It’s been twelve years since the last Hostel film was released. The series came out during a time when torture porn was a hot commodity in the mainstream thanks to Saw. The first Hostel did okay business when it was released by garnering $82 million worldwide. Hostel: Part II was released two years later and only collected $35 million worldwide.
Lionsgate announced a Part III, but Eli Roth confirmed himself that he had nothing to do with the third chapter of the series. However watching the sequel, it does tie up some loose ends from the first film. Hostel: Part III deviated from the first two films and surprisingly, it has a higher rotten tomatoes score than the first two entries. Since the straight-to-DVD feature, the series has been locked away in a vault with no sequel coming out anytime soon. Hostel was a big part of the torture porn era and these three films represent how horror has expanded beyond the stereotypical slasher genre that dominated the 90s.
Hostel: Part III
Though this is the highest-rated in the series, Hostel: Part III pales in comparison to the other two films. In truth, it’s better than your average straight-to-DVD film. The change to the Las Vegas setting allowed the series to introduce new rules into the world of Hostel. Plus, the kills aren’t too bad. Granted, it’s a head-scratcher how so many cockroaches can fit into one woman’s mouth, but the other kills are fun nevertheless.
Still, the production looks cheap, and the reasoning that Carter betrays his friend is quite silly and convoluted. The fact that he joined the Elite Hunting Club just to get Amy back is a lazy and weak excuse for a twist. The ending for Scott’s return was solid, and Carter’s death was ultimately sweet. The cheap feel of Hostel: Part III and the fact that it doesn’t take advantage of the Elite Hunting Club back in the States brings down a film that could’ve been so much more.
Hostel
Hostel was a genuinely intriguing concept when it first arrived in 2005. The film felt fresh because it explored a different part of the world that the mainstream doesn’t often focus on. That allowed Eli Roth to play with the rules and he created a genuinely suspenseful film that was often hard to look at.
The twists were clever and Paxton (Jay Hernandez) was a sympathetic protagonist that you could easily root for. The kills were indeed graphic, and it presented a new level of horror that audiences weren’t particularly used to. Sure, Saw kicked off this subgenre, but the approach of having a couple of Americans being kidnapped and tortured in another country is a fear many have and the first film tapped into that nicely.
Hostel: Part II
Though the lowest rated on rotten tomatoes, the sequel not only expanded on the original concept but had several clever twists and turns throughout. The arc of following new Elite Hunters allowed audiences to understand the club itself and peek deeper into the dark world. Plus, the swerve of Todd (Richard Burgi) being the man to chicken out of his commitment was truly great. It helped aid the transformation of Stuart (Roger Bart) who didn’t have much to lose at this point.
The A-story of Beth (Lauren German), Lorna (Heather Matarazzo), and Whitney (Bijou Phillips) were just as compelling. Roth subverted our expectations, though not before delivering some memorable kills. Beth buying herself out was a nice surprise, and her getting revenge on Axelle (Vera Jordanova) was equally satisfying. Hostel: Part II challenged the morality of these characters which made the sequel more complex and entertaining than the other two entries.
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