Review – Hostel

I liked this movie a bit better than I thought I would, but that’s probably because I expected it to be fairly terrible. Oh, and I’d just watched something else that was even worse (see Shallow Ground, or better yet don’t). The premise of this production has potential: witless American tourists are being lured into a dungeon in Slovakia where rich patrons pay for the privilege of torturing them to death. Our young protagonists prove to be annoying enough that seeing them meet with painful misfortune is actually something of a guilty pleasure. I’m not sure we’re supposed to sympathize with the killers, but the sympathy is there nonetheless. The production is notable for its emphasis on reaction shots, stressing the pain of the experience rather than just the gory details. And though it’s long on the set-up (nobody dies until nearly halfway through), there’s enough nudity and blood to thoroughly entertain anyone easily impressed by such elements. Mildly amusing