There's actually tension from this point on as you don't know who will and won't get killed off.
It's not the end all of horror films, but it's a good one. It's brutal, violent, gory, etc, but not mindlessly so. The film will leave a lasting impression.