Hostel (2005)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Eli Roth

Writer (WGA):

Eli Roth (written by)

Release Date:

6 January 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Welcome To Your Worst Nightmare

Plot:

Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.

Plot Keywords:

Hostel | Europe | Backpacker | Bratislava | Friend

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jay Hernandez	...	Paxton
Derek Richardson	...	Josh
Eythor Gudjonsson	...	Oli
Barbara Nedeljakova	...	Natalya
Jan Vlasák	...	The Dutch Businessman
Jana Kaderabkova	...	Svetlana
Jennifer Lim	...	Kana
Keiko Seiko	...	Yuki
Lubomir Bukovy	...	Alex
Jana Havlickova	...	Vala
Rick Hoffman	...	The American Client
Petr Janis	...	The German Surgeon
Takashi Miike	...	Miike Takashi
Patrik Zigo	...	Bubble Gum Gang Leader (as Zigo Patrik)
Milda Jedi Havlas	...	Desk Clerk Jedi

Also Known As:

Hostel: Part I (Australia) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal scenes of torture and violence, strong sexual content, language and drug use.

Runtime:

94 min | Philippines:93 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Czech | German | Dutch | Slovak | Japanese | Icelandic | Russian | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Germany:18 (nf) | Australia:R | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Sweden:15 | Mexico:D | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Brazil:18 | South Africa:16 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Belgium:KNT | Hungary:18 | Finland:K-18 | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) | South Korea:Limited (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #42205) | Italy:VM14 | Germany:Not Rated (SPIO/JK) (extended version) | France:-16 (with warning) | Norway:18 (self applied) (with warning) | Malaysia:18SG (unrated DVD version) | Malaysia:(Banned) (theatrical) | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-18 | Italy:VM18 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Company:

Hostel LLC

Trivia:

At the very first screening of "Hostel" at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, two separate ambulances were called from people having such extreme reactions to the film. One man left the theater during Josh's torture, fainted, and tumbled down the escalator, and during Paxton's torture a woman had festival volunteers call an ambulance, claiming the film was giving her a heart attack. Both patrons were okay, and local media thought it was a publicity stunt by director Eli Roth. Ironically, Roth knew nothing of the incident, as he was in the theater watching the film, and only found out after when he was told by the festival staff of the chaos that transpired.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the one street kid throws a stone onto the man's head from the window you can see blood on his head before the stone hits him.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Paxton: Amsterdam, motherfucker!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Dark Side of Porn: Does Snuff Exist? (#2.4)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

We Ain't Fuckin' wit Y'All

Good horror, non-existent story

I like a rip-roaring horror movie as much as the next guy, but this one just didn't do it for me. It certainly felt like it hit all the necessary marks, from nudity and dismemberment to bloody revenge, but at the conclusion, it just felt like eating cotton candy - no real nutritional value, just a sense that I had satisfied some of my prurient appetite without any logical payoff.

The movie was slow in getting started and then the sprinted to a singularly boggling ending. I walked out of the theater asking, "What was the point of all that?" And while this is described as horror, it really should be classified as thriller. There was no explanation or clever twist at the end. Just the end. I'm sure that it will attract an enthusiastic audience of young adults, but the evisceration by the critics will stem any hopes of huge box office.

If your expectations are low enough, and your tastes in gore sufficiently robust, then you are in for a good time. Otherwise, skip this and see a classic Hitchcock film. You'll feel better about yourself.