Hostel (***)

It's sick. It's twisted. And I loved every minute of it. Hostel has been labeled and marketed as a horror film, but it's really not. It's more of a really gross, bloody thriller/morality tale. The first half of the film is all a tease. The main characters are three college-age kids bounding around Europe who are hell bent on getting stoned, laid, and being generally obnoxious. Amsterdam is a bit touristy for them, so they're told about this hostel in Slovokia where the girls are beautiful and willing to do anything with an American. So they go. Big mistake. Turns out, they stumble upon an underground business where people pay big money to torture and kill others, with Americans costing $25,000 to kill. As the characters start to die off, we're left with Jay Hernandez (of crazy/beautiful) who learns to stop being an obnoxious American and grow up really fast once he's strapped to the torture chair. The torture scenes are, of course, intense and not for the squeamish, but they're not as bad as they could have been. What I liked is when Hernandez turns the tables on his torturers and starts killing them as he tries to escape. Here, the movie fully realizes its entertainment value. Director Eli Roth previously directed the disappointing Cabin Fever, but here he has fun with the story, and provides a number of inspired, kick-ass moments. Hostel is original, inventive, sick, slick entertainment.