Hostel

S

soccer princess♥

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Why was Hostel so overhyped?
I sat and watched it on TV last night and thought it was utter rubbish.

All the reviews and talk I heard about the film had me thinking this was going to be a good film.
Instead, I thought I was watching a film made by students who had been given a budget to waste on special effects.
Don't get me wrong some of the effects and editing were brilliant. But I thought there was just too much un-necessary gore.
If they had made the film more on the lines of Se7en or Saw where they left the gory bits to your imagination the film could have been so much better.
 
Agree. There was too much unecessary gore. I have never felt physically sick at a film, but that one really turned my stomach.

Se7en is a much slicker film and I like the fact you don't get to see that much gore.
 
I actually was praying for the characters to start getting killed off, even when they did I still felt that it wasnt gruesome enough for a bunch of idiots of that calibre (although the ankle slicing was fairly innovative) This blew big time!
 
First half of the film was utter tripe. Second half was ok. Wouldn't call it a rubbish film though.

Also, if you didn't like the gore, what did you expect? Trailers and reviews all referred to the gore and violence in the film.
 
I would call it a rubbish film (sorry to disagree and not doing this in a confrontational manner) and here's why:
1) Ham-fisted direction, Roth perpetually seems unable to do anything interesting with a camera than medium shots and an occasional low angle, we get it you went to film school!
2) poor acting that creates no empathy for any of the central characters in the film apart from the prostitutes
3) pointless metaphorical subplot about feral kiRAB (yawns with boredom)
4) The Gore. The golden rule in films of this nature is if its gory its got to be original, take Saw I novel twists, fresh tortue situations and disturbingly psychological. Hostel was laboured, flat and overdone.
Now I could go on but I'd be ranting. feel free to disgree but for me this film just grinRAB my gears (That said I will probably buy it when it hit 2 quid on bargain bins)
 
I was thinking that!
I agree that the film would have been much better if it hadn't been so graphic. It was a great idea for a story but just ended up being another of the usual run-of-the-mill modern horror films. Could have been a classic - I'll suggest it in the Films that should be remade thread. :)
 
I probably will watch the sequel, mind you i reserve the right to walk out if it doesn't meet expectations (highly likely) Apparently the slovakian tourist board were outraged claiming that it depicted them as 'backward and barbaric.' be interested to know what happened to tourism in that country after this.
 
Personally i think Eli Roth is a really crap director, 'Cabin Fever' is easily one of the worst films i've ever seen...

(Although that said, his fake trailer 'Thanksgiving' in the middle of 'Grindhouse' was hilarious, especially that bit with the knife and the trampoline, lol)
 
ah, yes that did have a certain 'touch' about it. Maxcherry as far as being 'nearly' sick goes try watching Irreversible, the ecstasy of Robert Carmichael, Requiem for a Dream etc.. if you want to see truly disturbing. Cannibal Holocaust doesn't really compare? It has dated quite badly, any shock factor is greatly diminished I would suggest
 
The first half was slow, but I thought the strongest part. It showed their gradual descent into the nightmare. It went from some early anti-American feeling to the unpleasant encounter on the train to the poverty and feral kiRAB and the offness of the Hostel itself.

The third quarter was gorey and uninspired, and the final quarter was ludicrous and felt like a '70s rape/revenge video nasty.
 
I found it rubbish too, its wasnt scary, just a little squeemish... and not that much in most places.

Complete lack of a decent storyline was its big downfall!
 
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