Review: HOSTEL – take a friend
It’s been a long time since we went to a movie where someone left because they were too grossed out to watch anymore. But that’s what happened when we went to watch HOSTEL this week. Maybe it’s because there were only about ten of us in the audience… So there was more of a spooky feel. But this young lady just got up and RAN out of the cinema… wh…
en we all stood up and left at the end, there she was, patiently waiting outside for her friend, her eyes still dilated from what she had seen.
Now we’re no Movie buffs, in fact we are just everyday people that enjoy good stories. HOSTEL has been the first horror in a long time that actually had us SCARED and FREAKED OUT. In our world we found HOSTEL to be extremely graphic and very gory – we warn all sensitve viewers to stay well away. In our opinion, NO TEENAGERS or CHILDREN should see this film – they will be affected for a long time.
During our ‘post-chair-gripping’ discussion, there were two points about the film that came out strongly that in our minds made it really horrific for us –
1. One of the guys with us is European – as in he comes from Europe… Now for anyone that has spent time in Europe, you will know that some of the EASTERN EUROPEAN countries like ROMANIA, SLOVAKIA and YUGOSLAVIA are all shrouded in a cloud of poverty, desperation, terror and corruption. Well for those that live in Western Europe anyway. If you think South African’s battle with Xenophobia, you should see how well the Western Europeans do when it comes to their neighbours. HOSTEL plays on these negative attitudes and deep-rooted apprehension about anything EASTERN… So for a Western European, in a sense, it brings your worst nightmares about travelling East to life. We’re sure SLOVAKIA must be p*d off.
2. On that note, there was something about HOSTEL that played on our vulnerability as South Africans. Something about the underground, about dark, depressing crime and criminal activities that gives life to the night-time fears of South Africans. For us the place they found themselves in, with street gangs of kids and where nearly every person looks and feels dangerous could be compared to a night in the dregs of Hillbrow or any other seriously scary ghetto or part of ghetto in SA.
We did enjoy the acting – the three ‘tourists’ were such typical naive, spoilt westerners (dare we say AMERIC…) and in a sense their irritating desire to get as much NOOKIE as possible on their Euro tour got them into some serious trouble… The concept of them travelling as far as Slovakia is questionable – but then again, some guys will do anything for sleaze.
It’s dark, disgusting and repulsive. If you’re a guy hoping to hold a ladies hand, take her to this movie, you’ll have her in your lap.
