hos·tel (hos'tl) n. 1. A supervised, inexpensive lodging place for travelers, especially young travelers. 2. n. A new, extremely sick and depraved film by Eli Roth In 2002, writer/director Eli Roth hit the Hollywood scene running with the release of Cabin Fever. I still remember there was a ton of hype that preceded the release, telling potential audiences that it was the ultimate horror film. Well, the truth was, it was more of a campy dark comedy than anything else. There wasn't so much there to scare audiences as there was to gross them out. The very idea of spreading an infectious disease around that ate off your flesh Ebola-style was enough to get audiences into the theatre then turn them out with a serious case of the willies.

I kind of wondered what had happened to Roth in the aftermath of the release of Cabin Fever, after all the film turned him into the flavor of the week, for several weeks. Then… nothing. His name would pop up every now and then, but still I had no idea what he was working on next, if anything. Last year, he finally made it back onto the radar with news that a new film was in the works. The film was called Hostel, and it promised to deliver all the blood and gore that even the most hardened horror film fan would cringe to see. I honestly wondered whether or not he could do it, but when I saw the same hype hitting TV and Computer screens that we had for his first feature, I knew it didn’t matter. If anything, this would guarantee a certain level of success for the movie regardless of whether or not it was any good.

In the end, the hype worked, because where Cabin Fever only brought in a worldwide gross of 30+ million, Hostel raked in the dough with an estimated 70 million dollars worldwide. Now, some of you might say, "Well, neither broke the 100 million mark…", but you have to realize that the budget for the first film came in at around 1.5 million and Hostel was made for a little under 5 million. So as you can see, thanks to strategic marketing, they both did VERY well. Now when you add DVD sales into the mix, the sky's the limit.

When Hostel hit movie theatres back in January, I tried my best to go and see it but failed to make the time. So I did what any self-respecting DVD critic would do… I waited for the DVD. And a scant 3 months later, the unrated version of Hostel landed on my doorstep, ready for viewing.

Before I get to my thoughts on the film itself, let me fill you in on a little of the plot, or what there is of it. It seems the idea that people are sometimes kidnapped in the world to be bought and sold in all sorts of markets gave Eli Roth the spark for a story about two American College students who decide to go the backpacking route through parts of Europe. Oftentimes when college students do this, they rely on hostels as an inexpensive place to stay when they're not on the road. These two, Paxton (Jay Hernandez) and Josh (Derek Richardson), meet up with another European traveler by the name of Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson) and eventually wind up being talked into checking out a hostel in a little Slovakian Village. And what lures them there you might ask? The promise of beautiful women eager to utilize their 'charms' with travelers and engage in a little extracurricular 'positional conversation' (if you get my drift).

So, as you might imagine, being that these guys are the typical male college students (stupid, drunk, stupid and sex-starved….. did I mention stupid?), they go off the beaten path and right into what seems like a Dionysian paradise of sex and alcohol. Unfortunately, as their situation seems too good to be true… it is. They soon find that they have actually ventured into a level of hell where things get much worse than dogs and cats living together. It is a place that offers up pleasures of a different kind to deviants of the worst kind. You think you know torture? Think again.

Sounds good, right? Well…. not so much as you might think. Chances are this film won't appeal to the average movie watcher, but it will appeal to those with a desire to see pain inflicted on people in ways that they cannot even imagine. Oh… and a lot of T&A. This makes Hostel a very difficult movie to review, because it absolutely won't appeal to everyone.

What Roth has done is made a film that gives him the opportunity to throw in as much nudity, sex, blood and gore as he possibly can, and surround it with a minimalist plot. So in way, the film is a success if you are the type of person who could care less about the story as long as you get to see a lot of the aforementioned nudity, sex, blood and gore. You will probably love it and (almost seriously) try to figure out how in the world the Academy Awards looked it over next year. But, if you’re like me, you like your nudity, sex, blood and gore to be delivered with a story that you can get into. Don’t get me wrong, with my background in haunted house special effects, I LOVE to see a lot of gore, especially when it is as well created as it is by the geniuses over at KNB. But, like the jokes that came out when Godzilla was released… 'Plot Matters.'

On the bright side, Roth really does show quite a bit of growth as a filmmaker with Hostel. Overall it is a much better looking film than Cabin Fever, both in terms of the camera work and the use of sounds effects. I also noticed that the editing is much tighter, and his actors much stronger. Granted, most of these guys only had to act like frat boy jerks, but they are the most realistic frat boy jerks I've seen in a movie.

As for the DVD release of Hostel, Sony / Columbia Tristar did an extremely good job. There are a lot of scenes on the film that are very dark and the transfer allows a near perfect view to most of them. Shadows are very rich and the contrast allows you to see the things that Roth intended you to see and hides the things that he did not. The sound is also quite good and shows off the director's penchant for squishy noises…

The extra features are kind of odd here, but in a way I'm not surprised by the inclusion of 4 separate commentaries. That's right… 4. And each one features Roth, once all by himself, once teamed up with executive producers Quentin Tarantino, Boaz Yakin and Scott Speigel, another with the film's producers, and finally one with Harry Knowles (from AintitCoolNews.com). What’s funny about this is that even though Roth shows up in every commentary, he is rarely at a loss for words. And even funnier, he is interesting to listen to on all 4. I don’t suggest listening to them all at once, that's just too much talking. But if you spread them around over a few days you won’t be disappointed.

You'll also find a three part documentary on the making of the film, and admittedly this is one of the better ones I've seen. You rally get to see how much fun it can be working on a set, even when the final product is something as horribly sickening as Hostel. Some of the behind the scenes footage reminds me of how much fun I've had working at some haunted attractions. We make some really disgusting items, but we have a hell of a time doing it. The disc also offers up a multi angle scene where you get to see a car destroyed. Not really much to this one.

Hostel is without a doubt not a movie that is fun for the whole family. If you have kids, keep them far, far away from this film. I actually read a few months ago about some parents who took their 6 year old girl to see it in the theatre, then were appalled by what a horrible film it was. They got mad at the theatre manager and demanded their money back. How these idiot parents ever misread any of the trailers for Hostel and somehow got the idea that it was a 'great family film' is beyond me. Anyhow, I digress. Hostel is not for the faint of heart as some of the scenes are extremely brutal. I have no doubt there is a voyeuristic audience out there for films like this, and only you will know if you should be in it.

Directed by: Eli Roth
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Rick Hoffman
Extras: Commentary by Director Eli Roth, Commentary by Director Eli Roth and Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino, Boaz Commentary with Director Eli Roth and Producers, Commentary by Director Eli Roth and AintItCoolNews.com's Harry Knowles, "Hostel Dissected" - Behind the Scenes Featurette, "Kill the Car!" - Multi angle Interactive Feature
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Widescreen (2.35:1)
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 4/11/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Website

We'll give Hostel a C+.