Pass on the Popcorn

Don’t be fooled by the tagline, ‘Quentin Tarantino presents’… Hostel is neither directed nor written by him at all. Directed by Eli Roth, you will see an excessive amount of violence and blood in this sick horror film. But don’t expect the edgy style of Pulp Fiction or the cult appeal of Kill Bill. If you do, you will be seriously disappointed.

 This is actually one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. There is no narrative developed and the story is ridiculously simple; three sex-starved backpackers (Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson and Eythor Gudjonsson) check into a hostel in Slovakia where, according to rumours, hot girls are waiting for foreign tourists in bed. So, the backpackers easily find some girls Natalya (Barbara Nedeljáková) and her friend Svetlana (Jana Kaderabková) and appear to get lucky but this is all a preliminary to  find themselves in an underground club where they are brutally tortured by mysterious guys for an ‘art show’.  

OK, the lads are stupid and unlikeable, but apart from that there is no clear or reasonable explanation of why they deserve this ‘punishment’. They are killed for nothing. The lack of point is not explored or explained. This shallow story is the biggest problem but not the only promblem with this film. Unlike other well-made psychological thrillers like Saw and Cube, Hostel appears to have no other aim than  to make you sick by showing constant visual violence and cheesy sex scenes. It is  not even scary, just disgusting. It may, however,  be good for people who  want to lose their appetite for the sake of a diet.

Also, one might want to ask why it’s set in Slovakia. There appears to be no discernable  political meaning in the film. It is presumably not setting out  just to annoy the Slovakian people? Or do the filmmakers think that Slovakian people don’t mind? I don’t think so. Hopefully the film isn’t going to be shown there.

Hostel is a film with an empty narrative filled with tits and blood and starring B-list actors. If you want to waste your money, this is for you. One piece of advice: don’t buy popcorn.

1/5 Poor: unlikeable characters; unlikeable film

Hostel is available to rent or pre-order from Amazon.co.uk. The soundtrack is available to buy.