Internet Janitor
Back in 2005, Eli Roth rode the new “torture porn” wave of horror kicked off by 2004’s Saw. It was a slow build, with emphasis on slow, to a very, very gruesome finale. Then, a few years later, he upped the ante in 2007 with Hostel 2, which, while a bit of a retread, featured the spectacularly gruesome bathtub scene. It also featured some clever twists and a very satisfying finale. Then we came to Hostel 3, which is in Las Vegas. If you find out this is a true story, your only logical reaction would be, “Yeah, that checks out.” Unfortunately, it’s complete garbage with nothing redeeming it.
Young and chipper Scott (played by Brian Hallisay from Hollywood Is Like High School with Money) heads off with some best friends, including Carter (played by Kip Pardue from Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures), to where his wife thinks will be golfing. Instead, they’re off to Vegas for booze and strippers.
The film’s opening might have been clever, provided you don’t think about how unnecessary and stupid the scenario was if you didn’t see the poster, read anything about the movie or watch a trailer. But that’s overall the problem here entirely. There’s nothing clever or memorable about this at all. Sure, setting it in Vegas is interesting and obvious, but it’s still a little interesting.
All of the kills here are generic. Yes, they’re very violent, but no, anyone who watches horror hasn’t seen it many times before. Which, yes, that’s a problem. Your mother would be ashamed of you. As in the second movie, Roth knew he had to outdo the first movie, and he succeeded. It was less plodding, as we all knew what was coming, and the characters were more interesting. Here, we get a cavalcade of cliches, and you won’t believe it when the most cartoonishly evil one of the group turns out to be a bad guy.
I wish there was more to say here. Roth was not involved and it shows in this low effort, low budget and hopefully forgotten sequel.