◇◆◇ Snuff Movie Redux?????
Hostel vs. The Passion Demented as hell !!!!!Now it's not on the level with The Grudge, an Sarah Michelle Gellar flick that was the scariest movie of all time, but I recommend taking a trip to see Hostel . Well as expected from Quentin Tarantino it was quite gory & graphic (what can you expect from a movie about torture ), but the previews were slightly misleading. There was not near as much gore as you would have expected. The sick disgusting torture was limited to a few scenes, which were intense, but did not dominate the movie. Classic plot line.Three teenage guys go backpacking through Europe partying, and trying to find beautiful women everywhere they go.. They get a hot tip to go to a small little country where the girls are crazy.. Turns out its a setup and they have been lured to become the victim at a club where the rich and powerful pay to torture people.. Of course to torture an American it costs far more that anyone else.. You can almost split this movie into two distinct parts, because unlike lots of movies with similar plots, the movie is just as much about the luring of the teens as it is the escape.. The first being a porn flick, and the second being a Faces of Death video.. Before they are captured the guys are on a sex quest, and the film does not shy away from nudity.. When they are finally captured by this underground club the movie turns to a scary and sick thriller..... Ever since Saw the point must be made very clear that the acting does not completely suck in a movie. The actors were able to portray the emotions very well in this movie, and certainly added to the fear involved in watching it. 【Jay Hernandez】Hostel【Derek Richardson】 Maybe There's Hope For Modern Horror Yet.. The best exploitation movies combine and blend in 2 themes into one entity: flesh. The simple, but suggestive and hair-raising word has two connotations: one involving sex, and the other gore. Hostel uses a linear model to show the relationship between the two meanings of flesh as the search for the pleasures of flesh in the form of sex becomes more and more extreme as it descends into a hell where the pleasures of flesh comes in the form of torture and murder. Thus, however depraved Hostel initially presents itself as, this structure suggests there is a moral basis. Hostel begins by introducing us to three male characters on vacation in Amsterdam; they are after as much drugs and as many consenting women as possible. Many older viewers with a more spiritual sense of morality would likely dislike Hostel because none of these characters can be presented as moral and their torture would be almost deserved, making the plot moot. But, to younger viewers with a more new-world, secular sense of morality, a fitting protagonist definitely emerges out of the three adventurers. You have Josh (played by Derek Richardson ), conflicted, unsure, and guilt-ridden. He's unlikeable because he's got a stick in his anus and won't admit it - he's uncomfortable with hedonism, yet he engages in it anyway, making him despicable. Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson ) is despicable because he's perfectly comfortable with hedonism but completely wanton and selfish in his pursuit for pleasure. That leaves Paxton, who is confident, does not feel guilty about having fun, but does display a moral compass. Hostel initially demonstrates Paxton's morality by having him defend his vegetarianism during a train ride to Slovakia. Slovakia is the country singled out from the oft-maligned mass of nations that is Eastern Europe. Josh, Oli, and Paxton are drawn to Slovakia by promises of casual sex that would make Amsterdam feel like the Vatican.. Even as we are seeing beautiful, naked Eastern European women, the sybaritic mood is transparent to its abyssal core.. But Josh, Oli, and Paxton are blind with lust and are drawn across the line between pleasure and pain.. The transition between sex and torture-murder in "Hostel " is acute.. After the last scene of benevolent sex, the line is crossed, and the film embraces the identity it is notorious for.... The torture scenes (there are three ) are actually brief and the camera does shy away from certain depictions, leaving something for the imagination. Roth is not unmerciful to the audience as he does not make death due to prolonged suffering and torture. The victims suffer one or two survivable injuries and are quickly put to death by throat-slitting or a train. That doesn't mean, however, the injuries are fun to watch. Hostel's torture reaches a pronounced climax, where the camera suddenly delights in closing in on a single, unbelievably disgusting scene that I refuse to give away. If Hostel was filled with such deliberately graphic scenes, I would consider it pornographic, as I do "The Passion." But, for much of Hostel , the camera actually avoids dwelling on gore and relies more on psychological terror. For example, the most intense moments of Paxton's torture actually occur when no harm is done to him save the mental trauma of threats to inflict unimaginable pain. The climax is a scene of brilliance. It is the moment when Hostel once again makes a sharp transition, this time dissolving quickly into a dark, comedic motif involving revenge. The transition scene, i.e. the climax, is so revolting and disgusting that it becomes funny. I may not be speaking for everyone, and I may be just a sick individual, but the scene made me laugh. Thus, we have a brilliantly organized movie, and I brilliantly organized movies. It goes from increasing sexual perversion that becomes so base, it descends into a world of sadistic murder that progresses to a point that's so repugnant, it descends yet again into absurd humour.If you're a fan of Cabin Fever and Eli Roth's now signature style, then by all means, jump into this one. If you're looking for a Gr8 horror film, then this one is also recommended to you.