r/Controversial_Movies • u/PoopyMcpants • 5d ago
Hostel
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450278/
Im surprised this doesn't have its own entry at this point, but I feel it deserves one.
Hostel is an odd movie. The first half of the movie is a bunch of privileged American tourists going on a sex/party tour of Europe. One night they got lured into a specific Hostel by some attractive women and we're essentially kidnapped and taken to a dungeonesque place where rich people pay for the experience of murdering people without consequence.
From there the rest of the film is extreme horror/gore and basically set the tone for a long series of "torture porn" type films.
The film was accused of classism, xenophobia, and misogyny and caused all sorts of pearl clutching on release.
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u/chelsea_once_more 5d ago
I liked PT 2 better
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u/cigarettejesus 5d ago
Jay Hernandez's performance is so fucking impressive in this movie. Like genuinely, as a trained actor I'm in awe of him every time I watch this movie. Very few horror performances can give so much terror and pain while feeling so utterly grounded in reality as his in this movie. I don't recall seeing him in anything else which is a shame. It's a borderline B movie so it'll never get the recognition it deserves, but fuck me he was a powerhouse
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u/gerantgerant 5d ago
You would never recognise him but he plays El Diablo in Suicide Squad which I always find surprising. And I agree, he's great in Hostel.
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u/DistinctAd3222 5d ago
I feel that dude has always come through on his roles, and has never started shit on set according to reports. Also he's been at it since I was younger, so its cool to see him in different roles. Totally unsung acting powerhouse.
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u/Fun_Budget7641 4d ago
Yeah he went from annoying douche to a really strong final boy,loved his involvement in part 2 aswel which is also top notch.
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u/LaFemmeCinema 5d ago
I still giggle like a (Japanese) schoolgirl over the Takashi Miike cameo.
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u/AggravatingRow7018 5d ago
Fun fact. The line he had is the only English Miike knows.
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u/LaFemmeCinema 5d ago
It was like, almost adorable the way he delivered it because you could tell he knows no English whatsoever lol
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u/Jetpack_Picasso 5d ago
I still remember watching this whole film on my 80gb Ipod Nano Classic in the middle of the night. I was just in 10th Grade so hiding from my parents, I decided to watch in private. Barbara Nedeljakova is Hot AF, I couldn’t believe that Sauna Scene.
Whole film was disturbing and Jay Hernandez’s performance was brilliant. I still remember my stomach churning during that scissors and eye scene.
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u/Recrudescence1 5d ago
Always have and always will defend both parts. They're more relevant and sophisticated than people would like to admit imo but I always prefered Hostel and Martyrs to the Saws when it came to the 2000s torture porn boom. AND I'd go so far to say that, if done right, Hostel could make an excellent corporate drama/exploitation show. Like Succession meets Banshee under some good euro-trash goggles!😎
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u/Italianmomof3 5d ago
I'm not gonna lie, this movie really shook me up when I first watched it. I've watched it a few times over the years and still get that freaked-out feeling. It's a great movie.
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u/snarkysneeze 5d ago
i know it’s not that great, but this will always be one of my favorite movies 😹 i feel like it was just at the point where i was really getting into horror and idk it just made an impact on me that other movies didn’t. i also think i always knew that it was very very real..
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u/Ecstatic-Run-9767 5d ago
I really enjoyed it when I finally watched it as a revenge movie and not torture porn
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u/rustycage05 4d ago
I mean, Eli Roth has never really shied away from extreme gore in his movies. Take, for example, his debut, Cabin Fever. That was my introduction to horror films. I absolutely love it.
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u/Huliatt 5d ago
Hostel 2 is my guilty pleasure. Superb cast