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"HOSTEL" (2005) (Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Mild Heavy Heavy Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Moderate Minor Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror/Suspense: While traveling across Europe in search of drugs and easy women, a trio of backpackers runs into an underground organization that kidnaps people to be used for the enjoyment of sadistic torturers and killers. PLOT: Paxton (JAY HERNANDEZ) and Josh (DEREK RICHARDSON) are two college-aged American backpackers who are traveling around Europe with their new friend from Iceland, Oli (EYTHOR GUDJONSSON), enjoying the abundant drugs and willing young women. When they learn that there are plenty of the latter at a hostel in Slovakia, they set off for that. There, they meet their roommates, Natalya (BARBARA NEDELJAKOVA) and Svetlana (JANA KADERABKOVÁ), who have no problem being nude in front of the guys or eventually bedding them. But when Oli ends up missing, the guys stumble into an underground business where various "customers," such as the Dutch businessman (JAN VLASÁK) and the American Client (RICK HOFFMAN), pay large sums of money for the opportunity to torture and/or kill foreigners who've been lured into their trap. From that point on, the backpackers do what they can to survive once they become the next installment of victims. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into or are curious about brutally sadistic horror films they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For brutal scenes of torture and violence, strong sexual content, language and drug use. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: Considering the behavior that's present (torturing and killing others, setting up that, drug use, casual sex, strong profanity), it's doubtful many, if any parents would consider any of the characters as good role models. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated horror/suspense film. Profanity consists of at least 100 "f" words, while many other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually explicit dialogue is present, as are several sexual encounters (featuring nudity, movement and sounds) and various views of nonsexual nudity (many views of bare breasts, butts and some female full frontal). Violence consists of many people being tortured, wounded and killed via sadistic means, most of which has extremely bloody and gory results (the film is definitely not for the squeamish), and those scenes and other moments of peril will likely be quite unsettling or suspenseful to viewers. The perpetrators of such acts, those who support them, and others have bad attitudes, while some of that and other behavior might be enticing for some disturbed kids to imitate. Various characters smoke and/or drink, with a lot of the latter occasionally occurring, while they and others also use various drugs. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, we briefly see some partial strobe effects in a club. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some bouncy camera work from time to time, including when the camera is in a moving car. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE One of the guys jokingly asks if they came all of the way to Amsterdam to smoke pot, saying they did that back home. Oli then chimes in that he came from Iceland to do so. We then see them taking hits from bongs in a drug bar and then doing more of that. When an apparently stoned girl is brought over to them, one of the guys says they can't "rail" (have sex with) a girl in a coma. A guy smokes pot after saying a couple having sex in the same is "so f*cked up" that they don't know what planet they're on. The three guys take pills (some sort of drug) given to them by Natalya and Svetlana, with one being transferred via a passionate kiss. People drink in a club. After a businessman rescues Josh from a gang of young kids, Josh offers to buy him a drink and we then see the two drinking. Josh drinks in a club and we see what look like many empties in front of him. He then appears sick, drunk and/or drugged as he stumbles out. Miscellaneous people drink, as does Paxton who appears to be drunk or drugged. He ends up outside a club door where he slumps down and eventually passes out. Natalya and Svetlana have beer with a man. BLOOD/GORE We see bloody water flowing into a floor drain. The guys enter a torture museum (thinking they're following Oli) and the ticket taker uses a miniature guillotine (with real or fake blood on it) to separate the tickets. We see a severed head on a block of some sort. A sadist takes a power drill to a victim. We hear (the sound of drilling and the victim screaming) more than we see of the actual impact, but we do see one such insertion (with bloody results) and then see the drill as its laid down with flesh and blood in the bit. We then see the victim who has bloody drill holes in various parts of his body. We also hear the victim vomit from this and then see him do the same. We then hear the man cutting the victim in some manner (that isn't seen), but when the torturer lets the victim go, the latter falls to the floor (it appears -- in a brief view -- that his Achilles tendons were cut). We see a torturer standing above a victim with an open chest incision (with bloody/gory views inside that from the side). A torturer holds up what looks like a three-prong garden cultivator and then slams that into the victim's clothed chest (leaving some bloody holes in the clothing) and then does so again. The victim then tries to talk his way out of this, but then is gagged with a large strapped ball and a handgun is held to his head. We then hear the torturer start up a chainsaw and he holds the running blade near the victim's head before going behind him and sawing off a few fingers (with bloody/gory results as we see the fingers land on the floor). The torturer then slips in the resultant blood, falls to the floor and has the running chainsaw land in some part of his body (the camera shot is dark). A victim starts to vomit, but has a strapped ball gag in his mouth. The torturer then removes that ball and the victim vomits in full. A victim picks up his severed fingers that are very bloody. A victim sees a cart holding several bloody bodies and body parts. With no other way out, we then see that he's positioned himself at the bottom of the pile. As a "cleaner" then tries to move that cart, a severed hand falls off and blocks the cart's path, with the cleaner putting that hand near the victim's head. He then watches as the cleaner lifts bodies and body parts off the cart and takes them over to a table where he uses a meat cleaver and then a rotary saw to cut them into smaller pieces (we see the motion, but hear more than we actually see, although there are bloody/gory results). We then see the cleaner taking the body parts to a large fire. Paxton is very bloody after a run-in with a torturer and various dead bodies and body parts. Paxton finds a woman's right eye and facial area around that extremely bloody. He then decides he must cut off her eyeball that's dangling out of her eye socket. When he does cut through it, thick yellow goo flows out. We then see many more views of her extremely bloody/gory face. Seeing people who set him up, Paxton drives his car into them, sending their bodies flying to the street where we see a lot of blood around one. Another is bloody and tries to move, but he drives over them again, presumably killing them. Some kids in a gang repeatedly smash a goon's bloody head on the street with something large (we see the impact several times). A severely wounded woman sees her reflection and how she now looks. She then sees an approaching train and jumps in front of it (we briefly see the impact as well as blood splatter onto some bystanders). Paxton follows a torturer into a bathroom. We see that man sitting on the toilet (nothing seen or heard) and when he reaches down to pick up a card, Paxton suddenly grabs his hand and uses a small knife to cut off some of his fingers (seen in full, bloody/gory detail). He then kicks open the stall door, grabs the man and dunks his head into the toilet, holding him there for a moment before letting him up. He then slits his throat (blood comes out) and then leaves (the stall and the man are very bloody and we see a severed finger on the floor, as well as some blood running across the latter). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The torturers and those who support and run that business obviously have bad attitudes. Terms such as "fag," "that's gay" and "it was retarded" are used. Referring to a certain woman, Paxton says, "That girl's a f*cking hag." One of the guys accidentally spills a beverage on a young woman, causing a guy to get mad and push him. Our guy then pushes him back and then our guys are removed from the club. We see that the torture and kill operation is called "Elite Hunting" where people pay fixed amounts to torture and/or kill people, with Americans fetching the highest price ($25,000). A first-time torturer chats with a man who's just escaped from the torture chamber (thinking he's another torturer) and is gung-ho about what he's about to do. We see that at least one local cop is knowledgeable about the torture chamber but doesn't seem to care. Some young kids in a gang rob, otherwise intimidate others and even kill two goons. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be especially unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Josh runs into a menacing gang of young kids, but a businessman rescues him (by giving them something). Paxton briefly tells a story from his past where he saw a girl drowning and tried to alert the lifeguard who couldn't see anything and thus didn't believe him. He then comments on hearing the grieving mother's reaction upon finding her daughter dead. We see a man approaching a bound woman with a pair of large clippers. She screams and struggles as he tries to decide what to cut off. He then decides on a toe and we see him put the blades around one toe and then make the handle closing motion, but the scene then cuts to an unrelated woman clipping her toenails. We see an eyehole point of view (from a hood) of a person who's been drugged and now bound to a chair. We see (through that eyehole) a man enter, walk around and then remove the hood. That man then tries to select his "tool" and then chooses a power drill. The victim screams and struggles to get free but can't as the man approaches and drills into the victim. We hear (the sound of drilling and the victim screaming) more than we see of the actual impact, but we do see one such insertion (with bloody results) and then see the drill as its laid down with flesh and blood in the bit. We then see the victim who has bloody drill holes in various parts of his body. We also hear the victim vomit from this and then see him do the same. We then hear the man cutting the victim in some manner (that isn't seen), but when the torturer lets the victim go, the latter falls to the floor (it appears -- in a brief view -- that his Achilles tendons were cut) and then tries to crawl away before the killer grabs him. We then partially see and hear another cut, this one apparently fatal. Natalya leads Paxton into a decrepit building and then into a dimly lit and dangerous looking hallway. Two men grab and struggle with Paxton, dragging him along and then hitting him as they bind him to a chair. As he was being dragged along, he (and we) see various views of various victims being tortured (shocked, sawed into, etc. with very bloody/gory results -- but only briefly seen in passing). A man then holds a gun on Paxton to make him talk. A torturer holds up a pair of scissors toward a bound victim and repeatedly snips at him, eventually getting what looks like a clip of hair. He then holds up what looks like a three-prong garden cultivator and then slams that into the victim's clothed chest (leaving some bloody holes in the clothing) and then does so again. The victim then tries to talk his way out of this, but then is gagged with a large strapped ball and a handgun is held to his head. We then hear the torturer start up a chainsaw and he holds the running blade near the victim's head before going behind him and sawing off a few fingers (with bloody/gory results). The torturer then slips in the resultant blood, falls to the floor and has the running chainsaw land in some part of his body (the camera shot is dark). The victim then struggles to get free, manages to do so and grabs the handgun, shooting the torturer dead. A guard outside then hears some yelling, comes inside and the victim kicks him in the head before shooting him several times, killing him. A victim tries to escape the torture chamber, but has various close calls with people who nearly see him. A victim sees a cart holding several bloody bodies and body parts. With no other way out, we then see that he's positioned himself at the bottom of the pile. As a "cleaner" then tries to move that cart, a severed hand falls off and blocks the cart's path, with the cleaner putting that hand near the victim's head. He then watches as the cleaner lifts bodies and body parts off the cart and takes them over to a table where he uses a meat cleaver and then a rotary saw to cut them into smaller pieces (we see the motion, but hear more than we actually see, although there are bloody/gory results). We then see the cleaner taking the body parts to a large fire. We see the point of view of a victim sneaking up on a bad guy with the former striking the latter on the head with a mallet or small ax, killing him. The victim again tries to escape and has more close calls with various bad guys. Paxton nearly escapes, but then hears a woman screaming. Realizing he can't leave, he goes back in to rescue her. He then opens a door and sees a torturer holding a blowtorch that he was using on the screaming woman. Paxton then shoots the torturer dead, but finds the woman's right eye and facial area around that extremely bloody. He then decides he must cut off her eyeball that's dangling out of her eye socket. When he does cut through it, thick yellow goo flows out. We then see many more views of her extremely bloody/gory face. Paxton and the woman he rescued try to escape the torture chamber by stealing a car. As they speed away, some men shoot at the them, but apparently miss. Paxton's car then ends up blocked in an alley, but the offending truck eventually moves. Some kids in a gang repeatedly smash a goon's bloody head on the street with something large (we see the impact several times). We see a cop repeatedly beating a person on the street with his night club and he then walks toward Paxton's car when he spots Paxton trying to exit the roadblock. Alex and the victim he rescued sneak around a train station, trying to avoid being seen. A severely wounded woman sees her reflection and how she now looks. She then sees an approaching train and jumps in front of it (we briefly see the impact as well as blood splatter onto some bystanders). Paxton follows a torturer into a bathroom. We see that man sitting on the toilet (nothing seen or heard) and when he reaches down to pick up a card, Paxton suddenly grabs his hand and uses a small knife to cut off some of his fingers (seen in full, bloody/gory detail). He then kicks open the stall door, grabs the man and dunks his head into the toilet, holding him there for a moment before letting him up. He then slits his throat (blood comes out) and then leaves (the stall and the man are very bloody and we see a severed finger on the floor, as well as some blood running across the latter). GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Knives/Chainsaw/Other implements of sadistic torture: Used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*ck off," "F*ck you," "That girl's a f*cking hag," "Open the f*cking door," "They're so f*cked up," "F*cking freak," "It's f*cking hilarious," "It was f*cked up," "It was their f*cking fault," "Where the f*ck am I?" "What the f*ck is this sh*t?" "You f*cking bitch," "What the f*ck do you want me to say?" "G*ddamn m*therf*cker," "F*ck that sh*t," "That's the sh*t," "Oh sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "This is bullsh*t," "Ah sh*t," "P*ssy's p*ssy," "Chick," "Fag," "We're freezing our balls off," "Shut up," "Hot ass," "Dude," "That's gay," "Pissed," "Chill out," "It was retarded" and "Ain't that a bitch?" It's possible the film could inspire some copycat style behavior in troubled kids as far as torturing others or animals for their demented pleasure. The film could also inspire some kids to try drugs. As the guys try to return to their locked hostel, they make a ruckus, thus causing various people to throw bottles at them (and the guns run for cover). We see Oli's bare butt (with facial imagery painted on it) as he flashes his rear (we later see this again when he playfully flashes Natalya & Svetlana). A businessman on a train eats his salad with his hands. We see various women sporting bare midriffs. Some men have the same tattoo on their arms (seen separately). JUMP SCENES Some kids from a gang suddenly jump out and startle some people. A figure suddenly grabs one of the guys in a torture museum (as a "gotcha" gag). A man suddenly grabs another man's hand when he reaches down to the floor for something. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song has several uses of the "f" word in it, along with "p*ssy" and other such words. PROFANITY At least 100 "f" words (4 used with "mother," 5 used sexually as is the term "rail"), 21 "s" words, 7 slang terms using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 2 using male ones ("c*ck" and "anteater"), 2 for breasts ("t*ts" and "jugs"), 4 asses, 2 hells, 5 uses of "Oh my God," 4 of "Jesus," 3 of "God" and 1 use each of "G-damn" and "Oh Jesus." SEX/NUDITY When an apparently stoned girl is brought over to them, one of the guys says they can't "rail" (have sex with) a girl in a coma. The camera focuses on a young woman's clothed butt as she walks through a club. Paxton sarcastically makes fun of Josh's fanny pack (after it doesn't impress some local girls), asking if he sees anyone else wearing one. Josh then points out one man and Paxton says that Josh can go "f*ck" him and the two can "jizz" all over each other's packs. The term "p*ssy" is used sexually. We see an overhead view of a guy having sex with a woman from behind while standing. He snaps a shot with his camera phone while doing so as we see movement and her bare breasts, as well as hear sexual sounds. Paxton asks Josh how the latter can get over his ex-girlfriend if "you don't f*ck p*ssy" (or something like that). In some sort of "sex shop," we see a woman's bare breasts and butt, while Josh walks down the hallway and sees the silhouette of various women and sexual acts taking place behind the frosted glass doors. We also hear related sexual sounds, including what sounds like torture, so Josh goes in to find a dominatrix-dressed woman (we see her bare breasts as well as part of her bare butt) on top of a person, repeatedly striking them. She then tells Josh to leave unless he pays (she repeats that to Paxton who stays after saying he's paying). Paxton then has apparently set up Josh with one such sex worker who's in a thong bottom and removes her top for him, but we then see that Josh has left without doing anything. The guys are let into a room where a couple is having sex (the woman is moving on top of the guy and we see that movement and her bare breasts, while also hearing sexual sounds). Another man in there says the couple is so "f*cked up" that they don't know what planet they're on (thus they don't even see the guys staring at them). The Americans then try to explain what a clitoris is to this man, all as that other couple continues to have sex. That guy then tells them about a hostel in Slovakia where there are few men (due to the war) and the women are there for the taking. He then shows them various still images on his camera phone of orgy like situations (male and female, as well as just female and female) with lots of visible nudity (breasts and butts). He also says, "They f*ck you." Later, a businessman on a train tells them about such girls (although not in such graphic terms). We see Oli's bare butt (with facial imagery painted on it) as he flashes his rear (we later see this again when he playfully flashes Natalya & Svetlana). A businessman on a train puts his hand on Josh's clothed leg, causing an adverse reaction from the latter. The camera goes down a young woman's clothed body to her butt (representing the guys' POV). Told their room at the hostel is semi-private, the guys are disappointed (since they want private rooms for sex), but when they open the door, they see Natalya and Svetlana getting dressed (and see them in panties and one is topless for a moment). The women tell them they're off to the spa and the guys soon join them. There, we see various women in various stages of attire (or not), with some in small bikinis, some topless and one fully nude as she walks toward them. The guys then join Natalya & Svetlana in the sauna (we briefly see part of one's bare butt as he sits, while we see the women's bare breasts and Oli's bare butt as mentioned above). Oli then stands and comments on his shaved "balls," with Josh telling him to sit down and put his "anteater" away (referring to Oli not being circumcised, but stating that he is -- we don't see either penis). We see Josh and Paxton preparing to have sex with Natalya and Svetlana (separately and on different beds). We see Svetlana's bare breasts and mostly bare butt in her thong, and Paxton in just his boxers as they roll around. Oli jokingly comes up and does some exaggerated thrusting to Josh's clothed butt before leaving with another woman. Natalya then gets on top of Josh and has sex with him (we see movement, but not the actual contact). The next morning the guys wake up and hear the women's playful sounds, with Paxton excitedly saying that they're (the women) showering together. Paxton tells Josh that they can "f*ck" Natalya & Svetlana and then leave, or not "f*ck" them and leave (they decide on the former). As Josh leaves, Paxton makes a big symbol with his arms for what's presumably female genitals (meaning what he wants to do). We see a male victim bound in a chair wearing just small shorts. Paxton walks into another room in the hostel and sees two women getting dressed, one showing bare breasts, the other full frontal nudity (they don't seem to mind and invite him to join them in the spa -- just as Natalya and Svetlana did earlier). Small photos on a wall show a bare-breasted woman as well as another in a thong bottom (a rear view). A first-time torturer says that "p*ssy's p*ssy" and that he just "f*cked" a girl two days ago and doesn't remember her "t*ts" (comparing the excitement of that to torturing and killing people). SMOKING Natalya smokes at least once, while a number of miscellaneous characters smoke in various scenes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Oli states that he was married for 8 years and has a daughter. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT People (viewers as well as participants) who get off on sadistic violence. Drug use. Casual sex. Traveling in foreign countries. VIOLENCE Beyond what we see and hear, other torture and violence is heavily suggested (especially when we see miscellaneous bloody and dead bodies). One of the guys accidentally spills a beverage on a young woman, causing a guy to get mad and push him. Our guy then pushes him back and then our guys are removed from the club. In some sort of "sex shop," Josh walks down the hallway and hears what sounds like torture, so he goes into a room to find a dominatrix-dressed woman on top of a person, repeatedly striking them. As the guys try to return to their locked hostel, they make a ruckus, thus causing various people to throw bottles at them (and the guys run for cover). We see an eyehole point of view (from a hood) of a person who's been drugged and now bound to a chair. We see (through that eyehole) a man enter, walk around and then remove the hood. That man then tries to select his "tool" and then chooses a power drill. The victim screams and struggles to get free but can't as the man approaches and drills into the victim. We hear (the sound of drilling and the victim screaming) more than we see of the actual impact, but we do see one such insertion (with bloody results) and then see the drill as its laid down with flesh and blood in the bit. We then see the victim who has bloody drill holes in various parts of his body. We also hear the victim vomit from this and then see him do the same. We then hear the man cutting the victim in some manner (that isn't seen), but when the torturer lets the victim go, the latter falls to the floor (it appears -- in a brief view -- that his Achilles tendons were cut) and then tries to crawl away before the killer grabs him. We then partially see and hear another cut, this one apparently fatal. A bunch of kids from a gang jump out at Paxton and steal his phone. He chases after them, grabs one and nearly strangles him on the street before letting him go (the boy rushes away). Two men grab and struggle with Paxton, dragging him along and then hitting him as they bind him to a chair. As he was being dragged along, he (and we) sees various views of various victims being tortured (shocked, sawed into, etc. with very bloody/gory results -- but only briefly seen in passing). A man then holds a gun on Paxton to make him talk. A torturer holds up a pair of scissors toward a bound victim and repeatedly snips at him, eventually getting what looks like a clip of hair. He then holds up what looks like a three-prong garden cultivator and then slams that into the victim's clothed chest (leaving some bloody holes in the clothing) and then does so again. The victim then tries to talk his way out of this, but then is gagged with a large strapped ball and a handgun is held to his head. We then hear the torturer start up a chainsaw and he holds the running blade near the victim's head before going behind him and sawing off a few fingers (with bloody/gory results). The torturer then slips in the resultant blood, falls to the floor and has the running chainsaw land in some part of his body (the camera shot is dark). The victim then struggles to get free, manages to do so and grabs the handgun, shooting the torturer dead. A guard outside then hears some yelling, comes inside and the victim kicks him in the head before shooting him several times, killing him. We see the point of view of a victim sneaking up on a bad guy with the former striking the latter on the head with a mallet or small ax, killing him. Paxton nearly escapes, but then hears a woman screaming. Realizing he can't leave, he goes back in to rescue her. He then opens a door and sees a torturer holding a blowtorch that he was using on the screaming woman. Paxton then shoots the torturer dead. Paxton and the woman he rescued try to escape the torture chamber by stealing a car. As they speed away, some men shoot at the them, but apparently miss. Seeing people who set him up, Paxton drives his car into them, sending their bodies flying to the street where we see a lot of blood around one. Another is bloody and tries to move, but he drives over them again, presumably killing them. Some kids in a gang block the path of a car driven by two goons. They get out and yell at the kids, with some from above throwing large rocks or something similar to the goons' heads, causing the goons to shoot their guns wildly (but they don't hit the kids). Other kids then rush the wounded goons and kill them, with one repeatedly smashing a goon's bloody head on the street with something large (we see the impact several times). We see a cop repeatedly beating a person on the street with his night club and he then walks toward Paxton's car when he spots Paxton trying to exit the roadblock. A severely wounded woman sees her reflection and how she now looks. She then sees an approaching train and jumps in front of it (we briefly see the impact as well as blood splatter onto some bystanders). Paxton follows a torturer into a bathroom. We see that man sitting on the toilet (nothing seen or heard) and when he reaches down to pick up a card, Paxton suddenly grabs his hand and uses a small knife to cut off some of his fingers (seen in full, bloody/gory detail). He then kicks open the stall door, grabs the man and dunks his head into the toilet, holding him there for a moment before letting him up. He then slits his throat (blood comes out) and then leaves (the stall and the man are very bloody and we see a severed finger on the floor, as well as some blood running across the latter). Reviewed January 6, 2006 / Posted January 7, 2006

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