Movie Review: Hostel / Hostel II (Blu-ray)

Eli Roth's Hostel films has its fans and its even its very loud detractors that often label the talented (yes, I said talented) director a hack that's just interested in laying on the splatter and flushing any narrative down the toilet. I think their fun though as modern day exploitation.

Hostel I and II has just been released in a bargain double-bill Blu-ray pack by Mill Creek just in time for Halloween. Hostel begins with a group of young men traveling Europe looking to sew their oats. After some time in Holland rolling through the red light district the boys decide they want to hit Slovakia to try some of the girls out there. This does come at the risk of possibly being kidnapped and tortured by rich men looking for a thrill in killing Americans. Gore and humor are in abundance here with plenty of head-scratching moments to entertain.

Movie Review: Grotesque (2009)

Directed by Koji Shiraishi

Starring Tsugumi Nagasawa, Hiroiki Kawatsure and Shigeo Osako

Reviewed By Kenny B.

With the success of the Saw & Hostel franchises (for better or worse) it has become quite apparent that there is a niche in the horror genre that needed to be filled. Most of us know it as “torture-porn” or “splatter films”, a movie which focuses on graphic depictions of gore and violence centered around a preoccupation with the vulnerability of the human body and the theatrical portrail of its mutilation. The majority of these films lacking any type of comedic tone, I personally find them for the most part, a bit tough to watch. And in all honesty, most of them are poorly made piles of dog shit in my opinion. Koji Shiraishi's Grotesque has climbed to the top of that pile of dog shit and proudly planted its flag as the king of the mountain for the time being. This film was made for one reason, to disturb and shock even the most hard-core of horror fans, and it succeeds in doing just that.

Movie Review: The Wrong House (2010)

The selling points of this movie are, in order: It was made in Maine and it was self-financed, as proudly displayed across the back of the DVD slipcase. When I see those two things, though, I just cringe. Replace Maine with Illinois and you have just detailed the first quarter of my not-so-brilliant film career. I shuddered as I placed the disc in the player knowing full well what I was getting myself into. Perusing the box even further, I notice that one of our bad guy villains is also the writer/director, Shawn French. Tickle me pink, what a surprise! We all know just how effective writer/director/stars are, especially in the schlock horror world, and this should be a treat. A retina-destroying, ear bleeding treat… but a treat nonetheless. Little did I know how right I was about The Wrong House.

Buy The Wrong House on DVD!