Review of Hostel (2006) by Maineutral R — 09 Jun 2013

I had been terrified to watch this for years, since I made the mistake of reading about it a little too much. Having seen it finally, I can say that it is not the complete disintegration of Western civilization it's been touted as. Certainly, it is more graphic than most horror movies I've seen, but I think that, considering the inherent horror of its subject matter, it is almost tasteful in what it depicts. Much is left to the imagination. At any rate, it is certainly not perfect, being a little corny in the first fifteen minutes or so; there are, like many horror movies, tons of coincidences and strokes of luck in the end. This is a problem with movies in general; it's not a novel, nor is it trying to be.

All that aside, the basic premise of Hostel, that of a capitalistic enterprise facilitating the torture and murder of kidnapped victims by high-paying thrillseekers, is one of the sickest, most depraved, most imaginative premises in the genre. I would venture to say it is up there with the Matrix for its applicability to the world in general. It goes without saying that Roth doesn't ring the utmost out of the premise, but he comes close. While it may be neglected in the mainstream, it is certainly one of the best horror movies I at least have seen. Nor is it nihilistic in its savagery: though many critics have gone on and on about how boorish and unlikeable Paxton, Oli, and Josh are, I found them on the contrary to be a lot like people I know. What guy their age isn't interested in getting laid and messed up? In fact, I would say Roth didn't go far enough showing their exploitation of prostitutes in Amsterdam as a corollary to their miserable fates. It's clear that Roth cares about the characters, and I did as well. They seem like nice, normal guys, and anyone with a heart would feel uncomfortable as they are tortured and killed. More to the point: it's clear from their presentation that the customers are morally challenged. Who could say the movie is on their side?

One final thing: political correctness. In many reviews of Hostel critics seem to feel obligated to deride Hostel as homophobic. These critics must not leave their penthouses in the Northeast, otherwise they would know that "gay" and "faggot" are often used in everyday speech. Whether they're meant the same as "stupid", or "idiot", or even as a slur, this is certainly how regular people talk. To call the movie homophobic for accurately representing people's speech is the same as calling Django Unchained racist for its liberal use of "niqqer". What are you afraid of?