This movie is heavy-handed in ways that will be immediately off-putting to some.
The main characters are young men almost entirely motivated by sex. In this pursuit, they objectify every women in their path, seeking out the most vulnerable, using them for their own needs (e.g. Getting over an ex, providing pleasure/entertainment for a night, etc.). In this pursuit (whether intentional from Roth or not) the first half of the film frequently objectifies the women on screen.
This motivation is then mirrored in the horrors of the dark Slavic town they've wandered into. The women (and staff) of the hostel sell tourists to be carved up by those willing to pay the price. These torturers have a range of motivations (a man who couldn't be a surgeon on account of his shaky hands, a man who no longer gets thrill out of sex, etc.) It's methods are even more disturbing than those of our sex-crazed protagonists, but the concept is the same: use people for your own needs.
Along the way is an exciting adventure. It conveys the fear of the unknown: a strange town with strange customs, people plotting in a language you can't understand, helplessness in the face of forces unseen. And as with many good horror films, the horror is retribution. It is payback for the naïveté of three young men, traveling to a foreign country just to get laid.
The nudity is as over the top as the gore. It exploits fear and lust the way its characters exploit themselves.
The main characters are young men almost entirely motivated by sex. In this pursuit, they objectify every women in their path, seeking out the most vulnerable, using them for their own needs (e.g. Getting over an ex, providing pleasure/entertainment for a night, etc.). In this pursuit (whether intentional from Roth or not) the first half of the film frequently objectifies the women on screen.
This motivation is then mirrored in the horrors of the dark Slavic town they've wandered into. The women (and staff) of the hostel sell tourists to be carved up by those willing to pay the price. These torturers have a range of motivations (a man who couldn't be a surgeon on account of his shaky hands, a man who no longer gets thrill out of sex, etc.) It's methods are even more disturbing than those of our sex-crazed protagonists, but the concept is the same: use people for your own needs.
Along the way is an exciting adventure. It conveys the fear of the unknown: a strange town with strange customs, people plotting in a language you can't understand, helplessness in the face of forces unseen. And as with many good horror films, the horror is retribution. It is payback for the naïveté of three young men, traveling to a foreign country just to get laid.
The nudity is as over the top as the gore. It exploits fear and lust the way its characters exploit themselves.