Blu-ray Review “Hostel & Hostel Part II: Double Feature”

Directed by: Eli Roth
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo, Jordan Ladd, Barbara Nedeljakova, Bijou Phillips, Roger Bart, Richard Burgi.
Distributed by: Mill Creek Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 189 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Eli Roth hit the horror scene with the amazingly original “Cabin Fever” in 2002. “Hostel” was a perfect follow-up for him, even outdoing his first film. His decision to do “Hostel Part II” himself was a risky but overall turned out pretty well. Both films are also presented by Quentin Tarantino, so that always bodes well for a film. Mill Creek Entertainment has put both of these great films together in this impressive double feature. Both “Hostel & Hostel Part II” include their unrated director’s cut, which is quite a bonus. or a low-cost of less than $10 bucks, this is a must for all horror fans.

“Hostel” is a shocking and relentless film in the tradition of Saw about two American backpackers (Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson) in Europe who find themselves lured in as victims of a murder-for-profit business. “Hostel Part II” is the shocking and gruesome sequel about the underground torture ring where rich businessmen pay to torture and murder their victims.

Both “Hostel” and “Hostel Part II” look fantastic on this Blu-ray release. They are presented in there own respectively 1080p transfers and are presented in an 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Both films also come with an impressive DTS-MA 5.1 audio track. The film’s score by Nathan Barr sounds impressive throughout both films. Alas, this release is lacking in the special features department. None of the previously released features are included on this set. But like I said earlier for $10 bucks, this is still a sweet deal!

DVD Review “Hostel: Part III”

Directed by: Scott Spiegel
Starring: Kip Pardue, Brian Hallisay, John Hensley, Sarah Habel, Skyler Stone, Zulay Henao, Thomas Kretschmann
Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running time: 88 minutes

Film Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

Alright so here we are at “Part III” of the Hostel series and surprisingly this series still had a lot of steam left in it and a bright future. Most of this praise needs to go to the film’s director Scott Spiegel, writer of “Evil Dead II” and writer/director of “Intruder”. Scott knows horror for sure and in fact actually produced “Hostel” and “Hostel: Part II” as well, so he has been invested in this series. What is great about this series is that they can just pick up and move to a new location and grab some new kids and it definitely works again in this film. What better of a location to pick-up and move to then VEGAS!

The third film in the franchise follows a group of guys going on a bachelor party to Vegas. The group gets swopped to a private party off-the-strip and that is where things go wrong, of course. The group gets taken hostage and are sent to their death to the highest bidder at an elite hunter’s club. The plot is similar from the from two films but puts a new spin on it. The film is backed with amazing gore and some really new kick ass kill scenes.  That is really key for this franchise and it definitely doesn’t disappoint.

I hope this series continues because I could see many new opportunities. After enjoying the film, I was hoping for some decent extras but the DVD special features are disappointing with only a commentary track included. The commentary track though is with director Scott Spiegel and star Kip Perdue, it is informative and fun and definitely worth checking out. Horror fans should give this film a chance.  I would say it falls in line with “Hostel: Part II”, so if you enjoyed that this will not disappoint.

 

Related Content