Hostel (film series)

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Hostel
Official film series logo
Created byEli Roth
Original workHostel (2005)
OwnerLionsgate
Years2005–2011
Films and television
Film(s)

Hostel is an American splatter-horror film series that consists of three films, including two theatrical films, and one straight-to-home release film. Created by Eli Roth, the plot centers around a Slovakian criminal organization that lures innocent foreigners into their hostels, where wealthy sadists bid upon them for torture and murder. Over the course of the films, the hierarchy of the cult group is revealed to operate internationally.

The original film starring Jay Hernandez was met with mixed critical reception,[1] although it was a success at the box office.[2] The second film was met with an even more divided critical response;[3] even though it earned less than its predecessor, it earned a profit for the studios.[4] The third film was released to more positive reviews from critics than the previous movies,[5] although its monetary statistics regarding sales on home media are not disclosed.[6]

Films[edit]

Film U.S.
release date
Director Screenwriter Producer(s)
Hostel January 6, 2006 (2006-01-06) Eli Roth Mike Fleiss, Eli Roth and Chris Briggs
Hostel: Part II June 8, 2007 (2007-06-08)
Hostel: Part III December 27, 2011 (2011-12-27) Scott Spiegel Michael D. Weiss Mike Fleiss, Chris Briggs and Scott Spiegel

Hostel (2005)[edit]

Paxton and Josh spend their summer after graduating college traveling the various countries in Europe. Exploring all manner of debaucherous activities, they befriend an Icelandic tourist named Óli. One night the trio are locked out of their hotel, and visit an apartment of a local named Alexei. After being told of a hostel run by seductive women in Slovakia, the friends make the journey to the rumored location. Upon arrival they are pleased to find that Alexei's story was true, a location overrun by nude foreign women. As they engage in various sexual encounters, over time they soon begin to question the intentions of the establishment. As Óli goes missing, the friends attempt to investigate his disappearance. When they are drugged by a pair of women with whom they had been associating in a sex-based relationship, they individually awaken to a horrific underground torture event, led by a secret organization. The company allows wealthy individuals to pay large sums of money to torture, maim, and kill abducted innocent tourists. Unwittingly finding themselves a part of the cult's activities, Paxton and Josh must fight for survival in the nightmare they've awoken in, or die by a series of gory events.[7][8][9][10][11]

Hostel: Part II (2007)[edit]

After narrowly escaping the tortures of an evil secret organization, Paxton suffers from extreme episodes of PTSD. Convinced that the Elite Hunting Club will not stop looking for him until he is dead, he often comes into confrontation with his girlfriend who argues that his experience is exaggerated as a result of his mental illness. After one particularly heated argument, she awakes the next morning to find his headless corpse sitting in their kitchen, confirming his story.

In Rome, Italy three young American art students named Beth, Whitney, and Lorna are enjoying their time abroad in a foreign country. Encouraged by one of the nude models that they are sketching named Axelle, to visit a relaxing hostel located in Slovakia, the trio decide to make the journey to the isolated location. Expecting a relaxing stay at a luxurious spa, the friends quickly begin to question the underlying reality of what is going on around them. Unbeknownst to them, upon arrival their passports are uploaded for bid to the highest spender. Abducted by members of the organization, the friends awaken to a reality where they are positioned to be helpless pawns of torture and murder. The women resolve to fight for their survival, or die trying.[12][13][14][15][16]

Hostel: Part III (2011)[edit]

Scott alongside his friends Mike and Justin, are celebrating a night of decadence in Las Vegas for his bachelor party. As they move through each club, they are persuaded by a pair of escorts to attend a secluded private party. The friends decide to take their partying up a level, and make the trip. Upon arrival they quickly learn that things are not as they seem. Imprisoned by the Slokovian hosts, they find that they are intended to be used as party favors of nefarious wealthy bidders, who intend to torture, abuse, and kill them as they desire. As they fight for their survival, amongst a terrible bloodbath Scott soon discovers that one of his friends is also a part of the Elite Hunters Club and willingly led them into the sadistic nightmare they are trapped in.[17][18][19]

Future[edit]

In December 2020, tabloids reported that a reboot of Hostel film series was in development.[20] By December of 2023 however, Eli Roth stated that he intends to develop additional films in the series; stating "there's a lot more to do" and that he felt like he had "ignored them for too long." Acknowledging that he has ideas for where to take the story next, the filmmaker confirmed he also wants to return to the film series once again in the role of director after previously not being involved with Part III.[21][22]

Principal cast and characters[edit]

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  C indicates a cameo role.
Character Films
Hostel Hostel: Part II Hostel: Part III
2005 2007 2011
Principal cast
Paxton Rodriguez Jay Hernandez  
Josh Brooks Derek Richardson  
Óli Eriksson Eyþór Guðjónsson  
Kana Jennifer Lim  
Yuki Keiko Seiko  
Beth Salinger   Lauren German  
Whitney Swerling   Bijou Phillips  
Lorna Weisenfreund   Heather Matarazzo  
Scott   Brian Hallisay
Amy   Kelly Thiebaud
Mike   Skyler Stone
Justin   John Hensley
Kendra   Sarah Habel
Nikki   Zulay Henao
Victor   Nickola Shreli
Anka   Evelina Oboza
Elite Hunting Club
Natalya Barbara Nedeljáková  
Svetlana Jana Kaderabkova  
Jedi, the Desk Clerk Milda Havlas  
Alexei Lubomir Bukovy  
Dutch Businessman Jan Vlasák  
American Client Rick Hoffman  
Johann, the German Surgeon Petr Janiš  
The Butcher Josef Bradna Ivan Furak  
Sasha Rassimov   Milan Kňažko  
Inya   Zuzana Geislerová  
Stuart   Roger Bart  
Todd   Richard Burgi  
Axelle   Vera Jordanova  
Miroslav   Stanislav Ianevski  
Roman   Roman Janecka  
Mrs. Bathory   Monika Malacova  
Carter   Kip Pardue
Travis   Chris Coy
Flemming   Thomas Kretschmann

Additional crew and production details[edit]

Film Crew/Detail
Composer Cinematographer Editor(s) Production
companies
Distributing
companies
Running time
Hostel Nathan Barr Milan Chadima George Folsey Jr. Next Entertainment and Raw Nerve Lions Gate Entertainment 1 hr 34 mins
Hostel: Part II
Hostel: Part III Frederik Wiedmann Andrew Strahorn George Folsey Jr. & Brad Wilhite Stage 6 Films, RCR Media Group and Next Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 1 hr 28 mins

Reception[edit]

Box office and financial performance[edit]

Film Box office gross Box office ranking Video
sales gross
Worldwide total
gross income
Budget Worldwide total
net income
Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America
All time
worldwide
Hostel $47,326,473 $34,914,637 $82,241,110 #1,909 #2,414 $23,882,146 $106,123,256 $4,800,000 $101,323,256 [2][23]
Hostel: Part II $17,609,452 $18,118,731 $35,728,183 #4,032 #3,730 $16,821,819 $52,550,002 $7,500,000 $45,050,002 [4][24]
Hostel: Part III Information not publicly available Information not publicly available [6]
Totals $64,935,92534 $53,033,368 $117,969,293 x̄ #1,981 x̄ #2,048 >$40,703,965 >$158,673,258 $12,300,000 ≥$146,373,258

Critical and public response[edit]

Film Critical Public
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Hostel 59% (109 reviews)[1] 55/100 ( reviews)[25] C−[26]
Hostel: Part II 44% (112 reviews)[3] 46/100 (21 reviews)[27] C[26]
Hostel: Part III 67% (6 reviews)[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Hostel (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Hostel (2005)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Hostel: Part II (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Hostel: Part II (2007)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Hostel: Part III (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Hostel: Part III (2011)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  7. ^ Anderson, John (January 4, 2006). "Hostel". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  8. ^ Lee, Nathan (January 6, 2006). "We Hope You Enjoy Your Stay. Gore Is Served in the Cellar". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  9. ^ Powers-Schaub, Ariel (July 15, 2021). "[Film Review] Hostel (2005)". Ghouls Magazine. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  10. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (March 23, 2006). "Hostel". The Guardian. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Barkan, Jonathan (January 6, 2016). "Snip, Slice, and Carve Into the 10th Anniversary of 'Hostel'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  12. ^ Debruge, Peter (June 7, 2007). "Hostel: Part II". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Kern, Laura (June 7, 2007). "Inside the Torture Factory". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Kermode, Mark (July 1, 2007). "Hostel: Part II". The Guardian. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  15. ^ Crook, Simon (October 1, 2006). "Hostel: Part II Review". Empire. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  16. ^ Navarro, Meagan (July 17, 2018). "[Butcher Block] The Torture and Blood Bath of 'Hostel: Part II'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  17. ^ Shaffer, R.L. (January 5, 2012). "Hostel: Part III DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  18. ^ James, Jonathan (December 27, 2011). "Review: Hostel: Part III". Daily Dead. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  19. ^ Miska, Brad (June 22, 2008). "New Torture in 'Hostel: Part III'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  20. ^ Campbell, Scott (December 24, 2020). "Hostel Reboot Reportedly In The Works". We Got This Covered. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  21. ^ Cavanaugh, Patrick (December 6, 2023). "Eli Roth Teases More Hostel and Cabin Fever Sequels". ComicBook.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  22. ^ Squires, John (December 6, 2023). "Eli Roth Reveals That He'd Like to Direct More 'Hostel' and 'Cabin Fever' Movies". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  23. ^ "Hostel (2006)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  24. ^ "Hostel: Part II (2007)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  25. ^ "Hostel (2006)". Metacritic. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  27. ^ "Hostel: Part II (2007)". Metacritic. Retrieved February 8, 2023.