Hostel (2005)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Eli Roth

Writer (WGA):

Eli Roth (written by)

Release Date:

6 January 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Welcome To Your Worst Nightmare

Plot:

Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.

Plot Keywords:

Hostel | Europe | Backpacker | Bratislava | Friend

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jay Hernandez	...	Paxton
Derek Richardson	...	Josh
Eythor Gudjonsson	...	Oli
Barbara Nedeljakova	...	Natalya
Jan Vlasák	...	The Dutch Businessman
Jana Kaderabkova	...	Svetlana
Jennifer Lim	...	Kana
Keiko Seiko	...	Yuki
Lubomir Bukovy	...	Alex
Jana Havlickova	...	Vala
Rick Hoffman	...	The American Client
Petr Janis	...	The German Surgeon
Takashi Miike	...	Miike Takashi
Patrik Zigo	...	Bubble Gum Gang Leader (as Zigo Patrik)
Milda Jedi Havlas	...	Desk Clerk Jedi
Martin Kubacák	...	The Scarred Cab Driver
Miroslav Táborský	...	The Friendly Police Officer
Paula Wild	...	Monique
Vladimir Silhavecky	...	Yuri
Barbora Oboznenkova	...	Disco Girl
Daniel S. Frisch	...	Fanny Pack Man (as Daniel Frisch)
Radomil Uhlir	...	The Stoned Manager
Jan Spanbauer	...	Jacket Man
Mirek Navratil	...	Dutch Bouncer
Vanessa Jungova	...	Saskia
Katerina Vomelova	...	Dominique
Lubos Vinicky	...	Angry Dutch Elf
Petr Sedlacek	...	The Toothless Cab Driver
Drahoslav Herzan	...	Bob
Daniela Bakerova	...	Older Woman
Martina Kralickova	...	Pretty Woman
Ota Filip	...	Muttonchop
Jakub Habarta	...	Slovak Bus Boy
Philip Waley	...	Alfie
Mark Taylor	...	Brucey
Nick Roe	...	Stan
Roman Janecka	...	Bottle Thrower
Natali Tothova	...	Natalya Shemp
Sandy Style	...	Svetlana Shemp (as Petra Kubesova)
David Baxa	...	Museum Tortury Guard (as Lord David Baxa)
Gabriel Roth	...	Sir Robert Wappus
Miroslav Hanus	...	The Nasty Police Officer
Christopher Allen Nelson	...	Dutch Police Officer
Josef Bradna	...	The Butcher
Zina Blahusova	...	Girl
Katerina Cervenkova	...	Girl
Veronika Petrova	...	Girl
Kristina Kosunova	...	Girl
Karel Hrosek	...	Girl
Mugi Lhagvadorj	...	Girl
Ashley Robbins	...	Girl (as Jana Semradova)
Hana Dibelkova	...	Girl
Alena Chrastinova	...	Girl
Klara S.	...	Girl (as Klara Smetanova)
Petra Slavikova	...	Girl
Katrina Henesova	...	Girl
Hana Vitvarova	...	Girl
Mark Bakunas	...	Rock God
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephanie Bauman	...	Axelle's Next Victim #1 (uncredited)
Martin Faltyn	...	Senior Cozzi (uncredited)
Anya Samantha Jordanova	...	Girl (uncredited)
Michaela Kaplanova	...	Todd's Hooker (uncredited)
Eli Roth	...	American Stoner (uncredited)
Iveta Rucka	...	Stuart's Hooker (uncredited)
Karel Vanásek	...	Devilku Puppet (uncredited)

Directed by
Eli Roth

Writing credits (WGA)
Eli Roth		(written by)

Produced by
Chris Briggs	....	producer
Mike Fleiss	....	producer
Daniel S. Frisch	....	co-producer (as Daniel Frisch)
Eli Roth	....	producer
Scott Spiegel	....	executive producer
Quentin Tarantino	....	executive producer
Philip Waley	....	co-producer
Boaz Yakin	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Nathan Barr

Cinematography by
Milan Chadima

Film Editing by
George Folsey Jr.

Casting by
Filipp Grammatikos
Sigrún Sól Ólafsdóttir		(Casting Director, Iceland) (as Sigrun Sol Olafsdottir)
Ivan Vorlícek
Kelly Wagner

Production Design by
Franco-Giacomo Carbone

Art Direction by
David Baxa

Set Decoration by
Karel Vanásek

Costume Design by
Franco-Giacomo Carbone
Paloma Soledad		(as Paloma Candelaria)

Makeup Department
Howard Berger	....	on-set makeup effects artist
Howard Berger	....	special makeup effects designer and creator
Jana Dopitová	....	makeup artist
Klaudie Havlova	....	additional makeup artist
Kveta Holasova	....	additional makeup artist
Grady Holder	....	mold department: K.N.B. EFX Group
Rini Lemanova	....	key makeup artist
Lorraine Martin	....	assistant makeup artist
Christopher Allen Nelson	....	on-set makeup effects artist (as Chris Nelson)
Gregory Nicotero	....	special makeup effects designer and creator
Andy Schoneberg	....	makeup designer
Kevin Wasner	....	on-set makeup effects artist

Production Management
Philip Waley	....	unit production manager
Pavlina Zipkova	....	production manager: Czech

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roman Janecka	....	first assistant director: Czech Republic
Roman Janecka	....	second unit director
Petra Meisnerova	....	third assistant director
Philip Seeger	....	second assistant director
Mark Taylor	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Milan Babik	....	property master
Radan Kapinos	....	stand-by props
Alice Kheilova	....	assistant to art director
Martina Ter-Akopowá	....	art department coordinator

Sound Department
Kami Asgar	....	adr supervisor
Bob Beemer	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tomas Belohradsky	....	sound mixer
Brian Best	....	supervising sound editor
Vincent Guisetti	....	foley artist
Scott G.G. Haller	....	supervising dialog editor
Pamela Kahn	....	foley artist (as P.K. Spencer)
Tateum Kohut	....	sound re-recording mixer
Herwig Maurer	....	sound editor
Sean McCormack	....	supervising sound editor
Fred Peck III	....	sound re-recordist
Stuart Provine	....	additional sound effects
Kyle Rochlin	....	foley mixer
P.K. Spencer	....	foley artist
Petr Stuchlík	....	boom operator
Marcelo Teson	....	sound editor
Tim Tuchrello	....	sound editor
Pavel Vencl	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Ozzy Alvarez	....	lab technician: K.N.B. EFX Group
Martin Mottl	....	special effects technician
Martin Pryca	....	special effects supervisor
Caleb Schneider	....	special effects technician
Lindsay Vivian	....	special effects runner
Jenny Wallace	....	special effects runner
Kevin Wasner	....	special effects makeup

Visual Effects by
Ulysses Argetta	....	digital compositor
Ozzie Carmona	....	digital artist
Miro Gal	....	location visual effects supervisor
Robert Kurtzman	....	visual effects supervisor
Jim O'Hagan	....	digital compositor: Pacific Title
Franklin Purtiman	....	digital effects artist
Andrew Sagar	....	digital compositor
Antonio Torres	....	digital artist: Pacific Title
Alan Tuskes	....	digital effects artist
Bob Wiatr	....	digital compositor: Pacific Title

Stunts
Jindrich Klaus	....	stunt double
Miroslav Lhotka	....	stunts
Pavel Vokoun	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Libor Bruha	....	first assistant camera
Petr Cejka	....	electrician
Shane Daly	....	additional cinematographer
Ludek Hynek	....	key grip
Ales Kohout	....	electrician
Petr Konrád	....	gaffer
Zbynek Kunc	....	additional photographer
Zbynek Kunc	....	focus puller
Filip Majer	....	focus puller: second unit
Jan Matejka	....	electrician
Zdenek Mrkvicka	....	second assistant camera
Vlada Muller	....	Steadicam operator
Martin Nahodil	....	video playback operator
Radek Skudrna	....	additional photographer
Radek Skudrna	....	focus puller
Lukas Srajer	....	grip
Martin Stepánek	....	camera operator
Martin Stepánek	....	director of photography: second unit
Dalibor Suchy	....	electrician
Petr Sulc	....	best boy
Stepan Svoboda	....	additional photographer
Stepan Svoboda	....	assistant camera
Rico Torres	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Ineke de Vos	....	casting: Netherlands
Jennifer Rudolph	....	casting: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jitka Novotna	....	wardrobe supervisor
Hana Rambova	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Justin Bergeron	....	on-line editor
Jacquelyn Dean	....	post-production assistant
Ian Elias	....	post-production assistant
Marc Fisher	....	finishing editor
Michael T. Forrest	....	on-line editor
Charles Kaplan	....	associate editor
Stephen R. Sheridan	....	color timer
Brad E. Wilhite	....	associate editor
Lawrence Howard Williams	....	post digital media operator

Music Department
Gerry Cueller	....	music supervisor
Greg Danylyshyn	....	music supervisor
Michael Farrow	....	music scoring mixer
Karen Guthery	....	orchestrator
Ricky Hernandez	....	musician
Penka Kouneva	....	orchestrator
Brian Richards	....	music editor
Allan Wilson	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Jan Strasik	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Travis S. Baker	....	researcher
Mark Bakunas	....	production accountant
Tawnya Brown	....	assistant: Mr. Fleiss
Veronika Brtova	....	production assistant
Marketa Dankova	....	production assistant
Eva Dvorakova	....	on-set medic
Olina Edney	....	production secretary
Jakub Eliasek	....	production assistant
Flax Glor	....	publicist
Milda Jedi Havlas	....	production assistant
Charles Heaphy	....	production financing
Vlasta Hynek	....	production coordinator
Kazi Kopecka	....	script supervisor
Julie McLean	....	assistant: Mr. Tarantino
Kevin Mockrin	....	intern
Tony Muro	....	publicist
Honza Ondrovcak	....	location manager
Hynek Pantucek	....	key loader
Gabriel Roth	....	documentarian (as Gabe Roth)
Pilar Savone	....	assistant: Mr. Tarantino
David Skacelik	....	production assistant
Jan Soufek	....	production assistant
Jed Strahm	....	assistant: Raw Nerve
Richard Tanne	....	researcher
Quentin Tarantino	....	presenter
Katherin-Ellen Zabehlicky	....	production assistant

Thanks
Mick Garris	....	special thanks
Peter Jackson	....	very special thanks
Harry Jay Knowles	....	very special thanks (as Harry Knowles)
Takashi Miike	....	very special thanks
Fran Walsh	....	very special thanks
Ísleifur Þórhallsson	....	thanks (as Isleifur Thorhallsson)

Production Companies

• Hostel LLC
• International Production Company
• Next Entertainment
• Raw Nerve

Distributors

• Lions Gate Films (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Screen Gems (2005) (non-USA) (theatrical)
• InterCom (2006) (Romania) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Buenavista Columbia Tri Star Films de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V.' (2006) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (2006) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Independent Film Channel (IFC) (2008) (USA) (TV)
• Pyramid (2006) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Nordic (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Veronica (2009) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)

Special Effects

• K.N.B. Effects Group (special makeup effects)
• Precinct 13 Entertainment (visual effects)
• Pacific Title and Art Studio (visual effects)

Other Companies

• AFM Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies
• CE VideoAssist Rental  VideoAssist equipment provided by
• CNSO Studios  recording studio
• Mondo Tees  Sneepur Patrol t-shirt
• Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, The  orchestra
• Sound Choice Post  sound post-production
• Vantage Film GmbH  camera equipment provided by
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Hostel: Part I (Australia) (DVD title)
Хостел (Russia) [ru]
Hostal (Venezuela) [es]
Hostel (Finland) [fi]
Hostel (Germany) [de]
Hostel (Serbia) [sr]
Hostel (Spain) [es]
Hostel, i arhi tis paranoias (Greece) [el]
L'auberge (Canada: French title) [fr]
O Albergue (Brazil) [pt]
Otel (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal scenes of torture and violence, strong sexual content, language and drug use.

Runtime:

94 min | Philippines:93 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Czech | German | Dutch | Slovak | Japanese | Icelandic | Russian | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Germany:18 (nf) | Australia:R | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:18 (canton of Geneva) | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Sweden:15 | Mexico:D | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Brazil:18 | South Africa:16 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Belgium:KNT | Hungary:18 | Finland:K-18 | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) | South Korea:Limited (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #42205) | Italy:VM14 | Germany:Not Rated (SPIO/JK) (extended version) | France:-16 (with warning) | Norway:18 (self applied) (with warning) | Malaysia:18SG (unrated DVD version) | Malaysia:(Banned) (theatrical) | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-18 | Italy:VM18 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

Company:

Hostel LLC

Trivia:

In the Unrated DVD version of the film, the word "fuck" is spoken 128 times.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Paxton is handcuffed to the chair and his torturer grabs the three-pronged metal pole, Paxton is shown with bloody hole marks on his shirt. Then it shows the guy holding the rod, then hitting Paxton twice, then the shot goes back to Paxton and the bloody holes are there. The holes were added and filmed before the torturer hit him.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Paxton: Amsterdam, motherfucker!

Movie Connections:

Features Pulp Fiction (1994)

Soundtrack:

Oddity

Daft American tourists in a European wonderland

You can say what you like about Eli Roth, but you can't say he doesn't have vision. Roth has said on numerous occasions that he wants to bring the old-school grindhouse style back to cinema, and while Hostel is no masterpiece - it's safe to say that Roth has achieved his aim. Hostel is one of the grisliest films to come out of America in years; and what it lacks in originality is made up for with in your face gratuity. I'm actually one of the few that rates Cabin Fever as both a good film and a promising debut, and it's safe to say that Roth's prowess has a director has grew in the three years since the release of his first film. It's also safe to say that he's targeted his audience well, and Hostel is sure to appeal to fans of grisly, gory horror that leaves nothing to the imagination. The simple plot follows two Americans and their Icelandic friend on a backpacking trip through Europe. We first meet them in Amsterdam where they are directed to a Slovakian hostel on the promise of beautiful and easy girls by a stoned Dutch man. Everything is going well for the trio...until they start getting killed.

Roth shoots on location in Europe, and this brings a great style to the film. We start off in sleazy Amsterdam, where drugs and naked girls are the order of the day. From there, we move onto a beautiful village in Slovakia, upon which Roth creates a great sense of wonder. The central location is an abandoned hospital, and this setting provides the scene for all the ghastly action once the movie turns into a horror film. Hostel is a film of two halves; we start off with a scenario that reminded me a lot of 'An American Werewolf in Paris', in that wide-eyed American tourists are seen taking in the sights of Europe. There's no horror early on, but there's lots of comedy and this allows Roth to build his characters and show the audience a good time. Once it becomes a horror film, the shocks come thick and fast and the second half of the film is very different from first; but also very good. The characters and acting are both surprisingly well done. Although they're not exactly deep, Roth's teens are easy to like and it actually is a shame once they enter the chamber of horrors. The horror scenes are more along the lines of cringe-worthy torture than any real scares; but Roth makes good of it, as mystery is created early on and then the film breaks into a thrilling climax towards the end. The ending itself is really good, and provides the perfect finale to a grotesque monster of a film. Well worth ninety minutes of your time.