2006 / Eli Roth > The truest horror is when you find yourself identifying with the characters and their situations, and Roth hits this on the nail. After all, how many college kids have dreamed of backpacking through Europe and picking up girls along the way? Turning fantasies into nightmares is truly a gift, and that’s primarily why Hostel works. It’s real, in the sense that it could be occurring right now, and we could be the next victim.

The film is tightly packed: half of it is the setup, which is unusually interesting and fun, and half of it is the execution. The story is initially subtle, and since most viewers know the basic gist of what will happen, the time leading up to the execution creates a natural tension. My biggest annoyance with the film was its overuse of sound, specifically the high-pitched screeches, to evoke fear, as it felt like an awful cop-out. In retrospect, however, the final work is a well-crafted horror/thriller that ought to stay in the annals of the genre for quite a while. The ending, especially, gives me hope that Eli Roth is a man to watch.